A BREATH OF FRESH OXYGEN

By NICK GILLESPIE

The next time you take a deep breath, think for a moment of Joseph Priestley, the 18th century British scientist widely credited with discovering oxygen. As Steven Johnson explains in his...more >

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PARTIES, THE CONCERTS - AND, OH, THE FOOTBALL

By CRAIG CALCATERRA

Two weeks before Super Bowl XLI, in 2007, the grounds crew at Dolphins Stadium realized that that the roots of the turf on which the Bears would be playing the Colts was growing sideways and clumps...more >

PUBLISHERS SALIVATE FOR RECLUSIVE AUTHOR'S PRIVATE VAULT

By CHARLIE CARILLO

Literary legend J.D. Salinger turned 90 on New Year's Day, and collectively, the publishing industry had a fleeting, morbid thought: Is this the year? No one wishes Salinger's death, of...more >

When you travel in the circles Madeleine Albright has, you can be forgiven for dropping a heavy-duty name or two. "There's a new edition of 'War and Peace' I heard about from...more >

By GRAHAM KEELEY

Unpublished texts by Ernest Hemingway about the hunt for German U-boats off the Cuban coast during the Second World War are part of an important collection of the writer's works to be released...more >

By BILLY HELLER

Songs from a Dutch Tour by Chip Taylor (Ambo/Anthos) For those unfamilar with Chip Taylor, he is Angelina Jolie's uncle (brother of her dad Jon Voight). But his pop culture bona fides go way...more >

Self-described wimp Greg Heffley has become an unlikely anti-hero to every elementary school kid ever given a wedgie. "Last Straw," the third book in this best-selling cartoon series...more >

HOW "SESAME STREET" TAUGHT GENERATIONS OF KIDS THE LESSONS OF NEW YORK CITY

By MICHAEL DAVIS

December 28, 2008 - One night in the late winter of 1968, television producer Jon Stone saw a public service announcement that changed his life - and the lives of millions of children around the world. It opened...more >

December 28, 2008 - On her new CD, "Souvenirs," Anna Netrebko sings in 10 languages, including Yiddish and Czech. But the feisty soprano prefers to read in one - her native tongue, Russian - and just one...more >

DISDAINED ON TRAINS, URBAN GRAFFI TI HITS THE WALL

By JULIA VITULLO-MARTIN

December 28, 2008 - Graffiti Lives Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban Underground by Gregory J. Snyder NYU Press Graffiti lives! proclaims author Gregory Snyder in this new, vaguely academic account of...more >

By BILLY HELLER

December 28, 2008 - The Toyota Leaders An Executive Guide by Masaaki Sato (Verticle) Longtime Japanese auto reporter Sato, who's written books on Toyota and on Honda, concentrates on the executive suite in his...more >

December 21, 2008 - Keri Russell says she was a big reader, BC - Before Child. "When you're single, you read a lot of books," says the curly-haired star, now the mother of an active little boy named...more >

ON JEN, MILEY, AND MISSING CRAZY BRITNEY

By MAUREEN CALLAHAN

December 21, 2008 - Since his online debut four years ago, scandalous gossip columnist Perez Hilton (ne Mario Lavandiera) has worked 7 days a week, 16 hours a day, cultivating friends, enemies, and ancillary deals...more >

By YOAV GONEN

December 20, 2008 - Sen. John McCain and top congressional Republicans slammed President Bush yesterday for granting $17.4 billion in bailout loans to the ailing auto industry. General Motors and Chrysler...more >

December 14, 2008 - Never mind what he sang in "Nashville": Figuring out Keith Carradine's literary tastes is anything but "easy." "I have very catholic tastes - they go all over the place...more >

A NYC CHEF TURNS THE TABLES ON HIS DINERS

By CARLA SPARTOS

December 14, 2008 - Unlike Mario Batali or Gordon Ramsay, you may not know the name Pino Luongo. Yet the Italian-born chef was synonymous with the high-powered New York dining scene of the '80s and '90s, his...more >

By BILLY HELLER and ABBY WISEE - SCHACHTER

December 14, 2008 - This year, the best gifts aren't under the tree but on top of the coffee table. From Elvis to Turkmenistan, Batman to Le Bernadin, there are oversize books for every taste and eccentricity this...more >