Claire Tomalin
Recommends four books spanning three centuries
Films for Discerning Audiences
The best movies never get made. Time to put a stop to that
Sex (Time) Machine
A new history of sex reveals tales of Clarice Clatterbollocks, testicle thefts, and women keeping live fish in their knickers
L.A. Confidential
When it comes to Los Angeles in the 60s and 70s, Andee Nathanson was to photography what Eve Babitz was to literature, recording the exploding scene from within. A new book of her photographs illustrates that golden age
Super Tracks for Superheroes
What do Ennio Morricone, the Meters, Nina Simone, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, and Rage Against the Machine have in common? Just listen
Due West
Sixty-three years since its 1957 premiere, a new production of West Side Story, directed by Ivo van Hove, is a testament to the musical’s enduring allure.
The Naked Edge
Ahead of a BBC series on the female nude in Western Art, its creator traces contemporary debates back to Renaissance anxieties over David’s willy
Mayhem for the Ears
Hunted, a fast-paced mystery podcast by the mastermind behind Law & Order, stars Parker Posey
Olivia Chantecaille
Start them young: on the best children’s books for budding activists
Cinema Paradiso
In her debut movie, Gianni Agnelli’s granddaughter tells the story of an eccentric family in early 1990s Italy
Full Stoppard
Set in Vienna’s Jewish community in the early part of the 20th century, Leopoldstadt, says the playwright, is “not even close to being autobiographical.” And yet …
This Town
A new book of photographs chronicles the evolution of New York City’s downtown over a century, from Radio Row to a post-9/11 World Trade Center
Hoosegow Rock
Confined to quarters? Little Richard, Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Kanye West, Dr. John, and the Main Ingredient are among those who can help
Face Value
A new book considers the fate of our most human aspects—the mystery of the brain, the expressiveness of the face—in our tech-bent future
Bad Romance
The author of a new book on the Borgias’ infamous personal lives uncovers the facts behind the Italian family’s long-standing myths
