Little else can match the fusion of beauty and usefulness found in a good map. Yet what if the cartographer relied upon shoddy or fabricated information? What if they had no qualms about simply making things up themselves? This handsome little volume presents a collection of maps which are lovely, historically significant, and just plain …
This is fascinating historical true crime, in which Weinman shares the real story behind controversial fictional novel Lolita. Weinman tells of Sally Horner’s kidnapping and 21 months of mistreatment at the the hands of a Frank La Salle. Through extensive archival research, Weinman is able to make a persuasive claim that Vladmir Nabakov’s Lolita was inspired …
It’s a fact that I hear about once a year, promptly forget, and am then shocked all over again every time I hear it: the deepest tunnel humans have ever drilled only goes one half of one percent (0.5%) to the Earth’s core. That’s a whole lotta mystery down there. Just as mysterious, in my …
Phinney Books in Seattle shared excitement about some spring titles in a recent newsletter. February 26 The Border by Don Winslow The arrival of this final volume is making it clear that Winslow’s epic trilogy about the drug wars on the US-Mexico border is one of the central fictional dramas of our time, closing in a storm …
This remarkable book shows us female friendships that changed history, from the Trưng sisters defending first century Vietnam, to pirates Anne Bonny & Mary Read, to the Zohra Orchestra of Afghan girls. Find yourself some new historical heroes! — sweet pea, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA Find perfect gifts and inspiration for yourself at King’s Books …
We’ve got copies of the University of California’s biography of Carleton Watkins. Watkins, as you may know, was kind of the Edward Curtis of landscape pictures during the 19th century. Much of Watkins’ own documentation was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco fire, and so Tyler Green, the author of this splendid biography, had to …
In a year full of weighty political tomes, each grimmer than the last, I find myself in need of inspiration more than information. The Faithful Spy is both a salve for the weary soul and a much needed encouragement to brave action in dark times. In this slim volume, John Hendrix chronicles Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, …
Oleg Gordievsky grew up in the Soviet Union, the son of a KGB agent. His brother became an agent. And then, so did Oleg. Being a bright young fellow, he eventually began to question the totalitarianism of Communism. After a posting in Denmark exposed him further to Western books, classical music, the freedom to move …
It’s a big day for our country. Alaska voters: Find your polling place and its hours online here. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by today. Idaho voters: Get to the polls before they close tonight at 8:00 pm. Find voting locations here. Bring a photo ID if you have one (Idaho driver’s license or Idaho …
The Prix Goncourt is France’s highest award for fiction, and the most recent recipient was Éric Vuillard for The Order of the Day. It’s an interesting choice for at least three reasons. First, it’s really good, like prize-winning good, written in crystalline sentences ably translated by Mark Polizzotti. Second, it’s not a bog-standard war story about generals and …
