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Books

"Bones to Ashes," by Kathy Reichs

Bones to Ashes

An excerpt from the new book by Kathy Reichs

Prague

Almost a Fairy Tale

Jonathan Kandell, author of “Americans in Prague,” talks about one of Europe’s most beautiful cities

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When Movies Best Books

"I think most Americans don't realize how close we came to losing the Revolutionary War," says Ferling.

Forget Independence

John Ferling, author of “100 Days that Shook the World,” imagines an alternate history

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Presto!

Can invisible technology make Harry Potter disappear?

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The American Home Front: 1941-1942

By Alistair Cooke, Atlantic Monthly Press, $24.00

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Interview: Daniel Gilbert

What will make you happy? A social scientist explains why it’s so hard to predict

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Horse Appeal

In this interview, Steve Twomey, author of “Barbaro’s Legacy,” discusses how interest in the horse extends outside the racetrack

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Roy Richard Grinker

His new book offers a scholar’s— and father’s— perspective on autism

Zuni or not, every woman is obliged to pitch in for the Sha'lako corn-grinding ceremony. During the religious festival, says Morell (far right), "people are expected to set aside all feelings of ill-will and hostility."

Mystery and Drama

Virginia Morell, author of “The Zuni Way,” on the mystical ceremonies of the Zuni pueblo

An Old Bailey trial, circa 1808

Capturing a Narrative

In this interview, Guy Gugliotta, author of “Digitizing the Hanging Court,” talks about the Old Bailey’s influence on Dickens, Defoe and other writers

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The Stranger and the Statesman

An excerpt from Nina Burleigh’s book, The Stranger and the Statesman: James Smithson, John Quincy Adams, and the Making of America’s Greatest Museum

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Writer Turned Scientist

In this interview, Mary K. Miller, author of “Reading Between the Lines,” describes becoming a shift supervisor in the lab

James Smithson by Hattie Elizabeth Burdette, 1872

Why This Wealthy British Scientist Saw So Much Potential in the United States of America

James Smithson’s biographer offers insight into ideals born of the Age of Enlightenment that gave rise to the founding of the Smithsonian

"No one ever found any dead vultures," says McGrath. "There were simply less and less of them."

Fantastically Repulsive

In this interview, Susan McGrath, author of “The Vanishing,” describes getting up close and personal with vultures

Author of "Bernini's Genius," Arthur Lubow.

Admiring the Masters

In this Q & A, Arthur Lubow, author of “Americans in Paris,” compares the Paris of today with the one that inspired Manet, Monet and Renoir

"A resilient person is performing competently while in the midst of adversity," says Stuart Hauser, author of Out of the Woods: Tales of Resilient Teens.

Extraordinary Resilience

Psychiatrist Stuart Hauser answers questions about his new book, Out of the Woods, which chronicles four emotionally disturbed teenagers

"Canopy Meg," pioneer of forest ecology, recalls her adventures in her new book, It's a Jungle Up There.

Interview: Margaret Lowman

Bugs in trees and kids in labs get their due in a new book by “Canopy Meg”

Election flyer/poster distributed on behalf of Richard Nixon's campaign for Congress, 1946

An Interview with William E. Leuchtenburg, author of “New Faces of 1946”

William E. Leuchtenburg discusses the 1946 elections and how politics have changed

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An Interview with Josh Hammer, Author of “Return to the Marsh”

Ben Block spoke with Josh about Iraq and reporting in dangerous regions of the world

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