The Work of Art is a visionary compendium of ephemera that makes visible the bridge between idea and artwork.
The Work of Art is a visionary compendium of ephemera that makes visible the bridge between idea and artwork.
Richard Munson’s splendid biography of Benjamin Franklin provides an insightful view of the statesman’s lesser known accomplishments in science.
Richard Munson’s splendid biography of Benjamin Franklin provides an insightful view of the statesman’s lesser known accomplishments in science.
Lili Anolik’s Didion and Babitz is a freewheeling and engaging narrative about two iconic literary rivals and their world in 1970s Los Angeles.
Lili Anolik’s Didion and Babitz is a freewheeling and engaging narrative about two iconic literary rivals and their world in 1970s Los Angeles.
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Author and gospel lyricist Gloria Gaither captures the sublime and sacred joys of the Christmas season in He Started the Whole World Singing, a heartwarming compendium of her original prayers, stories and songs, rounded out with time-honored Gaither family recipes. The book, named for an original song by Gaither, gives an intimate peek into the faith and spiritual devotions of her family, prompting a deeper vision of Christmas. Accompanied by a CD produced by husband Bill Gaither, this thoughtful, spiritual celebration of Christmas is sure to inspire comfort in our often cold world. Alison Hood still waits up for Santa every Christmas Eve and eats way too many cookies while keeping watch at the hearth.

Author and gospel lyricist Gloria Gaither captures the sublime and sacred joys of the Christmas season in He Started the Whole World Singing, a heartwarming compendium of her original prayers, stories and songs, rounded out with time-honored Gaither family recipes. The book, named for an…
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The massacre at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, followed the usual media trajectory: first a flurry of fact-starved news bulletins; then a procession of eye-witness interviews, crime-scene photos and somber analyses; and, finally, the crystallization of the tragedy into a few memorable mythic figures and events.

To the degree that people remember Columbine at all, they are likely to recall that the two students who did the killings in that Colorado community—Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold—were “outsiders” given to wearing black trench coats and intent on avenging themselves against those who had bullied them, particularly the school jocks. And they both suffered from bad parenting.

None of this is true. Both boys were intelligent, industrious, socially involved, generally well liked and more apt to bully than be bullied. They came from prosperous but not opulent two-parent homes, and their parents were attentive and supportive without being overly indulgent. The boys wore dusters, not trench coats, on the last day of their lives—not for dramatic effect but to conceal their weapons.
Within a span of 49 minutes, the young assassins slaughtered 15 people, including themselves. It wasn’t an act committed in rage: they had planned the assault for months. Nor were there specific targets in mind. If Harris had had his way, he would have obliterated everyone in the school (and the world); Klebold simply wanted to die.

Dave Cullen—whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon and other publications—began his coverage of the massacre the day it occurred. He’s stayed with the story ever since, fleshing out the actions and motives of the central characters, observing the effects the carnage had on the community, chronicling the ongoing failures of law enforcement and pinpointing flaws of the media. His writing has the immediacy and starkness of a documentary.

Cullen was aided mightily in his research by the abundant detritus of hate Harris and Klebold left behind to make sure the world appreciated the depth of their discontent. They spoke from the grave through journals and videotapes that did not become available to the public until long after the furor had subsided. In addition, there are more than 30,000 pages of evidence compiled by the police.
The one mystery Cullen fails to solve in Columbine—and he acknowledges as much—is why Harris and Klebold acted as they did. What was the source of Harris’ rage and Klebold’s despair? Cullen is convinced that Harris was a classic psychopath. But that only labels, it doesn’t explain. Cullen does demonstrate, however, that there were ample signs of Harris’ escalating malevolence that the police never acted on. For reasons both emotional and legal, neither set of parents has been open with the press, and the testimony they were finally persuaded to give in 2003 in private has been sealed by a judge until 2027.

As full and as fascinating as it is, Columbine is a deeply unsettling book because it confirms our worst fear: that evil can arise without apparent cause and strike without provocation.

Edward Morris reviews from Nashville.

The massacre at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, followed the usual media trajectory: first a flurry of fact-starved news bulletins; then a procession of eye-witness interviews, crime-scene photos and somber analyses; and, finally, the crystallization of the tragedy into a few memorable mythic…

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A must-have for any bibliophile, American Writers at Home, co-published by the Library of America and the Vendome Press, provides a peek into the private lives of 21 famous literary figures. Taking readers on a coast-to-coast tour, this wonderful book visits the painstakingly preserved homes of a wide range of writers. From Eugene O’Neill’s elegant, understated residence in Danville, California, to Washington Irving’s charming cottage in Tarrytown, New York, the volume presents a liberal cross section of authors, regions and eras. Photographer Erica Lennard provides captivating portraits of each artist’s workspace, illuminating the day-to-day routines of American favorites like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson and Edith Wharton. The text by poet J.D. McClatchy includes fascinating anecdotes about the domestic habits and working methods of each figure. The breathtaking visuals, showcasing typewriters, parchment, manuscripts and other tools of the trade, combined with McClatchy’s commentary, make the book an intriguing meditation on the importance of personal space to the creative lives of writers. Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.

 

A must-have for any bibliophile, American Writers at Home, co-published by the Library of America and the Vendome Press, provides a peek into the private lives of 21 famous literary figures. Taking readers on a coast-to-coast tour, this wonderful book visits the painstakingly preserved…

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An artist unafraid to improvise at life, Henry David Thoreau was a man who dared to be an idealist. In 1845, he conducted his famous experiment in the woods of Massachusetts, single-handedly building a cabin on Walden Pond, where he weathered two winters in solitude. Honoring his strength of spirit and unique wisdom, Walden: 150th Illustrated Edition of the American Classic was recently published, with unforgettable color photographs by Texas native Scot Miller. Released to mark the 150th anniversary of the original publication of Walden, this beautiful volume was produced by Houghton Mifflin (Thoreau’s original publisher) in conjunction with the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit organization established by singer-songwriter Don Henley to protect the wilderness immortalized in Thoreau’s work. Complementing Thoreau’s original text, Miller’s stunning photographs capture the serenity and majesty of the Massachusetts wilderness in each of the four seasons. With a special introduction by nature writer E.O. Wilson, this lavish volume is a bargain at $28.12 (that’s half a cent less than Thoreau spent on the construction of his cabin). A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Walden Woods project.

Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.

 

An artist unafraid to improvise at life, Henry David Thoreau was a man who dared to be an idealist. In 1845, he conducted his famous experiment in the woods of Massachusetts, single-handedly building a cabin on Walden Pond, where he weathered two winters in…

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It’s a cultural institution, a reflection of our national character, a testament to our affection for the absurd. The New Yorker made its publishing debut in 1925 and has been amusing readers ever since. Now, as the revered weekly prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary, The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker sure to be the blockbuster book of the holiday season collects 2,004 of the magazine’s comics in one uproarious, outsized treasury. Organized into chapters based on decade and subject matter, the cartoons presented here tackle topics of timeless import like dogs, cars, drinking and politics. The pieces span nearly a century and serve as a record of our cultural evolution, documenting the intellectual shifts, political attitudes and moral trends that marked America’s coming-of-age. As the pages pass, references to Prohibition and the Depression and the scandal of divorce give way to mentions of drugs and yoga, motorcycles and miniskirts. Indeed, one of the many pleasures offered by this nearly inexhaustible book lies in the comparison of eras: James Thurber’s good-natured jibes at humanity, for example, which he produced in the 1930s and ’40s, stand in fascinating contrast to Saul Steinberg’s contemporary, irony-laden offerings. Over the course of the volume, all of the magazine’s classic humorists are represented William Steig, George Booth, Charles Addams, Roz Chast and Gahan Wilson, among countless others all artists who helped define America’s sense of humor with their wit and brevity, with their skill at distilling the human experience into the confines of a cartoon. A roster of beloved New Yorker writers, including Ian Frazier, Roger Angell, John Updike and Lillian Ross, contribute introductory essays to each chapter, providing background and context for the selections. Two complementary CDs contain every single cartoon published in the magazine, from February 21, 1925, to February 23, 2004. That’s 68,647 different reasons to laugh. Truly a grand anthology. Julie Hale is a writer in Austin, Texas.

It's a cultural institution, a reflection of our national character, a testament to our affection for the absurd. The New Yorker made its publishing debut in 1925 and has been amusing readers ever since. Now, as the revered weekly prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary,…
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She has, quite possibly, the most famous face in the entire world. Just as beguiling as Mona Lisa’s smile, however, is her long and captivating history. Particularly notable is the two-year period when one of the world’s most valuable paintings . . . just disappeared. R.A. Scotti explores this fascinating incident in Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa, an engaging nonfiction study that’s as full of twists, turns and suspense as any mystery novel.

Anyone who’s seen the painting behind bulletproof glass in its high-security room at the Louvre would be surprised at how lax the Paris museum’s security was in August 1911, when the painting seemed to simply vanish into thin air. When the theft was uncovered, however, virtually all of Paris was paralyzed; the museum shut down for a week so that police could mount a full investigation, and every newspaper was full of speculation on the painting’s whereabouts. Everyone was under suspicion, from the museum’s staff to the young upstart painter Pablo Picasso and his anti-establishment circle of friends.

Despite the sensational nature of the crime, Scotti’s exploration of the theft of the painting would be fairly humdrum if it merely recounted events—especially since the details of the thief’s means and motives are still not fully understood today. Scotti skillfully heightens the suspense by frequently personifying the painting, almost as if it were a real kidnap victim or runaway: “Mona Lisa had been spotted crossing the border . . . and slinking out of France.”

This approach will delight mystery lovers; of more interest to art history buffs, however, is the way Scotti positions the painting’s disappearance at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. The Parisian police force uses cutting-edge forensic science to find clues; the public’s fascination with the missing lady (even paying to stare at the empty hooks where she once hung) foreshadows the irreverence and self-commentary of modern art; the reproduction of the lady on countless souvenirs previews later 20th-century mass production of cultural artifacts. Placed in these contexts, the theft of the world’s most beloved painting makes the Mona Lisa’s story even more significant—and her smile even more alluring.

Norah Piehl is a writer and editor who lives near Boston.

She has, quite possibly, the most famous face in the entire world. Just as beguiling as Mona Lisa’s smile, however, is her long and captivating history. Particularly notable is the two-year period when one of the world’s most valuable paintings . . . just disappeared.…

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