Merle Debuskey, the dean of theater press agents, looks back at half a century of promoting some of Broadway's biggest hits.
Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein may have some competition in the children's book department, thanks to Polo Ralph Lauren's first storybook, 'The RL Gang.
Tom Nolan reviews two mystery novels: "Villain," set in contemporary Japan, and "Unexpectedly Milo," set in Connecticut. In each, murder seems less mysterious than the people surrounding it.
In "The Sugar King of Havana," John Paul Rathbone draws a portrait of both pre-Castro Cuba and the island's "last tycoon," Julio Lobos. Eduardo Kaplan reviews.
At the Department of Homeland Security, Stewart Baker struggled to put in place post-9/11 security policies, only to run up against "the privacy lobby." He recounts his experiences in "Skating on Stilts." Gabriel Schoenfeld reviews.
New Yorker Jonathan Tropper emerges as a literary star.
Books & Books and Montauk Bookshop have opened in the Hamptons despite a rise in e-books.
In "Higher Education?" Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus fault colleges and universities for serving the careerism of professors and administrators more than helping students to learn.
In "Aristocrats," James Lawrence traces the history of Britain's nobility—a tale, as reviewer Ferdinand Mount notes, of privilege, plunder, brutality, eccentricity and even duty.
Allegra Goodman's novel "The Cookbook Collector" is set in tech-bubble days, but it centers on the romantic dilemmas faced by Jess, a graduate student who must choose the environmental activist or the millionaire.
In "The Enlightened Economy," Joel Mokyr shows how the Industrial Enlightenment—in 18th-century Britain—put knowledge in the service of production, changing the course of history.
Alexander Theroux reviews "Super Sad True Love Story," Gary Shteyngart's latest novel, about desperate love and New York on the brink of doom.
In "Hot Time in the Old Town" Edward P. Kohn revisits the summer of 1896 in New York City, when a 10-day heat wave killed hundreds. Terry Golway reviews.
Thomas Kessner's "The Flight of the Century" is an account of Charles Lindbergh's historic transatlantic flight in 1927—and of the achievement's effect on America. Daniel Ford reviews.
The world of "Mad Men" was actually brought to you by a Chicago-based agency and its mercurial founder, Albert Lasker. His story is told by Jeffrey Cruikshank and Arthur Schultz in "The Man Who Sold the World."
Here's a Weekend Journal destination-by-destination guide to the most insightful reads about Asia, from travelogue to history to journalism to fiction.
Publishers are marketing elaborate editions with all sorts of pricey features, banking on them to grow in value like rare coins or artworks.
In "A Short History of Celebrity," Fred Inglis explores the roots of our fascination with the lives of the glittering famous, from Lord Bryon's escapades to Madonna's power dynamics.
Travel book publishers are looking to smartphones and the new wave of tablet devices, including Apple's iPad, to help lift the flagging guidebook business.
Author Gary Shteyngart—whose latest novel, "Super Sad True Love Story," comes out Tuesday—talks with Matthew Kaminski about the decline of American literacy.
In "Ernest Gellner," John A. Hall offers a portrait of an uncompromising postwar thinker who was at odds with lazy thinking on both sides of the political spectrum.
"The Year's Best Science Fiction," edited by Gardner Dozios, brings together stories of hard men on rough planets, sinister drug experiments and much else. Martin Morse Wooster reviews.
Carl Hiaasen's latest novel, "Star Island," once again focuses on his homestate of Florida—this time on its obscene celebrity scene.
The writer Lu Xun—considered China's first modern author—devoted his life to bringing a revolution to China. Michael J. Ybarra visits the Lu Xun Museum and Lu Xun Final Residence, both in Shanghai.
Detective novels from Japan, Nigeria, Germany and Korea are pouring into the U.S. as publishers hunt for the next "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
Louis Couperus's "Eline Vere," a novel in the grand 19th-century tradition and a classic of Dutch literature, has been newly translated by Ina Rilke. Michael Dirda reviews.
Donna Diamond's "The Shadow" is a picture book that makes hidden fears visible. Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews.
Tad Friend on novels that show us success in its many guises, from W. Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" to Charles Portis's "True Grit."
—Join the Journal Community's WSJ Reading Group to discuss books and authors.“What books are you reading now?”
The dry summer wine refreshes the palate with a mineral aftertaste.
BeautifulStranger, The Sartorialist and other photo websites are turning fashion's focus from models to regular people.
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Some airlines try to hire flight attendants who are young and attractive. JetBlue has a type, too: cops and fire fighters.
The Chevrolet Cruze compact has plenty of advantages over its peers, but the competitive clock is ticking fast, says Dan Neil.
In MoMA's "The Original Copy," photography is identified as one of the chief agents in the destabilizing of artistic tradition.
The one development this college-football offseason that has made complete sense is Nebraska's move to the Big Ten for the 2011 season.
Frances Osborne on books that track the exploits of female adventurers, from the ocean journey of Annie Allnutt Brassey to the romantic escapades of Jane Digby.
Cynthia Crossen on books and writers that should get more attention.
Cynthia Crossen offers suggestions on books that eschew sex and violence.
Cynthia Crossen recommends books for adult English-language learners.
A few new wine books are out or being published soon. Some are more memorable than others, but there are two titles worth reading.
Securing a book signing at one of the city's big stores can be like 'getting your name up in lights on Broadway,' as one author described it.
With data from Nielsen BookScan.
“What books are you reading to help you through the financial crisis?”
—James Freeman on Charles Gasparino's new book about the fall of Wall Street“At the heart of 'The Sellout' is its own irksome inquiry: Why did so many large and prestigious institutions make disastrous bets on American mortgages?”