As if proving the cliché that inside every cynic is a trapped idealist, renowned journalist H.L. Mencken could be as passionate as he was cynical: "You can’t do anything about the length of your life," he said, "but you can do something about its width and depth."(READ MORE)
In The Bohemians, Ben Tarnoff sketches booming San Francisco in fresh, vivid strokes, recounting Mark Twain and his literary companions in their efforts to raise the profile and the quality of western literature.(READ MORE)
"Fun, like sex, must be had." Or so John Beckman argues in his new book, American Fun. For a closer look at some of the notable funsters Beckman name checks in his book, delve into these biographies.(READ MORE)
In celebration of Banned Books Week, we profile some of the better known authors whose works have been banned, from J.D. Salinger to Harper Lee. (READ MORE)
The history of New York emerges in excerpts from diaries in 'New York Diaries: 1609 to 2009,' a collection researched and edited by Teresa Carpenter. Searching through archives for everyday diaries as well as the published journals of the famous and semi-famous, Carpenter organizes her book by day rather...(READ MORE)
