Music to Festoon By
Jollity and beauty from Joni Mitchell, Lena Horne, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Louis Armstrong, the Pogues, Eartha Kitt, and more
No, Virginia, There Isn’t a Santa Claus!
Revisiting a Spy piece that proved, once and for all, scientifically, what no child wanted to hear
Master and Commander
The U.S.S. Lincoln projects American sea power on a small speck off the coast of Newfoundland
Sometimes, Bigger Is Better
Never-before-seen Avedon, a Trump-free Palm Beach, Helmut’s nudes: everyone loves a beautiful coffee-table book, and this year options abound
EPISODE IV: “The Clue Lay in the Outsider Art!”
Still more correspondence from Lansy Everett, formerly of the New York Herald Tribune, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Vogue, Worth, and Harper’s Bazaar
B. J. Novak
So much more than a children’s book: on metafiction for kids
Donald Trump’s Completely Unverified London Diary*
The “stable genius” becomes a laughingstock
First Love
Little-known correspondence from Elizabeth Bishop offers a glimpse into the poet’s romantic life
America’s Next Top Model
Now in its 23rd year, this American city is ready for its close-up—as is its surprise builder!
Once More unto the Holidays
Reliably spirited tracks from David Bowie, Prince, Dire Straits, XTC, Talking Heads, Ice Cube, Buzzcocks, the Clash, and more
Deborah Levy
Recommends the books whose authors were as fascinating as their work
Behind the Scenes
A new book pulls back the curtain on London’s
most beautiful theaters
Wells of the World
The author of a new book on H. G. Wells’s writings on re-discovering his life and work
