The Really Right Stuff
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, was the picture of calm during meetings with J.F.K. ahead of his journey. His archives reveal a human side
Animal Instinct
Marsel van Oosten’s photographs offer a tantalizingly close-up look at the world’s rarest wildlife
Helene Hanff’s Diary
The story of Helene Hanff, the Bridget Jones of the postwar literary set, whose uproarious 84, Charing Cross Road has never been out of print
Short List
Books to read this week, including fresh looks at Norman Jewison and Stephen Hawking, and an enlightened guide to parenting
Floral Tribute
The pioneering photographer Anna Atkins is not nearly as well known as her contemporaries, such as Henry Fox Talbot. Her work reveals photography’s transition from science to art
Street Cars Named Desire
Citroëns, Corvettes, and a bright-blue Fiat 500 get their due in a new book collecting the coolest classic cars
The Real Deal
As cultural workers have had their livelihoods crushed by the pandemic, the New Deal’s arts projects are suddenly relevant again
Background Check
The story of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s greatest detective, goes well beyond Christie’s own
Hopping Around
Coming of age in the Roaring Twenties, the heirs to the Guinness-beer fortune favored dance and drink over careers and philanthropy
Where Photography and Fashion Meet
A new volume unites the work of two greats: the photographer Peter Lindbergh and the couturier Azzedine Alaïa
The Great Escape
How Nixon and Brando prevented another massacre at Wounded Knee—and allowed American Indian leader Dennis Banks to run free
Radical Chic
Virginie Despentes managed to get her film banned in French cinemas. With the U.S. release of two of her fieriest works, the feminist shows no signs of slowing down
