Lucky George
A hugely entertaining oral history of the journalist and literary celebrity George Plimpton.


The Joy of English
A usage book from Roy Blount Jr. delights in language, ?sonicky? and otherwise.


The Presidency That Roared
Jon Meacham, the editor of Newsweek, discerns a democratic dignity in the seventh president?s populism.


On Poetry: Love, Your Ted
Ted Hughes?s letters are both an illuminating aesthetic record of a major poet and an opportunity to discuss the ­decades-long hoo-ha brought about by his relationship with Sylvia Plath.


No Heroes
A. B. Yehoshua?s novel wrestles with the complexities of Israeli identity.


In His Own Write
A novel about a working-class boyhood in Glasgow, told in Scots English.


Bumpy Ride
A study of all the criticism that has been directed against the car, and why none of it has seemed to matter.


The Shrinking Woman
Sylvia Brownrigg?s protagonist is a therapist with her own issues.


The Exile?s Palette
A biography of Marc Chagall explores his impulses, his art and his complicated relationship with Russia.


Heavy Reading
A critical look at the Great Books and what they have wrought.


The Seven-Day Itch
Susan Cheever discusses sex addiction ? her own in particular.


Crime: If Austen Wrote E-Mail
New crime fiction by Reginald Hill, Jeffery Deaver, Christopher Fowler and Pablo De Santis ? as well as the collection ?Paris Noir.?


Fiction Chronicle
New novels by Céline Curiol, Michel Jouvet, Nicholas Drayson, Andreï Makine and Attila Bartis.


Letters: Does Not Compute
To the Editor:.


Letters: The Bishop-Lowell Letters
To the Editor:.


Letters: Derange, or Re-Arrange
To the Editor:.


Letters: The Epicure?s Dissent
To the Editor:.


Essay: Enough With the Sweet Talk
Forget unfair negative reviews. The real problem is the unfair positive ones.


Archive: Book Review Podcast
This week: Vanity Fair?s Graydon Carter on George Plimpton; Motoko Rich with Notes from the Field; Roy Blount Jr. on language; and Jennifer Schuessler with best-seller news. Sam Tanenhaus is the host.


Up Front
No stranger to the tonier precincts of Manhattan literary life, Graydon Carter is nonetheless an outsider of sorts ? a Canadian, born in Toronto.


TBR: Inside the List
The Canadian literary Web site Bookninja recently held a satirical contest challenging readers to ?rebrand? serious books with more sales-friendly covers.


Browsing Books: Editors? Choice
Recently reviewed books of particular interest.


Browsing Books: Paperback Row
Paperback books of particular interest.