Four books—and a flawed Everyman—that made John Updike’s name as a novelist
Must-listen archival audio, via @CrimeReads: Raymond Chandler schools Ian Fleming on how the mob arranges a contract killing ("It’s bad business nowadays")
Watch: Leonard S. Marcus on his first meeting with a “totally engaged” Madeleine L’Engle
The War Before the War: Andrew Delbanco on fugitive slaves and the fragility of the American Republic
Henry Ward Beecher, “Apple-Pie”
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom recasts the life of one of our major literary figures
