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David Downton’s Sketchbook

Dreaming About Joni

Two Joni Mitchell biographers discuss their shared muse

Editor’s Picks

This week, don’t miss a novel set during the 1925 Scopes trial, a history of medieval magic, and a portrait of a World War II hero

Hans Ulrich Obrist’s Guide to Basel

The curator, critic, and artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries shares his favorite spots in the Swiss art town

The Book Lover’s Guide to Dublin

With the Bloomsday and Dalkey literary festivals kicking off, this is the peak week to get lit in the Irish capital

Why We’ll Always Have Paris

On this week’s podcast, Linda Wells explains why Paris (Hilton) deserves a second chance

Fish Tales

An exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum, in Massachusetts, highlights more than 40 delightfully illustrated editions of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick

Merchants of Delight

The Merry Wives of Rupert Murdoch

The media mogul’s many loves—and their circular connections—condensed into one sentence

Marcellus Hall’s Sketchbook

Been There, Dunne That

Griffin Dunne reflects on his sister’s horrific murder, the making of Scorsese’s After Hours, his friendship with Carrie Fisher, and a colorful life in New York and Hollywood

“Stan Mack’s Real Life Funnies,” Revisited

New York’s favorite, “100% overheard” comic strip, which ran from the mid-70s to the mid-90s in The Village Voice, is brought back to life in a new book

The Enemy Within

The Face in the Mirror

James Corden’s chummy charm conquered America, but the United Kingdom isn’t so keen

Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook

Editor’s Picks

This week, don’t miss a World War II thriller, a book on the making of Double Indemnity, a look at Cold War Moscow, and an overlooked Mark Twain novel

Blondie Moment

In an excerpt from his new memoir, Chris Stein, the Blondie co-founder and guitarist, recalls the heroin-and-pot-fueled chaos of life on tour in the early 80s

Tish Weinstock’s Guide to London

The beauty editor and fashion fixture shares her tips on where to find everything from Edwardian lace to Chanel tweed in her home city

The Daumier of La Dolce Vita

Ava Gardner kicked him in the groin, Peter O’Toole socked him in the ear, and this month Gérard Depardieu pounded him to a pulp. But 79-year-old Rino Barillari isn’t slowing down

Murder, They Wrote

This month’s best mystery books, podcasts, and TV series

Man Ray’s Halo Effect

A new book surveys the life and work of the prolific 20th-century artist who revolutionized photography and pioneered the Surrealist movement

Hoaxing the Nazis

Using fake tanks, movie-set designers, and an all-too-real General Patton, the Allies ingeniously fooled Hitler in the run-up to D-day

Valley of the Books

Located inside a family’s Brooklyn home, High Valley Books offers the best collection of rare and vintage print media in the city

Satch Is Back!

Five spectacular and previously unheard Louis Armstrong recordings from 1968 are finally being released by the BBC, showing him to be a great entertainer to the last