NYT Books

A new biography of Jan Morris shows why the journalist, world traveler, historian and essayist was far more than a trailblazer.

In “The Radiant Dark,” life is upended after humanity receives a signal from a distant planet. But extraterrestrial contact takes a back seat to more earthly problems.

In her engaging, lyrical “Homesick for a World Unknown,” Miriam Horn tells the story of the famed naturalist George Schaller.

The translator Daniel Hahn makes the case that Shakespeare can be appreciated “even if we don’t hear a single one of his words.”

The protagonist of this debut novel wants to get her bathroom upgraded. It becomes a portal to a Turkish prison cell instead.

In May, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss Lerner’s new novel, a cerebral exploration of technology, family, truth and existence.

In his chatty, compulsively readable first book for adults, Mac Barnett champions his career choice and urges our culture to hold kids in higher esteem.

Reading recommendations from critics and editors at The New York Times.

In “This Vast Enterprise,” Craig Fehrman refreshes a familiar story with a rich chorus of voices.

In “Israel: What Went Wrong?,” Omer Bartov charts how a nation founded in the wake of trauma abandoned the emancipatory impulse of its origins.