[close] When Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper is summoned to Tina Barr’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she finds a neighbor convinced that the young woman was assaulted. But the terrified victim, a conservator of rare books and maps, refuses to cooperate with investigators. Then another woman is found murdered in that same apartment with an extremely valuable book, believed to have been stolen. As Alex pursues the murderer, she is drawn into the strange and privileged world of the Hunt family, major benefactors of the New York Public Library and passionate rare book collectors. Eventually Alex connects their internal family rivalries to a priceless edition of Alice in Wonderland, which also contains the world’s oldest map. Would one of the well-bred Hunts be willing to kill for the treasures? The search for the answer takes Alex and her team on a breathtaking chase from Manhattan’s grandest apartments to the secret tunnels and chambers of the New York Public Library, and fina [close]

[close] Novelist Silas House and journalist Jason Howard, both "children of Appalachia," illuminate the long-growing mining crisis in Central Appalachia. Twelve Appalachians--among them a college student, former union organizers, community activists and the octogenarian "mother of folk," Jean Ritchey--provide first-hand accounts of a disappearing way of life, a vital ecology in rapid decline, an industry that refuses to take responsibility for the devastation it causes (blowing the tops off mountains is only the latest, most destructive technique), and a nation too hooked on cheap energy to help. If nothing else, these oral histories will give readers a sense of what's at stake on a personal level. Student Nathan Hall calls mining the best job he ever had: "I met the most interesting characters of my life... the most hilarious, most good hearted." Says Judy Bond, lifelong resident of the leading coal-producing county in W.V., "The more coal we mine, the poorer we get." [close]

[close] Everybody has to commute everyday or at least take some sort of public transportation throughout the week. Most of us think that we are losing our time because our parents probably told us not to talk to strangers. I, for instance, every time I have to do it, I try to engage in a conversation with someone I never met before. Do you do that? And if you dont: why are you so afraid of strangers? [close]

[close] Jason Howard, Silas House and Kate Larken perform SEXTON'S CREEK as Public Outcry at the Highlander Research and Education Center's 2009 Homecoming and Apple Fair in New Market, Tennessee. [close]

[close] Rosalind answers a question from the mom of a 7th grader who was teased all last year at the school he went to. He spent his summer raising money to help pay for tuition at another school, but his mom doesn't want to learn to solve problems by running from them. What should she do? Got a question for Rosalind? Email it to rosalindsinbox@rosalindwiseman.com! www.rosalindwiseman.com [close]

[close] Michael Perry is a musician and writer who lives with his family in rural Wisconsin. Perry's bestselling memoir "Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time" drew on his experiences as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His latest book, just released in paperback, is called "Truck: A Love Story." Perry also creates video essays in partnership with producers from Wisconsin Public Television. These stories are seen on WPT's Here and Now program. [close]

[close] Michael Perry is a musician and writer who lives with his family in rural Wisconsin. Perry's bestselling memoir "Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time" drew on his experiences as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His latest book, just released in paperback, is called "Truck: A Love Story." Perry also creates video essays in partnership with producers from Wisconsin Public Television. These stories are seen on WPT's Here and Now program. [close]

[close] Michael Perry is a musician and writer who lives with his family in rural Wisconsin. Perry's bestselling memoir "Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time" drew on his experiences as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. His latest book, just released in paperback, is called "Truck: A Love Story." Perry also creates video essays in partnership with producers from Wisconsin Public Television. These stories are seen on WPT's Here and Now program. [close]

[close] In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen, Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. You'll get new insights into the art of persuasion, based on Scott's 15 years of experience speaking to crowds of all sizes [close]

[close] Don Watson is an author, historian, screenplay writer and former speechwriter to Paul Keating. Picking up where his earlier books Death Sentence and Weasel Words left off. [close]

[close] Don Watson is an author, historian, screenplay writer and former speechwriter to Paul Keating. Picking up where his earlier books Death Sentence and Weasel Words left off. [close]

[close] In these extraordinarily uncertain economic times, bestselling author Dr. Stephen Leeb has very carefully analyzed some of the basic and fundamental flaws of our economy, and his arguments are both compelling and frightening. Yes, we already know that we are in desperate need of finding alternative sources of energy, but what Leeb details is just how close we really are to running out of oil, and that popular alternative plans such as wind power, solar power, ethanol, nuclear energy, and so on just aren't going to serve as the immediate answers. [close]

[close] Charlie Smith reads the poem "Beauty Works" from his book called Heroin (W. W. Norton, 2001). This reading was party of the Norton Night of Poetry at Bryant Park right outside the New York Public Library. Filmed on July 28, 2009 in New York City. [close]

[close] Brett R. Williams, Mr. Marriage, explains how to get balanced love. [close]

[close] In this video, recorded live at Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville, I compare the success of Stephen Prothero's Religious Literacy book with the "success" of my law review article on the same topic [close]

[close] Former Governor and current PBC chairman sits down with us at the America's Future Now conference to discuss his new book, "Howard Dean's Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform". [close]