Jim Baker’s Midlife Crisis
The man who ran Washington during Watergate and the Cold War reveals the story behind his epic career switch
Growing Up Picasso
A new book focuses on the Spanish artist’s relationship with one of his greatest muses—his first daughter, Maya
In Search of Lost Morals
Transactionalism has been a part of our politics since our founding. And, even during World War, it’s coexisted with decency. Not anymore
Where Have All the Thinkers Gone?
Editors at Bloomberg and The Economist make the case for a 21st-century Hobbes to solve our coronavirus woes
Squaring the Circle
A photographer chronicles the curious phenomenon of crop circles and the dreamers they attract
The Home Front
To guide her through some of the world’s most dangerous places, the veteran war correspondent drew from a lifetime of her mom’s advice
Jane After Jann
25 years after the split of Jane and Jann Wenner, a close friend reflects on Jane’s stoic second act
Bringing Up Cary
The actor’s early years—he was born Archie Leach in Bristol, U.K.—stayed with him long after he became Cary Grant
Seeing Things
Seamus Heaney’s biographer looks at what makes a poet essential
One for the Books
Heywood Hill, among the world’s most revered bookshops, is launching a somewhat unique literary prize
Hollywood Heartbreak
In which the star of My Best Friend’s Wedding forgets a dinner with Joan Collins and loses a “giant” role, all while trying to revive his career
Dark Words
Why did Eleanor Roosevelt stand by the offensive term she used in her long-celebrated autobiography?
Bruce Wagner’s Woke Universe
After his publisher balked at his use of a certain word, Hollywood’s master of satire posts his new novel online for free
Good Sport
Go for the game, stay for the crumpets: a new book surveys the storied, bucolic world of cricket
Sour Grapes
John Steinbeck’s biographer reveals the story of a friendship gone wrong when Joseph Campbell fell for Steinbeck’s wife Carol
Divorcing, Revisited
Susan Taubes’s semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1969 to little acclaim. Its reissuing offers a chance to discover the cutting, long-forgotten gem
Hilary Mantel
The author of the Cromwell trilogy recommends her favorite books on her favorite theme: royals