All Books
Benjamin Franklin bankrolled 200 years of small business loansFranklin believed that skilled workers were key to America鈥檚 success. So he left money in his will to help tradespeople get their start.聽- Who invented motion pictures? Hint: Not Edison nor the Lumi猫res.Thomas Edison is credited with inventing moving pictures. But author Paul Fischer makes the case that a rival got there first 鈥� and then disappeared.聽
Science fiction author draws inspiration from the Sierra鈥淭he High Sierra: A Love Story鈥� captures Kim Stanley Robinson鈥檚 passion for the wilderness terrain that influenced his greatest works of science fiction.聽聽聽
Mystery, politics, and intrigue flourish in Latin American fictionNovelists, including Mario Vargas Llosa, writing in Spanish and recently translated into English, capture the spirit of a vibrant literary tradition.
We can鈥檛 know the 鈥榳hy鈥� of Stonehenge. This book reveals the likely 鈥榟ow.鈥�Archaeologist Mike Pitts takes an engineering and scientific approach to the Stonehenge鈥檚 secrets, which have long confounded visitors and admirers.
If dinosaurs hadn鈥檛 died out, humans might not be hereIn 鈥淭he Last Days of the Dinosaurs,鈥� Riley Black explains why they聽鈥漬eeded to step off the evolutionary stage鈥� so the age of mammals could appear.
Lively guests: Invite the 10 best books of May into your homeFrom surprising novels to thoughtful nonfiction, the 10 best books of May are lively companions that charm and illuminate.
The Socrates of second grade: Adventures in philosophy with childrenPhilosophy for kids? This dad says children are naturals.聽Scott Hershovitz shares how his two sons inspire him in 鈥淣asty, Brutish, and Short.鈥�
鈥楾he Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois鈥� elevates Black struggle and triumphHonor茅e Fanonne Jeffers鈥� novel 鈥淭he Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois鈥� lifts up stories of a Black family, scarred by slavery, pursuing transcendence.聽聽
The horse that should have come in first: Spectacular Bid鈥檚 infamous finishAfter winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Spectacular Bid should have taken Belmont. 鈥淭he Fast Ride鈥� tells the story of why he failed.
The Syria-Israeli peace deal that almost was: A diplomat looks backSyrian leader Bashar Assad had almost agreed to a U.S.-brokered peace accord with Israel. Then he cracked down on his own citizens with deadly force.聽
More than fashion: Vogue鈥檚 Anna Wintour influences culture at largeVogue editor Anna Wintour鈥檚 cultural clout extends from Hollywood to Washington and beyond, says biographer Amy Odell in 鈥淎nna: The Biography.鈥�
An octopus, a widow, and a decades-long missing-person caseAn octopus befriends a widow and sets out to solve the mystery of her son鈥檚 disappearance in the feel-good novel 鈥淩emarkably Bright Creatures.鈥澛�
Joy in the garden: Books to inspire beauty and self-relianceA quintet of garden books provides a bounty of ideas, whether your space is a field, backyard, or windowsill, and no matter your skill level.聽聽
A novel envisions what it would be like to study with BachJohann Sebastian Bach鈥檚 legendary perfectionism shines in the novel 鈥淭he Great Passion,鈥� as he takes a (fictional) choir student under his wing.聽 聽
When Belle 脡poque Paris absorbed Russian 茅migr茅s fleeing revolutionParis in the early 20th century became a refuge for Russians, whose culture enriched the city, writes Helen Rappaport in聽鈥淎fter the Romanovs.鈥�
Not meant to soothe: How the truths of fiction can challenge and stirIranian American author Azar Nafisi explores fiction as a means of engaging with the world, rather than retreating from it in 鈥淩ead Dangerously.鈥�
How a search for kindness grew into an anthology of poemsEditor James Crews talks about how poems of kindness reminded him during the pandemic that 鈥渢he world could still be a joyful, connected place.鈥澛�
Explorer, deserter, spy: The man who discovered the lost city of AlexandriaThe lost city of Alexander the Great was found by a man whose story went untold. Now Edmund Richardson explores his life in 鈥淭he King鈥檚 Shadow.鈥澛�
Consolation in solitude: Retracing the steps of Henry David ThoreauIn a time of grief, Ben Shattuck follows in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau, and shares his journey with humor and insight in 鈥淪ix Walks.鈥澛�
