The Art of Subtlety
To attract readers but stump libel lawyers, 20th-century magazine writers alluded to sordid gossip instead of printing it
Inside Afghanistan
At the core of the current Afghanistan disaster is the West’s misunderstanding of a country and its people. These books offer a good place to start
Family Feuds
The story of famed U.K. department store John Lewis rivals that of the Murdoch clan in its similarities with Succession
Lost in Translation
The moment Japan opened its doors to the West, in the late 1800s, was the moment many of its traditions disappeared. A new volume brings them back
Family Business
To write his second novel, Atticus Lish asked himself, “What hurts?”
A Hello to Arms
Ernest Hemingway: renowned novelist, bullfighting aficionado, and … Spanish guerrilla fighter?
Short List
What to read this week, from a history of a secret Nixon meeting to an exploration of French colonialism in Congo and a look back at Bernini’s Rome
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
How did a few German students manage to dig a tunnel under the Berlin Wall?
A Day in the Life of Leila Slimani
The Moroccan-French author, whose latest book, a novel about a woman navigating an inter-racial marriage, is out now, explains how the magic happens
Short List
What to read this week, including a personal history of a publishing duo that fled Nazi Germany; a searing memoir; and an ode to trees
Betting the Farm
Can we change our approach to agriculture before it’s too late?
The King of Comedy
Eight questions with David Steinberg, director of Seinfeld, Friends, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, whose new book looks back at the last five decades of comedy
Animal Attraction
Joachim Schmeisser’s African-wildlife photographs pay homage to the magical creatures of Kenya’s Amboseli National Park
Short List
What to read this week, including a look back at home ec, a blow-by-blow of the Watergate scandal, and a history of Oceania
