Books & Arts

Alice B. Lloyd on parting words: After all, tomorrow is another day.

John Podhoretz on what makes a movie stand the test of time.

Hannah Long on how escape-room operators are locking in fun and profit.

Ian Marcus Corbin on values in the art world.

Clare Coffey on what these creatures of myth and mystery reveal about ourselves and civilization.

Algis Valiunas remembers the composer of ‘Ave Maria’ and the opera ‘Faust’ on his bicentennial.

John Talbot reviews A.M. Juster's translation of Maximianus, the forgotten 6th-century poet of bawdiness and decrepitude.

James Bowman on judging a classic Hollywood director by the standards of the wrong era.

Danny Heitman on a pocket-sized collection of Christmas cheer.

Christoph Irmscher reviews a new translation of Uwe Johnson’s massive, masterly year-in-the-life novel, ‘Anniversaries.’

Paul Cantor explains how Mary Shelley’s monster tramples all over the supposed line between high culture and pop culture.

Danny Heitman on the 1842 visit left the novelist profoundly unhappy with America and its capital.

Given their comparable movie careers, why is John Wayne still an icon while Gary Cooper is all but forgotten?

Joseph Epstein on Marcel Proust among the grand women of the belle époque.

Paul Dean on misbehavior in Shakespeare’s day, from insults to mobs to cross-dressing.

David Bahr on the project to see Xenophon alongside his peers.

Amy Henderson on the technologies that brought show tunes to the masses—a review of ‘From Broadway to Main Street.’

David Skinner on why the American Heritage Dictionary closed its usage panel this year—and why it existed in the first place.

Tony Mecia on how a Bond villain’s Alpine lair came to house a museum for 007.

John Podhoretz on seeing the Coen brothers’ new western on screens large and small.

B.D. McClay on the Muppets adaptation of Dickens’s classic tale of redemption.

Amy Henderson reviews Desmond Morris’s book dishing the dirt on the Surrealists.

Ricky Jay, 1946-2018.

Noemie Emery on the year that all the political nightmares came true.

John Wilson on “the Short 68,” “the Long 68,” and what’s missing from a new account of the protests and their legacy.

The extraordinary fidelity of Christopher Tolkien, last of the Inklings.

Alan Jacobs on Andrew Delbanco’s ‘The War Before the War,’ the horrors of the fugitive slave laws, and the costs of union.

Philip Luke Jeffery on how the murdered German theologian came to be a symbol in American politics.

Ten years after the financial crisis, Robert F. Bruner surveys the best books on what went wrong and what still should be fixed.

Danny Heitman on the slender volumes of Notting Hill Editions—treats for the mind.

Michael M. Rosen on border barriers and the human future—a review of ‘The Age of Walls’ by Tim Marshall.

Sophia Buono on the searching, spiritual journey of Elizabeth Seton, the first American-born Catholic saint.

Albert Louis Zambone reviews ‘Blue-Collar Conservatism: Frank Rizzo’s Philadelphia and Populist Politics.’

Algis Valiunas on the longing that defined Napoleon, man of action.

William A. Wilson on ancient robots and today’s intentionally imperfect quest for artificial intelligence.

Dominic Green on a half-century of the marvelous, mixed-up mess that may be the Beatles’ greatest album.

The wartime prime minister as leader, painter, friend.

Carl Rollyson on the friends and fights of the author of ‘A Dance to the Music of Time.’

The Queen pic is a surprise hit—but, writes John Podhoretz, it is unsurprisingly unoriginal.

Alice B. Lloyd on the homespun magical realism of Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, ‘Killing Commendatore.’

Christoph Irmscher on the strange, lifelong discomfort of the author of ‘Siddhartha’ and ‘Steppenwolf.’

Alan Jacobs on the maps that guide writers and readers through fictional worlds.

Paula Deitz on how a New York physician planted the seeds of American medical botany.

Micah Mattix on how Robert Louis Stevenson came to live, die, and be buried in Samoa.

Phil Christman on the Hulu film ‘Minding the Gap’: Three young skateboarders rewrite their destinies.

Chris R. Morgan reviews a new history of the pre-‘Dracula’ life of the undead.

Todd H. Bol, 1956-2018.

Gary Saul Morson on the literary legacy of 19th-century Russian revolutionary terrorism.

Chris R. Morgan on the lasting appeal of the horror genre.

Thomas Vinciguerra reviews a collection of Cornell lectures from the comic actor and Monty Python legend.

John Podhoretz on a down-and-out writer’s clever path to sham success.

The Roman Republic didn’t end all at once. As Ian Lindquist explains, its decline began with an earlier erosion of political norms.

Chris R. Morgan on how Salem’s legacy of fear and injustice gave rise to a kitschy way of life.

Adam Roberts reviews ‘Red Moon,’ the latest novel from science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson.

Tim Markatos’s whirlwind weekend at this year’s New York Film Festival.

HBO’s ‘Come Inside My Mind’ examines his comic genius—and his struggles with drinking, drugs, and depression.

He built the first one in 2009. Now there are 75,000 of them.

John Podhoretz: The new Neil Armstrong biopic starring Ryan Gosling is a joyless schlep.

Anthony Paletta sits with Pritzker Prize winner B.V. Doshi.

John Check explains how Willa Cather’s classic, now 100 years old, still sings and dances.

Andrew Egger reviews ‘Where Did You Get This Number?: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World’

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper shine in ‘A Star Is Born’—and Hollywood should make more melodramas.

This isn't a book; it's a direct mail pitch that you have to pay to read.

Noah Millman on the promise and pitfalls of cross-gender casting in Shakespeare.

James Gardner on Delacroix’s undeserved reputation for greatness.

Ashley May on the fire that destroyed Brazil’s Museu Nacional—and the risk factors for American museums.

Andrew Egger on the prickly street preacher who became the ‘father of Christian rock.’

Italian citizens’ role in the Shoah: Michael M. Rosen reviews Simon Levis Sullam’s new book ‘The Italian Executioners.’

Andrew Ferguson reads the Trump-era bestsellers so you don’t have to.

The new Laver Cup competition is a blast, writes Tom Perrotta—but will it last beyond Roger Federer’s reign?

Ian Lindquist on the turn away from plainness in church design during the Victorian era.

How science fiction and rock music shaped one another: Mark Hemingway reviews Jason Heller’s ‘Strange Stars.’

John Podhoretz on the creaky, predictable return of the ’90s sitcom ‘Murphy Brown.’

Caitrin Keiper on America’s love affair with amateur advice.

John Wilson reviews ‘The Monarchy of Fear’: Are our lives and our politics really dominated by fear?

Thomas Vinciguerra on the odd tale of the Texan who tried to walk around the world backward.

One hundred years ago, she united symmetry and conservation in physics.

The comedy-thriller is memorable despite its forgettable name.

Grant Wishard on why four young men risked prison to steal rare books from a Kentucky university library.

Christoph Irmscher reviews Benjamin Balint’s book on the international legal battle over the fate of Kafka’s manuscripts.

As the season kicks off, Michael Nelson offers a roundup of new and forthcoming books

John Podhoretz on retelling for a new generation the story of Eichmann’s capture and trial.

Michael Warren reviews Bob Woodward’s book about life in Trump World

How de Gaulle turned himself into a symbol.

James M. Banner Jr. reviews Joanne B. Freeman’s book on violence and bloodshed in the antebellum Congress.

Katrina Gulliver reviews ‘The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World’ by Sarah Weinman

Christine Rosen on the high fashion and low blows in ‘When Life Gives You Lululemons’

Tom Clancy’s hero returns in a new Amazon series, but with less geeky charm. Nicholas H. Loya explains.

Ann Marlowe visits the Pilotta museum complex—one of Italy’s overlooked gems.

Ethan Epstein on imagining nuclear war with North Korea.

Alan Jacobs on how Silicon Valley came to dominate our vision of the future.

Jay Weiser on the forgotten industrialist who led the great silver rush.

Philip Luke Jeffery reviews an exhibition about America’s pastime and America’s character.

Fred Baumann remembers the Kenyon College professor who wrote the book on moderation.

Alice B. Lloyd reviews Abdi Iftin’s memoir presenting a case for the green card lottery.

Dominic Green on putting the saxophonist’s classic quartet’s ‘lost album’ in its context.

Eric Gibson on Delacroix—we know him for his paintings, but he transformed modern drawing as well.

Tom Perrotta on how family and hard work have made Frances Tiafoe a rising tennis star to watch.

Cathy Young on looking at the passion and cruelty of the classic novel with contemporary eyes.

John Podhoretz on overlooking the identity-politics marketing to just enjoy the movie’s old-school fun.

Michael M. Rosen reviews Michael Best’s ‘How Growth Really Happens’ and asks what we can learn from past economic booms.

Hal Koss on the evanescent charms of Chicago’s packaged-for-Instagram “Happy Place” pop-up.

Alan Jacobs reviews Edward Tenner’s ‘The Efficiency Paradox.’

Cathy Young remembers the late Russian dissident whose mockery of communism earned him exile.

Amy Henderson reviews the new novel by the author of ‘Under the Tuscan Sun.’

Catherine Addington reviews “Heavenly Bodies,” the Met’s exhibition of Godly garments and high couture.

Hannah Yoest on the work of Jon McNaughton, the painter of populist rage.

B.D. McClay on Sheila Heti’s ‘Motherhood’ and taking control by giving it up.

Naomi Schaefer Riley reviews the sequel to Allison Pearson’s ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It.’

Christopher Caldwell on the euro and the damage it wrought.

Danny Heitman on why it is so difficult to see the great polymath and his work clearly

Tim Markatos on the challenges of bringing Joan of Arc’s story to the screen.

James Bowman argues that the lives of 19th-century utopians were more interesting than the utopias they imagined.

John Podhoretz reviews the latest of Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' movies—an instant action-adventure classic.

Gary Saul Morson on the rise and fall of the first Russian populists.

Amy Henderson on the case for warts-and-all biographies.

Michael Taube on the death of Gord Downie and the end of the Tragically Hip, "Canada's house band."

Andrew Egger reviews Joe Mungo Reed’s ‘We Begin Our Ascent.’

Sophia Buono on a starkly authentic film depicting a young athlete’s struggles.

Lord Carrington, 1919-2018.

Anthony Daniels on the literary talent (or lack thereof ) of tyrants at the typewriter.

James Gardner on the surprising resilience of Giacometti’s spindly statues.

Alice B. Lloyd on Robert Anthony Siegel’s memoir of outlaws, love, and family.

Adam J. White on what happens when the commander in chief takes the mound.

Did the Duke of Buckingham conspire to kill King James I?

John Podhoretz explains how The Rock's poorly chosen star vehicles risk squandering fans’ affections.

Tom Perrotta on the Serbian star’s Wimbledon comeback.

Catesby Leigh on the fight to build a World War I memorial near the White House.

B.D. McClay reviews Daisy Hildyard's 'The Second Body'—a thought experiment in how we relate to the world.

Kevin Gutzman on what Noah Feldman's recent biography of the fourth president gets right—and wrong.

John Simon introduces the great director to a new generation on his centennial.

Tony Mecia on the spectacular rise and dangerous lies of a Silicon Valley darling

Sonny Bunch describes belatedly catching up on Wolfe, Roth, and Bourdain.

John McCain’s warning to his party and farewell to his countrymen, reviewed by Jamie Fly

Gene Healy reviews Laurence Tribe’s new book on the constitutional tool of presidential impeachment.

Stefan Beck reviews Rachel Kushner’s ‘The Mars Room,’ a novel that probes the soul-warping effects of prison life.

John Wilson reviews 'Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear' by Matthew Kaemingk

Cathy Young on Simon Rattle: As he leaves the Berlin Philharmonic, what’s next for ‘the people’s conductor’?

Daniel Sarewitz on the impossibility—and the necessity—of distinguishing science from nonscience.

John Podhoretz on the forgettable fun of the long-awaited follow-up to Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles.’

From crumbling infrastructure to broken meritocracy, Steven Brill sees problems everywhere.

James Bowman on the decisions that led to today’s heightened partisanship.

Christopher Atamian on how Takashi Murakami unites kitsch, mockery, and tradition.

It’s World Cup time again. Alan Jacobs on the logic of the world’s most popular sport.

How the YouTube powerhouse Postmodern Jukebox arose from one pianist’s knack for covering recent songs in vintage styles.

All-woman crew boosts bling in latest ‘Ocean’s’ caper—reviewed by John Podhoretz.

Robert Zubrin reviews Timothy Snyder's 'The Road to Unfreedom'

Paul Schrader’s dreary latest film creates a noxious new cliché for our times.

Harper Lee’s inspiration in creating Atticus Finch.

Adam J. White on the states’ underappreciated role in our constitutional system(s).

Ian Marcus Corbin on the illiberal philosophers and our fractured politics.

John Julius Norwich, 1929-2018.

Peter Tonguette on Rodgers and Hammerstein in their day—and ours.

Gordon S. Wood on Arnold’s path from wartime hero to resentful traitor—and why it’s a story worth remembering.

Philip Terzian: A new book defending Jimmy Carter’s presidency reveals how his supposed strengths became liabilities.

Joseph Epstein on the scandal that ended the tennis great’s career—and the challenge it creates for biographers.

Victorino Matus: From toast to fancy guac, the green fruit’s moment is ripe at last.

The real reasons the latest Star Wars movie flopped.

Noir series now on Netflix vividly captures the contradictions and dynamism of the Weimar era.

The creation of the U-2 reconnaissance plane and its role in two tense Cold War episodes.

Bernard Lewis, 1916-2018.

We needed a review of the new Deadpool movie, and this is it.

The art and architecture (and tourist souvenirs) of the Sun King’s palace.

Honoring the animals that work (and sacrifice) alongside our soldiers and sailors.

Sequel to ‘The Karate Kid’ is a hit, may be good for some kicks.

Unsettled questions of Ireland’s past and hope for its literary future.

Hugs, handshakes, kisses, and grabs—the tricks and traps of greetings.

What today’s navalists can learn from the Allied success at sea in WWII.

Pleasure, war, and the mad torment of Lord Byron.

The daring exploits and beguiling charm of the 20th century’s greatest travel writer

Lessons from Aristotle for American self-government.

His latest novel is a romp through 17th-century New England.

The intuition and integrity of the influential physicist.

Marvel’s funny, grand, tragic extravaganza.

The strategic savvy of an underestimated leader.

Pius IX, the creation of modern Italy, and the transformation of the papacy.

Unreliable memories of a passionate affair and its aftermath.

Today’s church provides plenty of targets for the satirical publication.

You’ve got to admit it’s getting better.

‘Pasta for Nightingales’: A charming Renaissance collection of birdlore and beauty.

Bumping an idol of French cinema off his pedestal.

Euler’s identity: Genius, discovery, elegance.

The challenges of teaching poetry.

'Suicide of the West' is a big, baggy, sometimes brilliant case for gratitude and perpetuation.

Turmoil, generations, and starpower in the 1956 film classic.

Seeking redemption in subtle, everyday quiet.

‘Life ain’t as simple as it used to be’—except at Dolly Parton’s amusement park.

The there-and-back-again tale of a brain researcher turned cancer patient.

The darkest show on TV—Netflix’s tech-dystopian ‘Black Mirror’—is itself a sign of hope for a human future.

Although he is best known for his landscapes, there is a power and tense stillness in Paul Cézanne’s depictions of his family, neighbors, and friends.

New documentary series pushes back at Kenneth Clark’s 1969 classic

At the Masters, the former great struggled against golfers who grew up watching him.

Al Pacino plays Penn State’s ‘JoePa’ in an HBO movie about the rape scandal.

New movie approaches the grisly story non-ideologically.

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