In two new books, “Wonderworks” and “The Modern Myths,” writers at the intersection of aesthetics and empiricism reveal the humanities at war within themselves.
The Georgia politician and romance writer, whose latest novel is the thriller “While Justice Sleeps,” recommends “Master of the Senate,” by Robert Caro: “It is a seminal work on the nature of power, the limits of the presidency and the awesome demands politics make on the soul.”
Julian Sancton’s “Madhouse at the End of the Earth” details Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery’s effort to explore Antarctica, and all of the ways it went wrong.
“The Secret History of Home Economics,” by Danielle Dreilinger, relates the surprising story of a discipline rooted in practical science and clever innovation.
In “Second Place,” the British novelist trades her signature cool precision for a mood of dreamlike mystery, evoking a woman’s obsession with a famous painter and the act of artistic creation.
Ferguson’s “Doom” places the current pandemic in the context of other catastrophes and reaches the conclusion that all disasters are in some sense man-made.