Going Deep
A paleontology professor details the long history of great white sharks—and reveals what it feels like looking one in the eyes
Born and Broken in the U.S.A.
The glory days of the heartland Bruce Springsteen evoked on Born in the U.S.A. 40 years ago feel like a distant memory in today’s America
The Rest Is Fiction
Phillip Toledano’s A.I.-generated photographs of 1940s and 1950s New York, collected in a new book, blur the line between truth and fantasy
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a murder mystery set in Maine; a history of colonial Britain told through walking routes; and a look at Paris’s Belle Époque
Posing a Challenger
In the lead-up to the 1986 Challenger explosion, an engineer raised the alarm about safety concerns. His inability to stop the disaster upended his life
The Lady Gangster of New York
Vivian Gordon made a name for herself as the sexual extortionist of Jazz Age New York. Then she disappeared
The Tortured-Writers Department
Sitting in the cafés frequented by Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway to write a book about Paris sounds like a dream—until it’s time to put pen to paper
Directors’ Cuts
A new book zooms in on filmmakers’ on-set wardrobes, from Federico Fellini’s fedora on Juliet of the Spirits to John Ford’s serape on The Searchers and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette uniform
Hollywood’s Hidden Genius
Elaine May was Mike Nichols’s comedic other half, and directed some of the last century’s quirkiest movies, from The Heartbreak Kid to Ishtar. Then she all but disappeared
Laughter in the Dark
In his new memoir, comedian Paul Scheer takes on his childhood abuse with humor and one-liners
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
Dreaming About Joni
Two Joni Mitchell biographers discuss their shared muse
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
“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
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
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