Polymath Books

A new attack on the theory of a "hardwired" difference, in the brain, between men and women. Guests: Cordelia Fine, author of ...

Death to the BCS? A new book goes after the BCS - the Bowl Championship Series - and the big money fruits of college football. Guests: Jeff ...

We speak with Atul Gawande, the surgeon and writer who has emerged as one of the country's leading interpreters of what's going on w...

We hear the remarkable history of how fur shaped a nation, with author Eric Jay Dolin. Download the podcast here.

U.S. commanders consider expanding operations in Pakistan, some sources say. What would that mean? Guests: Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalis...

We speak with 2010 National Book Award winner Jaimy Gordon about her novel "Lord of Misrule" -- and ride into the world of horse r...

We take the long view on China's rise and the West's uncertain future, with Stanford historian Ian Morris. His new book is " W...

Elizabeth Edwards has died after a very public battle with cancer. We look at stories of cancer in America. Guests: Eleanor Clift, contribut...

We search for the best books of 2010. Maggie Galehouse, book editor for the Houston Chronicle; Laura Miller, senior writer at Salon.com; Pau...

The new Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library celebrates America's great "humanist" writer. Guests: Rodney Allen, author and professo...

Quiches, kugels, couscous. Cookbook author Joan Nathan takes us on a tour of the Jewish cooking of France. Her new book is "Quiches, Ku...

A conversation with the great Patti Smith - godmother of punk, now a National Book Award winner - on art, friendship, and the courage to cre...

We speak with Judy Collins about life, music, and one great classic - "Over the Rainbow," in this rebroadcast show. She has publis...

Full-body scanners and deep pat-downs have Americans pushing back over the indignities of airport security. With Benet Wilson of Aviation We...

We talk with filmmaker Judd Apatow about his movies - "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Superbad" - and what he finds funny. Hi...

We talk with big thinker Douglas Rushkoff about his "ten commands" for living right in the digital age. His new book is "Prog...

Britain announced an austerity package that has stunned even the most hard-nosed American deficit hawks. We look at Britain's cutbacks. ...

Alex Ross may be the most celebrated music critic in the country. He knows people are skeptical about music criticism – like whoever said “w...

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson swings a big stick in national policy debates – and he swings from the Le...

We take the full tour today of the world of literary tattoos to see what's there, and why. We speak with Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor,...