The scholar Elaine Pagels discusses her research about ancient accounts suggesting that Jesus’ father might have been a Roman.

In search of a New World answer to Narnia and Hogwarts.

“The Troublemaker” is a brisk account of the life and work of Jimmy Lai, the media mogul and democracy activist currently on trial for national security offenses.

Even in a world populated by devious wolves, beauty shines through occasionally.

Even in a world populated by devious wolves, beauty shines through occasionally.

An eclectic list of works that influenced, intrigued and entertained our guests.

There is something special about works I can read in full on a rainy Sunday afternoon or in the lamplight hours between supper and bedtime.

The Chinese leader is digging into the language of revolution, and a radical Russian novel, as he prepares for battle with Donald Trump.

The Chinese leader is digging into the language of revolution, and a radical Russian novel, as he prepares for battle with Donald Trump.

Writing from Taiwan, she shaped her readers’ idea of romantic love with a raft of best sellers, many adapted for the screen. Newborns were named after her characters.

What happens if half the population is no longer involved in reading and writing?

Two columnists sit down to discuss two books that crystallize this period in America.

Hegseth, too, wants to fight the “enemy within.”

As Paul French argues in a new biography, the future Duchess of Windsor’s year in China was less lurid — and more interesting — than her critics knew.

Shanghai straddles the past and the future, a dizzying prism of many histories and cultures. The poet Sally Wen Mao shares books that illuminate this cosmopolitan city.