Hot Topic
Ever since Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson, there has been speculation about their relationship. A new book attempts to set the record straight
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gainsbourged
From the perils of aging to the joys of parenthood—and the undertow of depression—the French singer and actress is now happily looking ahead
All Roads Lead to Paolo Di Paolo
Ahead of a new movie by Bruce Weber on the forgotten photographer and chronicler of postwar Italy, we collect some of his most memorable pictures
A Feast for the Ears
This week’s podcast has grifters, N.B.A. stars, fancy restaurants, angry mobsters, Russian dissidents, and more!
Murder, They Wrote
As the holiday season approaches, gifts for mystery book–lovers of every type
Leave the Gun, Take the Cocktail
In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, a maître d’hôtel for Brooklyn’s River Café recalls getting on the wrong side of a mobster from the Gotti crime family—and how he lived to tell the tale
A Mania for Egyptomania
Early next month, the “Magnificent Jewels” sale at Sotheby’s New York will include nearly a dozen superb pieces of Egyptian Revival jewelry
Packages and Kings
How, amid the wreckage of Heaven’s Gate, a couple of young agents rebuilt the movie business in their own image
Yabba Dabba Doo!
With two sellout world tours and 430 million downloads, Britain’s most successful comedy podcast, My Dad Wrote a Porno, has finally reached its climax
Otello in Athens
Robert Wilson tackles Verdi in the birthplace of tragedy
A Night at the Odeon
Jay McInerney, Emma Cline, and Iké Udé gathered at the Tribeca restaurant in celebration of AIR MAIL’s Downtown Set
Yoko Before John
To understand the most misunderstood woman of the last half-century, you have to go back to the beginning
Bohemian Rhapsody
The artist Duncan Hannah’s unpublished 1980s diaries chronicle his run-ins with everyone from Bowie and Basquiat to Warren Beatty and a precocious call girl
Songs with Atmosphere
A selection of 14 songs that defy description
Street Scenes
A collection of Saul Leiter’s newly discovered color photographs offers a rare look at his pioneering, painterly vision
Ludlow, Lady Gaga, and Me
In 2006, Pianos, on Ludlow Street, was a divey service-industry spot attracting the likes of Sweetbitter author Stephanie Danler—and a pre-fame Lady Gaga
Take a Walk and Talk on the Wild Side
This week’s podcast celebrates what makes downtown New York great
Sunglasses After Dark
A guided tour of CBGB, the Mudd Club, Tunnel, and downtown’s other lost nightlife haunts
How Hip-Hop Was Made
After photographing London’s nascent punk scene, Janette Beckman moved to New York to chronicle hip-hop’s early days and founding artists—A Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, and LL Cool J among them
