2019.4.17

《華爾街日報》圍繞美國總統特朗普在兩起封口費事件中所扮演的角色展開了深入調查，被封口的對象是聲稱與特朗普有染的女子。該系列報道獲得了2019年普利策國內報道獎。

Apr 17, 2014
Technology

One of the First Mentions of Apple in the WSJ

This 1978 personal-finance article will make you feel like a pioneer, if you were alive then. It refers to a hot product — “so-called personal computers” — and has what we believe is the first mention of Apple ComputerAAPL +1.14% in the WSJ.
Today in WSJ History, April 17, 1978:
In celebration of the 125th anniversary of The Wall Street Journal, editors are combing the archives each day to see how the paper covered the biggest news. The first-ever paper July 8, 1889, was a single sheet, priced at two cents. (Subscribers in 1889 were offered an annual deal of just $5, though of course that didn’t include a digital edition.) Check out what’s been published so far.

我沒找到要的不過還是到此留念
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/book-reviews.html

Supreme Confidence

Bookshelf

When Risky Is Right
When evil or corruption are the status quo, what is it that moves some individuals—defying the pressure to conform—to do good deeds? Eyal Press considers four case studies in "Beautiful Souls." Ruth Franklin reviews.
How the East Was Won
Warring Indians, greedy settlers, merciless rogues: These weren't characters from the Wild West, but rural Pennsylvania circa 1750. Alan Taylor reviews "The First Frontier."
Handmaidens to Censorship
The threat to online freedom may come from governments, of course, but also from private companies doing the state's dirty work. Luke Allnutt reviews "Consent of the Networked."
Special Agents and Otherwise
An account of the FBI's counterespionage snooping over the past century. George Melloan reviews "Enemies."
Now That the Sun Has Set
Can America learn from the demise of the British Empire, avoiding the paternalism and self-doubt that led to disastrous decline? Andrew Roberts reviews "Ghosts of Empire."
Gods and Monsters
Booker prize-winning author A.S. Byatt blends myth and memoir in retelling the Norse legend about a massive battle that ends the world. Tom Shippey reviews.
Avoiding the Limelight
In "Quiet," Susan Cain argues that introverts have a lot to offer the world—and we undervalue them at our peril. Philip Delves Broughton reviews.
Parenting à la Mode
You'll never catch a Parisian mother with a Ziploc bag of Cheerios, a snack that clutters the purse of every American toddler's mom. Clare McHugh reviews "Bringing Up Bébé."
The University of Adam Smith
In the scramble for money and prestige, colleges lose their focus on education. A business executive thinks he has a solution. Naomi Schaefer Riley reviews "Change.edu."
Digital Doctoring
The digital revolution can spur unprecedented advances in the medical sciences, argues Eric Topol in "The Creative Destruction of Medicine."
In Praise of the Gross
Making a case that it was the insolent tone of "Tropic of Cancer"—more than the now tame sex scenes—that incited the book-banners. Lee Sandlin reviews "Renegade."
Occupy Elm Street
What if computer software could be designed to read human panic, or even create it—and then invest accordingly? Tom Nolan reviews "The Fear Index."
Values Inequality
"Coming Apart" argues that a large swath of America—poor and working-class whites—is turning away from traditional values and losing ground. W. Bradford Wilcox reviews.
That Ubu That He Did So Well
A biography of Alfred Jarry, the French playwright who, at age 23, wrote what is now considered a precursor to surrealist theatre. Gabriel Josipovici reviews.
From Honkytonk to High Art
"A Natural History of the Piano" explains how composers and pianists have entrusted their innermost feelings to the piano—perhaps more than to any other instrument. James Penrose reviews.
Your Tax Dollars Not at Work
From Solyndra to Bobber the Water Safety Dog, an epic spending program ran amok and then ran aground, its goals unmet. James Freeman reviews "Money Well Spent?"
The Cost of Free Culture
Amid controversy over attempts to thwart online piracy, a Google lawyer proposes reforms to a system that satisfies no one. Robert Levine reviews "How to Fix Copyright."
A Hazard of Fortunes
An insider's guide to the world of hedge funds—how they work and why they are likely to do better early on. George Melloan reviews "The Hedge Fund Mirage."
It Takes Two to Engage
Why did the Obama courtship of Iran go unrequited? One theory casts blame everywhere but Tehran and the White House. Sohrab Ahmari reviews "A Single Roll of the Dice."
A Shock to the System
In 1976, an earthquake devastated a populous Chinese city. China's political landscape shifted as well, with effects that are still visible today. Michael Fathers reviews "Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes."
The Lessons of the Turnpike
The story of the construction of Britain's road network and how it changed local politics and culture. Daniel Hannan reviews "Roads to Power."
So We're All in Agreement
In "Standards: Recipes for Reality," Lawrence Busch examines the common protocols and practices that play a role in nearly every aspect of life—from consumer goods and shipping containers to scientific research and school curriculums.
Pistol-Packing by the Millions
In "Glock," Paul M. Barrett describes how an obscure Austrian tinkerer invented a new handgun that eventually, thanks to shrewd marketing and the gun's appealing design, became a favorite with the FBI, American police departments, Hollywood movie makers and gun owners world-wide.
Overnight and Underage
In "King Larry," James D. Scurlock recounts the life of Larry Hillblom, who co-founded DHL, then spent his later years in hedonistic semi-retirement in the Pacific. Wayne Curtis reviews.
Casting the Plan for Victory
In "Marshall and His Generals," Stephen R. Taaffe examines Gen. George C. Marshall's role in selecting every major U.S. ground commander in World War II. Jonathan W. Jordan reviews.
A Parallel World Above the 38th
In "The Orphan Master's Son," novelist Adam Johnson imagines North Koreans' bizarre, nightmarish life under the regime of Kim Jong Il—a plight that shows no sign of changing with the arrival of the late dictator's son and successor.
A War of All Against All
In "The Age of Austerity," Thomas Byrne Edsall argues that Republicans and Democrats are locked in a "death struggle" over dwindling resources, making Washington more and more gridlocked and dysfunctional.
Taking a Novel Approach to Life
Should we be fearful of novelty and change or embrace it readily and cheerfully? In "New," Winifred Gallagher describes what the latest brain research tells us about our responses to the new and describes different personality types, including "neophiliacs" and "neophobes."
He Knew It When He Saw It
In "The Tender Hour of Twilight," Richard Seaver, the legendary book publisher, recounts his early years in Paris, his dealings with great writers and his stint at the adventurous, even scandalous, Grove Press.
Antiwar Reporting
In "The Operators," Michael Hastings, the man whose Rolling Stone interview doomed the career of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, offers up dispatches from Afghanistan.
Reflections on Self-Regard
In Michel Houellebecq's latest novel, "The Map and the Territory," a serious and successful artist befriends a writer named Michel Houellebecq, a "tired old decadent" who once possessed a demonic literary fury.
A Continent's Discontents
Europe's gloomy prospects—cultural turmoil, shrinking populations, economic malaise—as diagnosed by a distinguished historian. Yascha Mounk reviews "After the Fall" by Walter Laqueur.
The Freedom Writer
Writings on Tibet, Tiananmen Square and Chinese society by Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned dissident who won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
Unprecedented, Possibly
"Robertson's Book of Firsts" chronicles, as the book's subtitle has it, "who did what for the first time." Alexander Waugh reviews.
Talent on the Move
A passionate case for open immigration policies, and the recruiting and retaining of foreign-born talent. Katherine Mangu-Ward reviews "Borderless Economics."
How to Think About How to Live
In "A Brief History of Thought," Luc Ferry offers a survey of philosophical ideas over the centuries, arguing that philosophy can give us the resources to live "in a better and freer way." Gary Rosen reviews.
Ambition in the East
Germany is the traditional villain in the story of World War I's beginnings, but what if Russia played an even greater role? William Anthony Hay reviews "The Russian Origins of the First World War."
Writers at Work, Seeking a Spark
How did some of our most-loved novels come to be written? "Dancing With Mrs. Dalloway" tells stories of the inspiration behind fifty classic works of fiction. Elizabeth Lowry reviews.
Servants to Masters
The story of a family that included Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie and monarchs who elevated Britain to the status of world power. Allan Mallinson reviews "The Royal Stuarts."
Out of Austria, Into Australia
"Good Living Street" traces the history of a Viennese family that fled Hitler—but with a Klimt portrait in tow. Maxwell Carter reviews.
An Inventive Hollywood Star
"Hedy's Folly" chronicles important moments in the filmstar's life—from filming nude scenes for 'Ecstasy' in 1933 to devising radio-controlled torpedoes meant to foil German defenses in World War II. Henry Petroski reviews.
Stranger in a Strange Land
A sojourn in the Baltics—discovering much to admire but even more to complain about, with frustration mounting to fury. Andrew Stuttaford reviews "Estonia" by Alexander Theroux.
Physics Envy
Creating financial models involving human behavior is like forcing 'the ugly stepsister's foot into Cinderella's pretty glass slipper.' Burton G. Malkiel reviews "Models Behaving Badly."
Oh, to Be in England
British novelists—including Walter Scott and George Eliot—played an outsize role in changing English hearts and minds about Jews. Steven Amarnick reviews "The People of the Book."
The Other Kaiser
Kaiser Wilhelm's sickly father reigned for only 99 days. Had he lived, Germany's destiny might have been very different. Europe's too. Martin Rubin reviews "Our Fritz."
Boot Camp for Citizens
As we learn more about the American political tradition, we may see a shared commitment to freedom and equality behind partisan disputes. Peter Berkowitz reviews "Teaching America."
A Silken Web of Intrigue
The eventful life and mysterious death of a Bangkok-based U.S. intelligence officer turned international textile trader. Rufus Phillips reviews "The Ideal Man."
Cultural Lexicon
People, leader, reading, revolution, disparity, copycat and bamboozle—some words that serve as a springboard for critiques of China. Melanie Kirkpatrick reviews "China in Ten Words."
Influence Instead of Victory
"Almost President" is the story of the men who have run for the American presidency and lost but who—even in defeat—have had significant effect on the life of the nation. Robert K. Landers reviews.
Reworking the Workplace
Many companies that trumpet social responsibility have found it a useful tool for cutting costs and wooing customers. Alan Murray reviews "Masters of Management" by Adrian Wooldridge.
A Pre-Digital Tomb Raider
"Belzoni" is the biography of an Italian raider who procured for the British Museum some of its most astonishing treasures. Gerard Helferich reviews.
Like Dining With Rabelais
In one meal, Balzac was said to have put away a hundred oysters, four bottles of wine, a dozen lamb cutlets—and he was just getting started. Moira Hodgson reviews "Balzac's Omelette."
The Amygdala as Sales Tool
The first word recognized by most kids all over the world is 'McDonald's' or 'Ronald.' Really? That will be news to mama and papa. Eric Felten reviews "Brandwashed."
The Just-Say-No Crime-Busters
By all means, bring the full weight of the criminal justice system down on the most violent and incorrigible wrong-doers. The others? Tell them to stop. Daniel Horan reviews "Don't Shoot."
How the Dollar Rules by Fiat
How did the dollar become the world's principal currency and what is its future? James Grant reviews "Greenback Planet."
Looking Back On the Spy Life
"The Craft We Chose" is Richard L. Holm's account of his 35 years in the CIA—from his time in Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, to the Congo, Hong Kong and Europe. Charles McCarry reviews.
Grappling Grammarians
It was probably John Dryden who started the ban on ending sentences with prepositions; Jonathan Swift couldn't stand contractions. Barton Swaim reviews "The Language Wars."
Standing Pat (On Her Head)
Blending history with fiction, Ann Beattie attempts to imagine Mrs. Nixon.
Extracurricular Activities
"Room for Improvement" is an English professor's account of his lifelong embrace of hard sporting challenges. Angus Phillips reviews.
The Rise of an Empress
With "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman," Robert K. Massie shows how a German princess, plucked from near obscurity, came to rule the vast Russian empire. Jennifer Siegel reviews.
Our Constant Companions
An account of how the speed of light, the pull of gravity and other fixed measures govern the universe. Brian Clegg reviews "Cosmic Numbers."
The Great Warpath
"Conquered Into Liberty" describes how the hundreds of battles involving the British, French, Americans, Canadians, and Indians shaped the U.S.'s military practices.
The Nightmare of Real Things
Featuring astronauts, terrorists and travelers, Don DeLillo's collection of short stories, "The Angel Esmeralda," describes the condition of modern estrangement. Sam Sacks reviews.
The Long Route to Windsor
BOOKSHELF
By Ferdinand Mount
"Prince Philip" tells the story of a brave, brusque naval officer—and the man who wooed a young Princess Elizabeth till she was smitten.
Eastern Reproaches
Max Egremont focuses on the stories of individual East Prussians to tell the larger story of, as the book's title has it, "a forgotten land." Andrew Stuttaford reviews.
Parallel Lives
"Dangerous Ambition" is the dual biography of Rebecca West and Dorothy Thompson—two influential writers and shrewd political thinkers unhappily attached to men who turned out to be miserable human beings. Arthur Herman reviews.
Having It All, Including Doubt
Do capable working women privately feel like frauds? Melanie Kirkpatrick reviews "The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women."
Like the '90s Never Happened
A former New Democrat known for his centrist economic policies, Bill Clinton now favors vast new government spending and higher taxes. Stephen Moore reviews "Back to Work."
First Folio Follies
"The Shakespeare Thefts" tells the story of the weird, greedy, obsessive men who risked fortunes to possess a coveted First Folio. Charles E. Pierce Jr. reviews.
Sinister Times and What to Do
Looking at genocide, ethnic cleansing and terrorism, "Political Evil" investigates, as the book's subtitle has it, "what it is and how to combat it." Peter Berkowitz reviews.
In Pursuit of Sublime
From film to physics, "Beyond the Finite" explores the sublime in art and science. Andrew Stark reviews.
A Mother's Love and Laments
A memoir about her daughter's death, "Blue Nights" is also Joan Didion's exploration of her own role as a perennially busy (and famous) working mother. Clare McHugh reviews.
Present at the Re-creation
In "No Higher Honor," Condoleezza Rice reflects on her role as the chief advocate of the gentler foreign policy of the second Bush administration. Stephen Hayes reviews.
The ABCBs of Murder
From Thomas Hardy to W.H. Auden, poets have found apt and awful words to fit the crimes of murderers. Tom Nolan reviews "Killer Verse."
The Perfected Yardstick
"World in the Balance" chronicles where our standards of measurement have come from and where they are headed today. Laura Snyder reviews.
Lost and Found in Translation
Eskimos don't have a 100 words for 'snow.' But see what happens when you walk into your local Starbucks and just order 'coffee.' Lee Sandlin reviews "Is That a Fish in Your Ear?"
Crimes, Courts and Cures
Crime has fallen dramatically, but levels of violence remain higher than in 1950. Does the legal system share some of the blame? Paul G. Cassell reviews William J. Stuntz's "The Collapse of American Criminal Justice."
Bounteous Misperceptions
A new account of the complicated legacy of Pacific explorer William Bligh suggests that he was hardly the brute of lore. Alexander Rose reviews.
Lyrical Leftist, Dogged Idealist
Free-love advocate Emma Goldman was an ideological bed-hopper too, romping with anarchism, feminism, communism and even anticommunism. Men might disappoint, but radicalism never lost its allure. Fred Siegel reviews the new Goldman biography by Vivian Gornick.
For King and Country
In 'The Three Musketeers,' Richelieu is a villain. In life, he was a pragmatic diplomat and nation builder, a shrewd adviser to a moody king. Henrik Bering reviews "Eminence."
When Ike Took Charge
Eisenhower was a political moderate often in search of a "middle way," a vigilant Cold Warrior aware of the strengths and limits of American power. Alonzo L. Hamby reviews.
Desperately Seeking Talent
Employers worry more about the effects of a bad hire than about the problems of hiring someone who is competent but not exceptional. David Shaywitz reviews "The Rare Find."
Courtroom Showdown
"Gunfight" tells the story of how the Supreme Court finally came to rule on the meaning of the right 'to keep and bear arms.' Jonathan Karl reviews.
Shuffling Along the Abyss
The story of a middle-aged Englishman coming to terms with his past, when memories of a friend's long-ago suicide are stirred afresh. Sam Sacks reviews "The Sense of an Ending."
The New Roads of Mandalay
"Where China Meets India" explains how Burma will form the crucial link between Asia's two emerging powers. Emma Larkin reviews.
Hard-Headed Idealist
The man who drafted the Bill of Rights later helped Thomas Jefferson conduct a back-channel propaganda war. Aram Bakshian Jr. reviews "James Madison."
A Sound Check for the Ages
Regarding the origins of language and music, history is silent. Early man was likely imitating something he heard—but what? Daniel J. Levitin reviews "Harnessed."
Turbulent Times, Steady Success
In "Great by Choice," Jim Collins (the author of "Good to Great") and Morten Hansen analyze how certain companies have achieved shareholder returns at least 10 times greater than their industry. Alan Murray reviews.
Life May Differ In Your Region
"American Nations" offers a history of the varied cultures of Greater Appalachia, the Midlands, the Deep South, New Netherland and the Germano-Scandinavian Midwest. Michael Barone reviews.
The Horror, the Horror
The story of how a pastor named Jim Jones lured more than 900 American followers into a remote jungle in Guyana—and of the massacre that followed.
Off the Bench, Into the Fray
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens offers portraits of colleagues and, inadvertently, himself.
Little Rock Revisited
"Elizabeth and Hazel" is the story of an iconic photograph of the civil rights era—and how it forever haunted one of the women featured in it. Edward Kosner reviews.
'I' Is a Window to the Soul
"The Secret Life of Pronouns" shows how inconspicuous words like 'we' and 'the' betray our emotions and affect our audience's perceptions. Brian Christian reviews.
Post-Carbon America
Forget about 'peak oil' and global warming. What about two centuries from now, when we'll really need help? Matt Ridley reviews "Powering the Future."
A Director Casts About for Clues
In his memoir, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg muses about working with the Beatles or Glenda Jackson or on 'Brideshead Revisited'—and wondering who his father really was. Moira Hodgson reviews.
A Battle Versus Whatever It Is
An insidious bit of malware, 'Conficker' has infected millions of computers. No one knows its ultimate purpose. Andrew Klavan reviews "Worm."
Presidential Malpractice
Crazy as he was, Garfield's assassin was right to insist that the doctor who gravely mistreated the president was responsible for his death. Fergus Bordewich reviews.
How the Secular World Began
Lucretius' poem, recovered in 1417, described atomic theory, chance's role in nature and the gods' indifference. Eric Ormsby reviews.

Saturday Reviews

Hidden Hitmakers
"The Wrecking Crew" tells the story of the unsung studio musicians who contributed brilliant instrumentation to chart-topping songs, including those by the Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel.
The Legacy of a Golden Instant
The story of Gustav Klimt's masterpiece, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer"—and of the Jewish salon hostess who sat for it in turn-of-the-century Vienna. Hugh Eakin reviews.
A Beastly Treat
A charming encyclopedia of ancient bestiary lore. Anthony Esolen reviews "The Nature of Animals" by Roman rhetorician and naturalist Aelian.
Photo-Op: How High?
"The Sports Show," a collection of candids, portraits and actions shots, brings us face to face with anonymous amateurs and world-famous athletes from across the past century.
Adventures in Invention
A steampunk coffee-table book that introduces, in text and pictures, the fictional Reade family of inventors and adventurers. James Kennedy reviews.
Welcome Back to Earth
Humans struggling to adapt to an Earth that has been denied access to the moon and other stars; a book about people who keep Britain safe from supernatural dangers; and a chilling mystery set in France, Cambodia and Bangkok. Tom Shippey reviews the latest in science fiction novels.
Five Best Books: Nat Hentoff
The author of "At the Jazz Band Ball" on books that capture the jazz world, including a biography of Thelonious Monk, a memoir by trumpet master Clark Terry and a portrait of the passionate producer and promoter Norman Granz
Growing Up Imperiled
In Tupelo Hassman's debut novel, "Girlchild," a poor and emotionally damaged teenager balances precariously on the cusp of adulthood. Elliot Perlman's "The Street Sweeper" tells parallel modern-day stories with roots that reach inexorably back to Auschwitz. And in "Liebestod," Leslie Epstein sends the lust-crazed, flute-playing Lieb Goldkorn on his final picaresque adventure—at age 103.
A Stolen Nuke on a Fleeing Russian Jalopy
In Gerald Seymour's "Timebomb," two aging Russian officials in a broken-down car scramble to get their plutonium cargo out of the country to a distant location. In Peter Robinson's "Before the Poison," a film-score composer buys an old estate in the English countryside and falls under the spell of the house, living a life reminiscent of the suspenseful classics he loves.
In Brief: Children's Books
For readers ages 8 to 12, Kathryn Littlewood's novel "Bliss" revolves around a family of magical bakers in possession of an ancient Cookery Booke that is filled with bizarre recipes. Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews.
February 11
Saluting a Centennial
The life of Juliette Gordon Low—who introduced the Girl Scouts to America in 1912—is the subject of a trio of new books. Amy Finnerty reviews.
The Battle for China's Soul
"Autumn in Heavenly Kingdom" tells the story of the Taiping Uprising, a widespread civil war in China not unlike the one taking place on the other side of the Pacific. Jeffrey Wasserstrom reviews.
The Genetic Outlier
Through the story of a young Hispano woman who died of breast cancer, "The Wandering Gene and the Indian Princess" explores the intersection of modern genetics and cultural history. Charles C. Mann reviews.
Five Best Books: Scott Farris
The author of "Almost President" nominates books on candidates whose White House bids failed but whose stories have much to tell us about politics and ambition.
When the World Outdoors Springs to Life
Three new picture books that evoke the beauty of spring in varied and delightful ways, a young French boy's dreams of going to Paris, and a striking account of a demolition team taking down a derelict building. Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews the latest in children's literature.
A Penchant for Dreaming
"The Last Pre-Raphaelite" tells the story of Edward Burne-Jones, a painter and artistic figure who, along with William Morris, championed the power of art in Victorian England.
Spoils of War
"Sex, Bombs and Burgers" considers how these billion-dollar industries have spurred the development of modern technology. Ken Kurson reviews.
Photo-Op: Delta Hues
Images from Mississippi Delta life that show a vivid culture and history—even beneath the cracking surface.
The Pursuit of Presence
Micah Mattix surveys the career of Yves Bonnefoy, France's greatest living poet.
Never Too Late to Learn
Is the human brain plastic enough to allow an adult without any apparent musical skill to learn an instrument and become a musician? In "Guitar Zero," cognitive psychologist Gary Marcus sets out to answer this question by using himself as a guinea pig.
The Greeks' Daring Experiment
"A Culture of Freedom" describes the miraculous process that led to Athenian Democracy—and what Europe learned from it. James Romm reviews.
In Brief: Fiction
Novelist Katie Ward's "Girl Reading" traverses seven centuries as it considers the stories behind images of women with books, from a Renaissance Annunciation scene to a snapshot on flickr.com. Sam Sacks reviews.
February 4
The Ultimate Brain Quest
Deciphering how human thought works is mind-bendingly difficult, but at least researchers now know where to start. The goal: mapping the thousands of connections made by millions of neurons that encode all our hopes, desires, beliefs and memories.
The Blame Game
Where does our propensity to blame others come from? One theory traces the habit to Eve, who reproached a talking snake for persuading her to pick the forbidden fruit. Dave Shiflett reviews "Scapegoat."
Hail, the Conquering Heroine
In "Barbara Stanwyck," Dan Callahan describes the life and art of the woman who taught Hollywood how to act.
Fragile China
A novel that tells the story of the search for an entire month erased from official Chinese history. Howard W. French reviews "The Fat Years" by Chan Koonchung.
The Doges of War
In "City of Fortune," Roger Crowley revisits Venice's imperial glory, arguing that no other city was so well organized for trade. William H. McNeill reviews.
City of Lost Children
Katherine Boo's "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" is a brilliant narration of three years in the life of a slum in Mumbai. Karan Mahajan reviews.
Five Best Books: Boundary-Pushing Women
Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer John Matteson on memorable portraits of Katharine Hepburn, Emily Brontë, newspaper publisher Katharine Graham, photographer Dorothea Lange and the Federalist-era women's rights advocate Judith Sargent Murray.
Photo-Op: Orange Crush
"Impact" catches the passion of America's best designers: from Abboud to Zuckerman by way of Bill Blass, Derek Lam and Patricia Underwood.
Modern Reliquaries
Why are we obsessed with the lives of our favorite authors? "Freud's Couch, Scott's Buttocks, Brontë's Grave" is Simon Goldhill's account of his visits to five literary shrines, including Wordsworth's cottage and Shakespeare's birthplace. Eric Ormsby reviews.
The Brotherhood of the Butterfly Net
Travelogues by the protégés of Carl Linnaeus, the 18th-century natural historian whose plant and animal classification systems are still in use today. Jennie Erin Smith reviews.
Life With and Without Tradition
Nathan Englander returns to the short story form with his new collection, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank." In another story collection, Dan Chaon's dread-suffused "Stay Awake," the dominant theme is the all-too-haunting legacy of a death in the family. Anthony Giardina's novel, "Norumbega Park," explores the intersection of ambition and the humbling forces of time and chance. Sam Sacks reviews.
January 28
The War Without a Loser
Many Americans regard the war of 1812 as a second war of independence in which Britain recognized America's place in the world. John B. Hattendorf reviews.
Taking the Cannoli
"The Godfather Effect" tells of how Hollywood revived Italian-American identity, for better or worse. Laura Landro reviews.
The Numbers Game
"Taking Sudoku Seriously" invites devotees to gain a deeper appreciation of the puzzle by unpacking the math behind it. Keith Devlin reviews.
Five Best Books: Susan J. Matt
The author selects books marked by poignant tales of homesickness, including the memoirs of a former slave and a collection of the journals and letters of a lonely prospector in the 1849 Gold Rush.
The Sins of His Father
In reissues of several books that accompany the arrival of "At Last," Edward St. Aubyn transforms his harrowing life experiences into stunning fiction. Sam Sacks reviews.
Inquiring Minds Wanted to Know—or Else
The Inquisition was fought in the Middle Ages, but its spirit is alive in the modern world, says Cullen Murphy in "God's Jury."
Roommate Not Wanted
"Going Solo" explains the social forces behind our growing propensity for living alone. Daniel Akst reviews.
A Prize Winner With a Poignant Sense of Loss
A picture book about a dog's rapturous relationship with its red ball; a young boy's exhilarating summer in a 1960s western Pennsylvania town; orphan Earwig's unpredictable adventures after she grudgingly leaves the orphanage; and an unsentimental love story about two teenagers with cancer: Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews the latest in young-adult and children's literature.
Photo-Op: Yukon Ho
Stunning photographs of the Yukon—the great wedge of Canadian wilderness between Alaska and British Columbia.
Women's Liz
"The Accidental Feminist" attempts to show how, as the book's subtitle has it, "Elizabeth Taylor raised our consciousness and we were too distracted by her beauty to notice." Clare McHugh reviews.
A Couple of Complicated Men
In "All I Did Was Shoot My Man," investigator Leonid McGill tries to redeem himself professionally just as his private life begins to unravel. In George Pelecanos's "What It Was," Derek Strange's search of a flashy ring leads him onto the trail of a notorious killer.
In Brief: Science
In "Aping Mankind," Raymond Tallis takes on the belief that we are our physical brains and nothing more. Gerald Russello reviews.
How Saxons Succeed
Subverting myths of national origin as few would dare, "Death of Kings," is Bernard Cornwell's latest novel centering on the battle between the Saxons and Danes.
January 21
Boardroom Conquerors
What can history's greatest military strategists teach us about how best to live our lives? Philip Delves Broughton reviews "Atatürk," "Julius Caesar" and "Hannibal and Me."
Measuring the Man in Charge
Gen. David Petraeus's life story is interspersed with an insider's look at his year in command in Afghanistan. Max Boot reviews "All In."
There and Back Again
The story of how writers' fictional worlds have colonized real life. Tom Shippey reviews "As If."
Five Best Books: R.J. Ellory
The author of "A Quiet Vendetta" on French noir fiction, where the crimes might be committed by the chilly assassin of Jean-Patrick Manchette's "The Prone Gunman" or by the protagonist of Albert Camus's "The Stranger," who shoots a man, it seems, just to see whether committing violence will succeed in making him feel something.
Let Them Be Sea Captains!
A new biography of Margaret Fuller describes her life as a leading transcendentalist, feminist and occasional social misfit. Melanie Kirkpatrick reviews.
Confessions of a Happy Hypocrite
The second volume of English comedian Stephen Fry's memoirs recalls his university years—and the anxiety that accompanies fame. Alexandra Mullen reviews.
In Brief: Children's Books
In "Moonlight," Helen V. Griffith finds a delightfully fresh way to describe the star's radiance.
More, Please
Surveying race, culture and economy, Charles J. Sykes says Americans are becoming "a nation of moochers." Laura Vanderkam reviews.
Dispatches From a Lost Empire
"Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters" documents the writer's youth in Austria-Hungary, his harrowing experiences in World War I and his eventually flourishing career as a journalist and novelist in Berlin and Paris during the 1920s and '30s. Tess Lewis reviews.
Photo-Op: The Ghost City
Documenting the abandoned hotel lobbies, office towers, schools and apartment buildings of Detroit, several recent books of photography show a ghost city existing alongside one still fighting for its life.
The Way We Like To See It Done
Elmore Leonard's novel "Raylan" is a loose-limbed crime caper featuring the "marijuana king of Eastern Kentucky." Tom Nolan reviews.
Jane MacEyre? Updating an Orphan-to-Nanny Classic
Two reimaginings and a literary evocation of a real-life horror: Margot Livesey transplants "Jane Eyre" from 19th-century England to 1960s Scotland; Alan Lightman takes inspiration from quantum physics to rework the Bible's creation account; and Naomi Benaron explores the 1994 Rwandan genocide by focusing on a Tutsi protagonist whose athletic fame insulates him, at first, from mounting Hutu enmity for his people. Sam Sacks reviews.
January 14
What a Long Strange Trip
How a car envisioned by Hitler became a youth-culture emblem synonymous with freedom. Patrick Cooke reviews two books about the VW Beetle.
What the Help Really Saw
Margaret Powell's memoir of her life as a servant, "Below Stairs," puts the lie to the white-washed version seen in "Downton Abbey." Elizabeth Lowry reviews.
The Afterlife of the Lion
Henry James's posthumous reputation—with its jealous and conniving guardians—is a story as involved as one of his own, replete with complex characters and even a serious villain. Joseph Epstein reviews Michael Anesko's "Monopolizing the Master."
Five Best: William Shawcross
The author of "Justice and the Enemy" lauds these books about the Nuremberg trials, including works by members of the prosecution team that brought Nazi war criminals to justice and by writer Rebecca West, who covered the trial of Hermann Goering.
A Chef Opens His Recipe Box
Sometimes the recipes you can learn the most from are those you think you know best. Aram Bakshian Jr. reviews Jacques Pépin's "Essential Pépin."
Blame It on Calvin and Luther
In "The Unintended Reformation," Brad S. Gregory finds that the West has lost its intellectual and moral bearings—and he traces the root cause to the 16th century. Barton Swaim reviews.
So This Is Green Acres? Oy.
Shalom Auslander's novel "Hope: A Tragedy" is the comic tale of Solomon Kugel, who moves his family to upstate New York and finds that he has hardly left his troubles behind. Ben Marcus's "The Flame Alphabet" tells a darker story, about an epidemic caused by language itself. Sam Sacks reviews.
What Makes Man So Beastly
A deep strain of discrimination runs through the history of European humanism, Joanna Bourke argues in "What It Means to Be Human." Raymond Tallis reviews.
In Brief: American History
In "The Plots Against the President," Sally Denton examines right-wing opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. W. Barksdale Maynard reviews.
Old Enough to Know Better
The concept of middle age is hardly a century old, and Patricia Cohen's "In Our Prime" suggests we're still not sure how best to spend our 40s and 50s. Kay Hymowitz reviews.
Photo-Op: Steel Nerve
A handsome survey of the work of the social reformer and photographer Lewis Hine (1874-1940).
Get Ready To Be Blown Away
Real-life role models get the children's book treatment in "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" and "A Boy Called Dickens." Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews.
January 7
Prosecuting the Peace
"All the Missing Souls" and "Justice and the Enemy" explore the question of whether international tribunals curb future atrocities or if powerful nations must intervene. John Yoo reviews.
Adventures in Greeneland
In "The Man Within My Head," Pico Iyer plumbs his fascination with the man he regards as his "adopted father": Graham Greene. Allan Massie reviews.
In and Out of Harmony
In "Satan Is Real," Charlie Louvin recounts his eventful career in the influential country duo the Louvin Brothers. Alec Solomita reviews.
Five Best Books: Mormonism
Cultural historian Samuel Morris Brown says these titles, including a "reader's edition" of the Book of Mormon, will broaden understanding of the religion and its roots.
The Hat Wars
How the humble American beaver started a century's worth of wars. Stephen Brumwell reviews.
Plot-Driven Epistemological Dilemmas
Pascal Mercier hit the best-seller lists with the philosophy-infused fiction of "Night Train to Lisbon." Now comes "Perlmann's Silence," the translation of an earlier novel, with similarly thoughtful concerns. Sam Sacks reviews.
Sovereignty and the Pitiless Passage of Time
In "Vanished Kingdoms," Norman Davies exhumes such obsolete realms as Burgundia and Aragon, telling us how they rose and fell—and reminding us that the modern world is not immune to the fleeting nature of all that man contrives. Henrik Bering reviews.