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In his new book A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization, Jonathan Kirsch explores the ways the Book of Revelation has been interpreted since its inception and how the final book of the New Testament has influenced literature, history and popular culture.

Cormac McCarthy's latest book, The Road, is a story about the journey of a father and son through a post-apocalyptic American landscape. But it may be a comment on conditions today.

Beppe Severgnini is a newspaper columnist who's been helping fellow Italians make sense of U.S. culture for years. Now, he is turning his wisdom and wit toward his homeland, exploring the nuances of life in modern Italy. For instance, Severgnini says, traffic laws are interpreted a bit different in Italy.

Wild things usually lurk in Maurice Sendak's books, and his newest, Mummy?, is no exception. In Sendak's first pop-up book, a little boy encounters Frankenstein, the Mummy and other monsters as he searches for his mother. The acclaimed author and artist talks about why he creates worlds of danger for his young characters.

Former gubernatorial first lady Kitty Dukakis and writer Larry Tye discuss their new book, Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy. Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, battled depression for over 20 years. She says electroconvulsive therapy dramatically changed her life for the better.

Writer Ian Buruma's new book is about the 2004 death of a popular media personality at the hands of a Muslim radical. In writing Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance, Buruma found long-standing tensions between native-born Dutch and Muslim immigrants.

In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers have a reputation of killing rivals, and kidnapping children to serve in their ranks. Now, there are growing allegations that government security forces, or their proxies, are operating deaths squads with impunity.

The Aga Khan is a Muslim leader of global stature who rarely appears on the airwaves. He usually prefers to keep his distance from the media -- not least because the press has generally proved more interested in his race horses and immense wealth than his humanitarian work.

From the hands of presidents have come a wealth of improvised drawings on White House stationery, memos and Cabinet agendas. A new book collects doodles created by commanders-in-chief going back to George Washington.

There are no familiar stereotypes in a new collection of Japanese literature compiled by J. Thomas Rimer and Jeffrey Angles. No geishas. No hard-working, hard-drinking businessmen. The memoirs and short fiction in Japan: A Traveler's Literary Companion focus on the power of place.