Spy Games
A new book pulls back the curtain on the mysterious life of Marguerite Harrison, a Gilded Age socialite turned intrepid spy
Painting the White House Orange
In an interview, authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser discuss Trump’s indictments, his similarities with Putin, and what a 2024 election could look like
The Longest Day
In an exclusive excerpt from an upcoming history of The New York Times: how 9/11 tested the paper’s newsroom—and fueled a wildly successful transition online
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss the story of a couple’s quest to visit every Costco, a retelling of Roman history through its Popes, and a look at life in East Germany
The Value of Tolkien
Having spent the majority of his life as a struggling academic, J. R. R. Tolkien, who died 50 years ago, would never have dreamed of the influence of The Lord of the Rings
Murder, They Wrote
Underdogs dominate this month’s best mystery books
A Bigger Splash
A new coffee-table book explores the design and history of the world’s most stunning seawater pools, ranging across South Africa, Australia, and Scotland
The Enforcer and the Maestro
In an excerpt from his new book, Rich Cohen reveals the closer-than-blood relationship forged between Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley
The Golden Years
An homage to the expansive and hilarious world The Golden Girls offered during the buttoned-up Reagan era
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a delicate exploration of privilege, a dissection of Russian writers’ tendency to write about existential questions, and a gossipy account of the publishing world
Down the Memory Hole
An arresting new biography gives George Orwell’s intrepid first wife her due
True Lies
Beware of the quotes on the backs of books, as publishers play fast and loose with critical reviews
Editor’s Picks
This week, don’t miss a comic-strip biography of Charles M. Schulz, a look back at Germany’s turbulent 1923, and the story of how Borges, Heisenberg, and Kant challenged reality
Shark Tales
Restoring New England’s great-white-shark population presented conservationists with a new challenge: convincing beachgoers it was good news
Stands to Treason
A look back at the 1945 trial of Philippe Pétain, France’s World War II–era head of state who was accused of plotting to overthrow democracy
Low Shelf Esteem
In the last decade, “sad girl” literature, novels about well-off girls who drink, go to therapy, and are consumed by self-loathing, has taken over contemporary fiction
