Arts

The Millionaire and the Bard promo photo option 1

Books
Arts

'Millionaire' Tracks One Man's Fruitful Obsession With The Bard Of Avon

12:47pm May 14, 2015

by Trey Graham

Andrea Mays' new book digs into the history of Washington, D.C.'s Folger Shakespeare Library, the legacy of oilman Henry Clay Folger — who, like William Shakespeare, found his greatest fame in death.

The cover of Burning Down George Orwell's House, by Andrew Ervin.

Books
Arts

Misadventures And Absurdist Charm Take Root In 'George Orwell's House'

11:31am May 14, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

In Andrew Ervin's comic novel, a disillusioned advertising executive rents the cottage once inhabited by dystopian author George Orwell. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the funny book has a serious core.

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The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., still has all 82 of the William Shakespeare first folios Henry Folger collected.

Books
Arts

A Fortune In Folios: One Man's Hunt For Shakespeare's First Editions

10:37am May 14, 2015

by NPR Staff

Henry Folger once spent nearly a year's salary on a William Shakespeare first folio. In The Millionaire and the Bard, Andrea Mays chronicles his obsession with collecting the playwright's work.

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Arts

"On Common Ground: 2015 Pastel Paintings From The Mountains To The Sea" Opens in Greensboro

9:56am May 14, 2015

by David Ford

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The Last Four Days of Paddy Buckley promo photo

Books
Arts

In 'Paddy Buckley' Suffering Through Four Last Days With Dark Comedy

7:03am May 14, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Jeremy Massey's debut novel centers on an undertaker with magical abilities — like communicating with dogs and flies. Critic Jason Sheehan says Massey has an eye for black humor.

Books
Arts

'Nimona' Shifts Shape And Takes Names — In Sensible Armor, Of Course

6:56pm May 13, 2015

by NPR Staff

Comics creator Noelle Stevenson has written for Boom! Studios and Marvel's new female Thor. Her webcomic Nimona, about a young shapeshifter with a streak of villainy, has just been released as a book.

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Elena Biamon holds coffee berries grown on her farm near Jayuya, a town in Puerto Rico's mountainous interior.

Arts
Economy

Puerto Rico Wants To Grow Your Next Cup Of Specialty Coffee

5:48pm May 13, 2015

by Greg Allen

More than a century ago, Puerto Rico used to produce world-class coffee. Now farmers there are trying to rebuild the industry by focusing on growing higher-quality beans, which command higher prices.

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The new building's window-lined hallways are in stark contrast to the brutalist design of the Whitney's former home.

Arts

Whitney Museum's New Building Opens Doors (And Walls) To Outside World

5:18pm May 13, 2015

by Joel Rose

For decades, the museum was housed in a concrete fortress with few windows. Its new home offers striking views of the Manhattan skyline, but critics say the design draws attention away from the art.

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Tom Brokaw served as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 until 2004.

Books
Arts

Tom Brokaw Reflects On Cancer, 'Nightly News' And His 'Lucky Life'

4:08pm May 13, 2015

The former NBC anchorman says his multiple myeloma diagnosis two years ago made him "more conscious of the fact that the days are more numbered." His new memoir is A Lucky Life Interrupted.

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Books
Arts

Myth, Fantasy And Sci-Fi Dovetail In 'Archivist Wasp'

3:36pm May 13, 2015

by Jason Heller

Nicole Kornher-Stace's new novel follows Wasp, an Archivist tasked with hunting ghosts to scavenge information about the past for her primitive post-apocalyptic society — where all is not as it seems.