California Transformed
The Golden State in the 1940s
Book Review
New & Noteworthy
Summer between hard covers; the century in a house
Dickens Our Contemporary
In her new biography Jane Smiley argues that Dickens may have been "the first true celebrity"
A Surprise, but not a Success
Though Richard Nixon meant to do the right thing, his actions were at odds with his principles
The Man of Feeling
Lucky Jim, Kingsley Amis's comic masterpiece, may be the funniest book of the past half century
A Magnificent Misfit
Lorna Sage rejected empty romanticizing in favor of complex truth
New & Noteworthy
Stories of doomed affairs, by Richard Ford; a "profoundly satisfying" literary correspondence; children of the Middle Ages
A Failure of Intelligence
Gilles Kepel's obituary of Islamism was written before September 11
Thrilling Desperation
Edna O'Brien's new novel fashions a powerful metaphor for a blighted son of Ireland
Keeping Up Appearances
Our most enigmatic songwriter has become so thoroughly documented that one book won't hold him anymore