Here's the introduction, first chapter and sample entries of The Princeton Encyclopedia of the World Economy. An excerpt from Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times by Amy Goodman and David Goodman. Lunching on Olympus: Steven L. Isenberg on his meals with W. H. Auden, E. M. Forster, Philip Larkin, and William Empson. My Bright Abyss: Christian Wiman never felt the pain of unbelief until he believed — but belief itself is hardly painless. By A review of King Kong Theory by Virginie Despentes. A review of Invisible Hands: The Making of the Conservative Movement From the New Deal to Reagan by Kim Phillips-Fein. A scientist argues that the natural world isn't benevolent and sustaining: it's bent on self-destruction. More on books on Samuel Johnson. Another lesson from FDR for BHO: Use the economic crisis to strengthen the international institutions that are so critical to our domestic success. The psychology of “Zorba the Greek”: losing everything, and seeing it as an invitation to a better life. This campaign season, Rachel Maddow, 35, a smart, self-professed butch lesbian from Western Massachusetts, didn't just get her own MSNBC talk show — she became a household name. Who is looking out for the women of this country? Ms. magazine is not. A review of Herbert Hoover by William E. Leuchtenburg. 

From Taki's Mag, Robert Spencer on the Old Right and the Antichrist; and Paul Gottfried on the decline and rise of the Alternative Right. The Future of the American Frontier: Can one of our most enduring national myths, much in evidence in the recent presidential campaign, be reinvented yet again? From TLS, a review of Soul of the Age: The Life, Mind and World of William Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate; and a review of Tree of Rivers: The Story of the Amazon by John Hemming. A review of Religion of Fear: The Politics of Horror in Conservative Evangelicalism by Jason C. Bivins. An interview with Farhad Manjoo, author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society. An unrepentant New Dealer runs for Congress: Thomas Geoghegan never bought the "new economy" hype. The case against hockey: Canada, we have a problem — our national game has become inextricably linked with brutal violence. A review of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley. The Archipelago of Fear: Are fortification and foreign aid making Kabul more dangerous? A review of The Liberal Hour: The 1960s and the Remaking of American Life by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot. The man behind Murphy's Law: Sixty years later a maxim of mishap retains its relevance.

From Discover, Carl Zimmer on how Google is making us smarter: Humans are "natural-born cyborgs," and the Internet is our giant "extended mind". Who says the book business is dead? Now that the Kindle and other electronic readers are finally catching fire, publishing can start to rise from its ashes. From The Economist, the frat boy ships out: Few people will mourn the departure of the 43rd president; and George Bush has left a dismal legacy, but Barack Obama can do much to repair the damage. A review of books about the rise of Barack Obama. A reading list that shaped a president: Obama’s love of language and reading has helped him to communicate and shaped his sense of the world. From The Washington Monthly, contributors suggest what Obama should read: Twenty-five books the new president should have by his bedside. You can tell a lot about a tyrant from his bedside reading. Crack-smoking sociologist friends: A review of Disorientations: Art on the Margins of the Contemporary by Travis Jeppesen. A review of Schopenhauer by Robert Wicks. The age of mediocre banks: What happens when banks are too big to fail and too big to succeed. A see-through society: Micah Sifry on how the Web is opening up our democracy. Playboy's list of the most important people in sex from the past 55 years reminds Daniel Radosh why we still need America's smartest smut.

From Esquire, what the hell just happened? A look back at the last eight years (and more); and Nate Silver on how Obama won the election. From FP, here are 5 new jobs for George W. Bush. How George W. Bush can be the best ex-president he can be, but will anyone give ex-President Bush a job? From New Scientist, an article on ten extinct beasts that could walk the Earth again; and when it comes to convincing people of the need for action on climate change, the threat to the polar bear doesn't come close to representing the urgency of the situation. From The Nation, a review of Morton Smith and Gershom Scholem: Correspondence, 1945-1982. Your personality isn't necessarily set in stone — with a little experimentation, the ornery and bleak can reshape their temperaments and inject pluck and passion into their lives. Can technology clear the air? Robert Kunzig and Wallace Broecker investigate. An interview with David Keith on geoengineering and climate stabilization. A review of A People’s History of American Empire by Howard Zinn, Paul Buhle and Mike Konopacki. An excerpt from The Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth About Women, Money, and Relationships. A review of Defusing Armageddon: Inside NEST, America's Secret Nuclear Bomb Squad by Jeffrey T. Richelson. A look at why culture shock may explain similarity between humans.