Books

Historian Mary Beard says real gladiator competitions were probably not as brutal as the film Gladiator (starring Russell Crowe) would have us believe. Still, she says, "I loved Gladiator and I thought its depiction of gladiatorial combat, although it was

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Arts

From Gladiator Duels To Caesar's Last Words: The Myths Of Ancient Rome

9:15am December 01, 2015

Historian Mary Beard says many of our popular notions about the empire are based on culture — like the play Julius Caesar or the film Gladiator — rather than fact. Her new book is called SPQR.

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'Your Brother's Blood' Gives New Life To The Undead

7:04am December 01, 2015

by Jason Heller

Zombie stories are everywhere, but David Towsey's new book takes an unexpected turn — to a gritty, far-future world with echoes of the American West, full of undead who still have hearts and souls.

How The Brain Tells Real From Fake: From Fine Art To Fine Wine

12:04am December 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Shankar speaks with Noah Charney, author of The Art of Forgery, about what motivates art forgers. Also this week on Hidden Brain: why we love studies that prove wine connoisseurs wrong.

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For decades, astronomers believed there was another planet hiding just out of sight behind the sun. It wasn't until Albert Einstein that this belief was finally debunked.

A Star-Crossed 'Scientific Fact': The Story Of Vulcan, Planet That Never Was

3:20pm November 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

For decades, astronomers believed there was another planet in our solar system, tucked just out of sight. Then Albert Einstein figured out it wasn't there. Author Thomas Levenson explains.

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No Meekness Here: Meet Rosa Parks, 'Lifelong Freedom Fighter'

2:13am November 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

As the 60th anniversary of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott approaches, author Jeanne Theoharis says it's time to let go of the image of Rosa Parks as an unassuming accidental activist.

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'Not Without My Daughter' Subject Grows Up, Tells Her Own Story

7:47am November 29, 2015

"Not Without My Daughter" told the story of an American mother and daughter fleeing Iran. Now that young girl is telling her own story in her memoir, "My Name is Mahtob."

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Barcelona's Women Make 'The Whispering City' Shine

6:33am November 29, 2015

by Bethanne Patrick

Two academics from Germany, writing as Sara Moliner, have recreated a sepia-toned 1950s Barcelona in this new mystery novel. Critic Bethanne Patrick says City's strength is in its variety of women.

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French Bulldog At Heart Of New Children's Book 'Naughty Mabel'

8:44am November 28, 2015

Mabel is a naughty French bulldog at the center of a new children's book by Nathan Lane and Devlin Elliott. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Lane about his inspiration for the fictional dog.

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How Do We Get To Love At 'First Bite'?

8:00am November 28, 2015

It's the season of food, and British food writer Bee Wilson has a book on how our food tastes are formed. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with her about her new book, "First Bite: How We Learn to Eat."

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Slices Of Life Fill 'Our Expanding Universe'

7:03am November 28, 2015

by Etelka Lehoczky

Box Office Poison artist Alex Robinson is back with a new group of likeable, everyday people, mulling over their desire (or lack thereof) for children and family in an episodic, free-floating comic.