NYT Books

In his “Island at the Edge of the World,” the British archaeologist Mike Pitts delves into the misconceptions and legends surrounding a complex ancient culture.

In “Until the Last Gun Is Silent,” Matthew F. Delmont shows how the conflict consumed a civil rights leader and tore a soldier apart.

In “Vigil,” an oil tycoon on his deathbed receives a visit from an angel.

An artist knocked off her path by a manipulative professor is at the center of Larissa Pham’s spare and troubling new book, “Discipline.”

In “The Typewriter and the Guillotine,” Mark Braude takes on the intersection of Janet Flanner’s career and a lurid murder case.

Two new books trace an arc from the notorious Bernie Goetz case to the spread of vigilantism today.

“Call Me Ishmaelle,” by Xiaolu Guo, audaciously revises Herman Melville’s American classic.

“Eating Ashes,” by Brenda Navarro, dispenses with familiar portrayals of mourning in a tale of migration, loss and memory.

In “Two Women Living Together,” the authors reflect on the joys of platonic cohabitation.

In “The Flower Bearers,” Rachel Eliza Griffiths addresses her starry, tragedy-marred marriage but also a life steeped in art, poetry and deep friendships.