Category
Biography: Arts and Entertainment
Bigger Than Fashion 2026
The kaleidoscopic story of how an underground American subculture reshaped the global fashion industry. The world now calls it “streetwear.” This is the story of how this fiercely guarded counterculture launched a lifestyle and fashion movement that has endured for nearly fifty years. It was born...
Charlie Watts was one of the most decorated musicians in the world, having joined the Rolling Stones, a few months after their formation, early in 1963. A student of jazz drumming, he was headhunted by the band after bumping into them regularly in London’s rhythm and blues clubs. Once installed at...
Chita 2024
She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero—until the entertainment world renamed her. But Dolores—the irreverent side of the sensual, dark, and ferocious Chita—was always present and influential in creating some of Broadway’s most iconic roles, including Anita in *West Side Story*, Rosie in...
Dying of Politeness 2024
From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.
At three years old, Geena Davis announced she was going to be in movies....
From Ear to Ear 2025
While other kids were enjoying the head-bashing pleasures of tackle football, a freshly bar mitzvahed Steven Blier was inhaling operas and getting his first taste of accompanying professional singers. Beginning with impromptu piano gigs in the 1960s, Blier ascended to a dazzling career as an...
Girl in a Band 2025
For many, Kim Gordon is the epitome of cool: vocalist, bassist/guitarist and founding member of Sonic Youth—one of the most successful bands to emerge from the post-punk New York scene—despite being famously reserved. Ten years ago, Gordon distilled that coolness into her groundbreaking memoir, Girl...
A posthumous book from hip-hop legend DMX that brings readers into the heart of his faith—a raw, redemptive collection of prayers and never-before-seen spiritual writings revealing the struggle and hope behind one of music’s most uncompromising voices.
Authorized by the Estate of Earl “DMX” Simmons...
Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul. Yet that adaptability has made him...
How Women Made Music 2024
Drawn from NPR Music’s acclaimed, groundbreaking series *Turning the Tables*, the definitive book on the vital role of women in music—from Beyoncé to Odetta, Taylor Swift to Joan Baez, Joan Jett to Dolly Parton—featuring archival interviews, essays, photographs, and illustrations.
*Turning the...
It Girl 2026
Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl?
Now, New...
The Jazzmen 2024
This is the story of three revolutionary American musicians, the maestro jazzmen who orchestrated the chords that throb at the soul of twentieth-century America. Duke Ellington, the grandson of slaves who was christened Edward Kennedy Ellington, was a man whose story is as layered and nuanced as his...
Joan Crawford 2026
Joan Crawford burst out of her poverty-stricken youth to become a bright young movie star in the 1920s, drawing the admiration of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the attention of audiences worldwide. She flourished for decades, working across genres, from romance to westerns (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Guitar)...
Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans and podcast listeners with stories about the odd, wild, and absurd details of his life. Yet these behind-the-scenes tales have pointed to deeper, more difficult truths that the actor and comedian has kept to himself. Now, he is finally ready to share those...
Just Kids 2010
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.
Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style...
Once upon a time, there was a man who made himself into a myth. He went by a single name: Beck. He sang songs that didn’t make easy sense in plain English, but which were somehow urgent and undeniable to those who heard them. He mined a dizzying array of musical styles from the past to construct...
The Moment of Cubism 2026
The Moment of Cubism is one of John Berger’s most important collections of art criticism. Whether considering Vermeer in his studio, Poussin’s poignant meditation on death, or the complexities of Rodin’s sculpture, Berger draws together the threads that bind individual artists to their social and...
Motherless Child 2016
From the Yardbirds to Cream, Blind Faith to Derek and the Dominos, and a hugely-successful solo career, Eric Clapton's fifty years in the music business can look like an uninterrupted rise to become one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. But his story is as complicated as it is...
Muse 2024
A poignant and glorious photographic memoir that pays homage to the lifelong friendship between the legendary Cicely Tyson and acclaimed fashion designer B Michael, who worked with her to make her gorgeous through her last bow. What greater act of friendship is there than making someone dear look...
Ozzy & Me 2026
Stephen Rea was born in Northern Ireland in 1969, the same year “The Troubles” began. Violence was everywhere. His grandmother was nearly killed when gunmen opened fire on the wrong house, leaving young Stephen to pick at the bullet holes in the walls. He found refuge from this turmoil in heavy...
The Path to Paradise 2024
A true icon of the New Hollywood era, Francis Ford Coppola is one of the great American dreamers, and his most magnificent dream is American Zoetrope, the production company he founded in San Francisco years before his gargantuan success, when he was only thirty.
Through Zoetrope’s experimental,...
Peacock & Vine 2016
Born a generation apart in the mid-1800s, Fortuny and Morris were seeming opposites: Fortuny a Spanish aristocrat thrilled by the sun-baked cultures of Crete and Knossos; Morris a member of the British bourgeoisie, enthralled by Nordic myths. Through their revolutionary inventions and textiles, both...
Phyllis Dalton 2026
The extraordinary story of costume designer Phyllis Dalton, filled with insights, recollections, and revelations from a life spent on the great film locations of the twentieth century.
In conversation with film historian Alexander Ballinger, Phyllis Dalton (1925–2025) reveals how she created some...
Radiant 2024
In the 1980s, the subways of New York City were covered with art. In the stations, black matte sheets were pasted over outdated ads, and unsigned chalk drawings often popped up on these blank spaces. These temporary chalk drawings numbered in the thousands and became synonymous with a city as...
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family...
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family...
A Thousand Threads 2024
Born in Sweden in 1964, Neneh Cherry’s father Ahmadu was a musician from Sierra Leone. Her mother, Moki, was a twenty-one-year-old Swedish textile artist. Her parents split up just after Neneh was born, and not long afterwards Moki met and fell in love with acclaimed jazz musician Don Cherry....
From the opening piano notes of “Thunder Road,” to the final outro of “Jungleland”—with American anthems like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” in between—Bruce Springsteen’s seminal album, Born to Run, established Springsteen as a creative force in rock and roll.
With his back against...
Dusty Slay has lived a lot of lives. At eighteen years old, he dropped out of community college. At nineteen, his plans to join the army were foiled by an arrest. By twenty-one, he moved from his hometown of Opelika, Alabama, to Charleston, South Carolina.
From slinging fish at Hyman’s Seafood,...
What a Fool Believes 2026
Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser.
Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael...
Woolgathering 2011
A great book about becoming an artist, Woolgathering tells of a youngster finding herself as she learns the noble vocation of woolgathering, “a worthy calling that seemed a good job for me.” She discovers—often at night, often in nature—the pleasures of rescuing “a fleeting thought.” Deeply moving,...
Work in Progress 2026
Devon Rodriguez talks to strangers: his subway sketches and person-on-the-street interviews have earned him millions of followers. His hyperrealistic work demonstrates the power of portraiture to help us see ourselves and each other. He’s a new-school influencer with old-school talent.
Now, the...
Year of the Monkey 2019
Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding...
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It Girl December 1, 2026
Jane Birkin was synonymous with chic. Her effortless style and artistic legacy have been immortalized through her music and film career. And, of course, she was the inspiration behind one of the world’s most coveted bags, the Hermès Birkin. But who was the real woman behind the it girl?
Now, New...
The Last Temptation of Beck November 17, 2026
Once upon a time, there was a man who made himself into a myth. He went by a single name: Beck. He sang songs that didn’t make easy sense in plain English, but which were somehow urgent and undeniable to those who heard them. He mined a dizzying array of musical styles from the past to construct...
The Gospel According to DMX November 17, 2026
A posthumous book from hip-hop legend DMX that brings readers into the heart of his faith—a raw, redemptive collection of prayers and never-before-seen spiritual writings revealing the struggle and hope behind one of music’s most uncompromising voices.
Authorized by the Estate of Earl “DMX” Simmons...
Joan Crawford November 17, 2026
Joan Crawford burst out of her poverty-stricken youth to become a bright young movie star in the 1920s, drawing the admiration of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the attention of audiences worldwide. She flourished for decades, working across genres, from romance to westerns (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Guitar)...
Bigger Than Fashion November 17, 2026
The kaleidoscopic story of how an underground American subculture reshaped the global fashion industry. The world now calls it “streetwear.” This is the story of how this fiercely guarded counterculture launched a lifestyle and fashion movement that has endured for nearly fifty years. It was born...
We're Having a Good Time November 10, 2026
Dusty Slay has lived a lot of lives. At eighteen years old, he dropped out of community college. At nineteen, his plans to join the army were foiled by an arrest. By twenty-one, he moved from his hometown of Opelika, Alabama, to Charleston, South Carolina.
From slinging fish at Hyman’s Seafood,...
Ozzy & Me November 10, 2026
Stephen Rea was born in Northern Ireland in 1969, the same year “The Troubles” began. Violence was everywhere. His grandmother was nearly killed when gunmen opened fire on the wrong house, leaving young Stephen to pick at the bullet holes in the walls. He found refuge from this turmoil in heavy...
Work in Progress September 29, 2026
Devon Rodriguez talks to strangers: his subway sketches and person-on-the-street interviews have earned him millions of followers. His hyperrealistic work demonstrates the power of portraiture to help us see ourselves and each other. He’s a new-school influencer with old-school talent.
Now, the...
Tonight in Jungleland August 11, 2026
From the opening piano notes of “Thunder Road,” to the final outro of “Jungleland”—with American anthems like “Born to Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” in between—Bruce Springsteen’s seminal album, Born to Run, established Springsteen as a creative force in rock and roll.
With his back against...
What a Fool Believes May 19, 2026
Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser.
Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael...
The Moment of Cubism April 14, 2026
The Moment of Cubism is one of John Berger’s most important collections of art criticism. Whether considering Vermeer in his studio, Poussin’s poignant meditation on death, or the complexities of Rodin’s sculpture, Berger draws together the threads that bind individual artists to their social and...
Phyllis Dalton January 6, 2026
The extraordinary story of costume designer Phyllis Dalton, filled with insights, recollections, and revelations from a life spent on the great film locations of the twentieth century.
In conversation with film historian Alexander Ballinger, Phyllis Dalton (1925–2025) reveals how she created some...
From Ear to Ear November 18, 2025
While other kids were enjoying the head-bashing pleasures of tackle football, a freshly bar mitzvahed Steven Blier was inhaling operas and getting his first taste of accompanying professional singers. Beginning with impromptu piano gigs in the 1960s, Blier ascended to a dazzling career as an...
Girl in a Band September 9, 2025
For many, Kim Gordon is the epitome of cool: vocalist, bassist/guitarist and founding member of Sonic Youth—one of the most successful bands to emerge from the post-punk New York scene—despite being famously reserved. Ten years ago, Gordon distilled that coolness into her groundbreaking memoir, Girl...
The Path to Paradise November 26, 2024
A true icon of the New Hollywood era, Francis Ford Coppola is one of the great American dreamers, and his most magnificent dream is American Zoetrope, the production company he founded in San Francisco years before his gargantuan success, when he was only thirty.
Through Zoetrope’s experimental,...
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) October 15, 2024
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family...
Charlie's Good Tonight October 8, 2024
Charlie Watts was one of the most decorated musicians in the world, having joined the Rolling Stones, a few months after their formation, early in 1963. A student of jazz drumming, he was headhunted by the band after bumping into them regularly in London’s rhythm and blues clubs. Once installed at...
Chita October 8, 2024
She was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero—until the entertainment world renamed her. But Dolores—the irreverent side of the sensual, dark, and ferocious Chita—was always present and influential in creating some of Broadway’s most iconic roles, including Anita in *West Side Story*, Rosie in...
A Thousand Threads October 8, 2024
Born in Sweden in 1964, Neneh Cherry’s father Ahmadu was a musician from Sierra Leone. Her mother, Moki, was a twenty-one-year-old Swedish textile artist. Her parents split up just after Neneh was born, and not long afterwards Moki met and fell in love with acclaimed jazz musician Don Cherry....
How Women Made Music October 1, 2024
Drawn from NPR Music’s acclaimed, groundbreaking series *Turning the Tables*, the definitive book on the vital role of women in music—from Beyoncé to Odetta, Taylor Swift to Joan Baez, Joan Jett to Dolly Parton—featuring archival interviews, essays, photographs, and illustrations.
*Turning the...
Dying of Politeness May 21, 2024
From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.
At three years old, Geena Davis announced she was going to be in movies....
Joyful Recollections of Trauma May 21, 2024
Paul Scheer has entertained countless fans and podcast listeners with stories about the odd, wild, and absurd details of his life. Yet these behind-the-scenes tales have pointed to deeper, more difficult truths that the actor and comedian has kept to himself. Now, he is finally ready to share those...
The Jazzmen May 7, 2024
This is the story of three revolutionary American musicians, the maestro jazzmen who orchestrated the chords that throb at the soul of twentieth-century America. Duke Ellington, the grandson of slaves who was christened Edward Kennedy Ellington, was a man whose story is as layered and nuanced as his...
The House of Hidden Meanings March 5, 2024
Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul. Yet that adaptability has made him...
Radiant March 5, 2024
In the 1980s, the subways of New York City were covered with art. In the stations, black matte sheets were pasted over outdated ads, and unsigned chalk drawings often popped up on these blank spaces. These temporary chalk drawings numbered in the thousands and became synonymous with a city as...
Muse January 23, 2024
A poignant and glorious photographic memoir that pays homage to the lifelong friendship between the legendary Cicely Tyson and acclaimed fashion designer B Michael, who worked with her to make her gorgeous through her last bow. What greater act of friendship is there than making someone dear look...
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) October 17, 2023
One of the few indisputable geniuses of pop music, Sly Stone is a trailblazer and a legend. He created a new kind of music, mixing Black and white, male and female, funk and rock. As a songwriter, he penned some of the most iconic anthems of the 1960s and ’70s, from “Everyday People” to “Family...
Year of the Monkey September 24, 2019
Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding...
Peacock & Vine August 2, 2016
Born a generation apart in the mid-1800s, Fortuny and Morris were seeming opposites: Fortuny a Spanish aristocrat thrilled by the sun-baked cultures of Crete and Knossos; Morris a member of the British bourgeoisie, enthralled by Nordic myths. Through their revolutionary inventions and textiles, both...
Motherless Child June 28, 2016
From the Yardbirds to Cream, Blind Faith to Derek and the Dominos, and a hugely-successful solo career, Eric Clapton's fifty years in the music business can look like an uninterrupted rise to become one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. But his story is as complicated as it is...
Woolgathering November 28, 2011
A great book about becoming an artist, Woolgathering tells of a youngster finding herself as she learns the noble vocation of woolgathering, “a worthy calling that seemed a good job for me.” She discovers—often at night, often in nature—the pleasures of rescuing “a fleeting thought.” Deeply moving,...
Just Kids January 19, 2010
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.
Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style...