Books

Kindle e-readers were piled high at an Amazon Fulfillment Center. The central focus of the nascent European probe will be Amazon's e-book agreements with publishers.

EU Launches Antitrust Probe Of Amazon's E-Book Business

5:08pm June 11, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

The European Union's executive arm announced Thursday that it will investigate the e-tailing giant's contracts with publishers. At issue are a few key clauses that might give Amazon an unfair edge.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, pictured here in 2004, was the principal publisher of the writers and poets known as the Beat Generation.

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Arts

At 96, Poet And Beat Publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti Isn't Done Yet

3:36pm June 11, 2015

by Richard Gonzales

The publisher of Allen Ginsberg's iconic poem "Howl" has three books coming out this year and is also working on a novel. Looking back, he says, "Everything was better than it is when you're old."

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A Satisfying Steampunk Saga Winds Up In 'Clockwork Crown'

3:24pm June 11, 2015

by Jason Heller

Beth Cato's compact but potent two-book series follows a young healer in a crumbling fantasy empire who must navigate treacherous political waters while balancing questions of faith and technology.

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Arts

'Mazie' Pays Homage To A Real-Life Saint Of The Streets

1:44pm June 11, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Jami Attenberg's new novel is based on a real woman, Mazie Phillips Gordon, who took tickets at a grimy New York City movie house and cared for decades' worth of the down-and-outs who came her way.

The Librarian of Congress, James Billington, speaks at an event last year at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

After Nearly 30 Years, Librarian Of Congress Is Calling It Quits

11:30am June 11, 2015

by Brian Naylor

James Billington helped usher the world's largest library into the digital age. The Library of Congress says he will step down on Jan. 1, 2016.

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Arts

The Truth About 'Mike's Place'

9:56am June 11, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Mike's Place is a real-life beach bar in Tel Aviv that could be Israel's answer to Cheers. But it's no sitcom. A graphic novel recounts the 2003 suicide bombing that left owners and patrons in shock.

Juan Felipe Herrera won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2008 for his collection Half of the World in Light.

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Arts

Juan Felipe Herrera Named U.S. Poet Laureate

7:20pm June 10, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Already California's poet laureate, the prolific Chicano writer bears an enduring fascination for his native state — and a passion for teaching that's likely to shape his time in the new role.

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Arts

Book Review: 'The Black Snow,' Paul Lynch

6:54pm June 10, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

NPR's Alan Cheuse reviews Paul Lynch's second novel, The Black Snow.

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Mama's Still Alive Today: 'Meursault' Investigates A Literary Murder

12:25pm June 10, 2015

by Heller McAlpin

In The Stranger, Albert Camus' antihero Meursault famously killed a nameless Arab; Algerian writer Kamel Daoud's new novel reworks Camus from the point of view of the murdered man's brother.

Robert Fortune was a 19th-century Scottish botanist who helped the East India Trading Company swipe the secrets of tea production from China.

Tea Tuesdays: The Scottish Spy Who Stole China's Tea Empire

11:05am June 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

In the mid-1800s, Britain was a global superpower with a big weakness for tea, all of which came from China. But a botanist with a talent for espionage helped Britain swipe the secrets of tea.