NYT Books X

In “Necessary Trouble,” Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard’s former leader, wrestles with her conservative Southern upbringing, and the unfinished business of the Civil War.

Skyhorse Publishing has built a reputation for taking on authors that other houses avoid. And its founder has helped Kennedy mount a bid for president.

When asked to narrate an audiobook of machine-generated verse, Mr. Herzog readily agreed. “I wasn’t the best choice,” he said. “I was the only choice.”

Encouragement, profit or exploitation?

Kurt Vonnegut’s novel and Alex Comfort’s sex manual — which topped the best-seller lists 50 years ago this month — are both illustrated.

Jennifer Szalai discusses recent books about natural history, and Jeff Goodell talks about his new climate change book, “The Heat Will Kill You First.”

A new book by a hospice nurse helps readers wrap their minds around — and perhaps make peace with — the great unknown.