One of the first things Tracy Franz learns as a yakimono deshi, an apprentice of traditional Japanese pottery, is that “it is the nothingness in the middle that determines the true size of the vessel.” Her memoir, "My Year of Dirt... Read More

Every day, thousands of “leading experts” tell us what to embrace and what to avoid. But how useful is the advice? How do useless trends and products make their way into the public sphere while harmless ones become villains? "Bad... Read More

Kristen Hoerl’s "The Bad Sixties" examines Hollywood’s take on 1960s America. It reveals that the entertainment industry, which could have been a potent force for progress, dropped the ball by avoiding serious engagement with the... Read More

CQ Roll Call boasts more than sixty years of covering politics in Washington, and no shortage of talented photographers have plied their trade there. That’s evident in "Under the Dome", which collects an enjoyable variety of photos... Read More

"Frescoes by the Bay" is a two-volume visual tour of the wealth of fresco murals in the San Francisco area. Karen Norton-Sinell provides detailed research and extensive commentary about the frescoes’ history, composition, iconography,... Read More

After a successful career as an academic and historian, Nell Painter decided to go to art school. For Painter, art equates to pleasure, and the pleasure is visceral—it frees and connects mind and body in a way she couldn’t find... Read More

Musician Jenny Hval’s "Paradise Rot" follows a Norwegian biology student and her hypertuned sensitivities. Electric, idiosyncratic, and disturbing observations elucidate Jo’s sexual awakening. Newly arrived in an English university... Read More

David L. Bristow’s "Flight to the Top of the World" captures an era of wonder in which incredibly deadly endeavors pushed the boundaries of human possibility. The nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century adventures of Walter Wellman are... Read More