NYT Books

He conceived an early version of cyberspace and predicted the “technological singularity,” a tipping point at which machines would become smarter than humans.

In a stunning verdict, he was found not guilty of participating in the storied 1978 theft, retold in the film “Goodfellas.” Then he went to prison over a road rage incident.

A novelist and screenwriter, he wrote “The Pope of Greenwich Village” and “Family Business” and brought them both to the big screen.

Clever and dexterous, his writing delights in puzzles, puns and lepidoptera. Here’s where to start. (There’s so much more than “Lolita.”)

He was among the first to offer a comprehensive explanation, and a possible solution, for the country’s rising health care costs.