The Nazis’ Most Formidable P.O.W. Camp
Ben Macintyre, author of a new book on epic escapes from the German stronghold Colditz, discusses everything from Truman Capote to dream dinner-party guests
The State of Their Union
While the “bromance” between Barack Obama and Joe Biden has dominated headlines, the unseen tensions between the two have shaped politics
Staff Picks
Don’t miss Andy Borowitz’s account of America’s dumbest politicians; a hefty history of pop music; and the story of building Lincoln Center
Catcher in the Wry
Eight questions with Christopher Buckley, ranging in subject from his comic pandemic novel and George Bush 41 to what his parents would have made of Trump
When Menus Were the Main Event …
A delicious new book offers a visual history of menu design from 1800 to the present
Murder, They Wrote
This month in mystery books, sequels improve on their predecessors—plus a locked-room puzzle from John Dickson Carr, as thrilling now as when it was first published, in 1944
Some Strings Attached
The little-known story of a wartime British ambassador who appeased Adolf Hitler but saw the error of his ways
Long Live the King
Ahead of his latest novel’s release, Stephen King divulges his writing routine and explains why social media is a “poison pill”
Re-writing the History Books
In an interview, Maggie O’Farrell discusses how she resurrects women in her historical fiction
Life on the Orient Express
She is remembered as the incarnation of her most beloved character, the elderly, provincial Miss Marple. In reality, the adventurous, globe-trotting Agatha Christie was the opposite
Crisis Control
Eight questions with Jonathan Darman, whose new book explores how polio prepared F.D.R. for the presidency—and saved his marriage
Long Live the King
Ahead of his latest novel’s release, Stephen King divulges his writing routine and explains why social media is a “poison pill”
Freudian Tip
A new book suggests Sigmund Freud would not have been the father of psychoanalysis history remembers him as were it not for his wife, Martha
Shelf Life
Veteran book editors are getting pushed aside in the publishing industry’s mad dash for youth
