This week, we feature an account of the Roman Empire’s founding and the early 20th-century tale of a suave vigilante.
Nonfiction
‘The Disenlightenment: Politics, Horror, and Entertainment’
By David Mamet
In this stew of essays, playwright and filmmaker Mamet blends bits from his past, the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime writing Broadway hits and Hollywood scripts, and a blistering critique of today’s politics and culture. Blacklisted by some for his 2008 shift to conservatism, Mamet shows no sign of backing off from his strong opinions. His command of the language, his oft-sparkling prose, and his no-holds-barred stances will please those who enjoy wit and hard truths dressed in a tuxedo.
Broadside Books, 2025, 256 pages
Biography
‘The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief’
By Richard Holmes
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, is the best-known British poet of the Victorian Era. Today, most view Tennyson as a thoroughly establishment old man, with a long white beard. Yet Tennyson was once a young groundbreaking member of the literary avant-garde. This book examines Tennyson’s development as a poet, going from avant-guard to establishment pillar. It also shows Tennyson as much as a man of science as of letters. It’s a fascinating look at the literary growth of a great poet.
Pantheon, 2026, 448 pages
Ancient History
‘The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium’
By Barry Strauss
The first century B.C. was an era of civil wars for the Roman Republic. There were three civil wars between the Romans, with the final one pitting Octavian, Julius Caesar’s chosen heir, against Caesar’s friend, Mark Antony. This book centers on the naval battle at Actium that turned the tide of the war in Octavian’s favor. Strauss presents the war, the players, and how the outcome resulted in the establishment of the Roman Empire led by Octavian—famously known to history as Caesar Augustus.
Simon & Schuster, 2022, 368 pages
Novel
‘Glide Path’
By Arthur C. Clarke
Before becoming known for science-fiction, Arthur C. Clarke served in the Royal Air Force in World War II. This book, his only non-science fiction novel, is a fictionalized account of his wartime experiences. It follows the experiences of Flying Officer Alan Bishop, a young man who is assigned to an experimental base developing Ground Control Approach radar, to “talk” pilots to the ground in bad weather. A coming-of-age story, it’s a fascinating look at people and technology development.
iBooks, 2011, 279 pages
Classics
‘The Mark of Zorro’
By Johnston McCulley
This 1919 tale mixes the comedy, adventure, and romance that thrilled its first readers and made the masked man with a sword a cultural icon. By day, Diego Vega is a languid dandy and aristocrat who prefers poetry to bloodshed. But by night, he’s Zorro, a Californian Robin Hood who singlehandedly battles oppressors of the people. The passionate Lolita Pulido can hardly bear the anemic Vega, but she falls madly in love with Zorro. This book and its sequels birthed plays, songs, movies, and a TV show.
Dover Publications, reprint 2016, 192 pages
For Kids
‘Petunia’
By Roger Duvoisin
Petunia the goose is known as a silly goose until, one day, she finds a book in the meadow and decides that carrying it under her wing will make her wise. She proudly begins to offer advice to her barnyard friends—until her unfounded counsel causes real trouble. A charming, funny fable contrasting the appearance versus the substance of knowledge.
Alfred A. Knopf, 1962, 32 pages
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