Richard Thomas
The actor Richard Thomas returns to Broadway this week in A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, a new comedy by the Tony Award–winning playwright Richard Greenberg.
The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works by William Shakespeare (Oxford, $40). Always at the top of my list. I’m partial to the Oxford, edited by Gary Taylor and Stanley Wells. This apparently bottomless well of invention, language, and humanity constantly inspires, refreshes, and challenges both my mind and heart. A lifetime companion. Not to mention, I’m an actor.
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary: Selections From the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language, edited by Jack Lynch (Levenger Press, $40). The OED (that other constant companion) aside, this recent volume is like a favorite teacher—full of information delivered in great style. Entertaining and enlightening.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $15). Deep feeling contained by beautifully wrought form—Elizabeth Bishop’s poems are both moving and thought-provoking. I have always loved them.
Republic of Dreams: Greenwich Village—The American Bohemia, 1910–1960 by Ross Wetzsteon (Simon & Schuster, $20). Having recently moved back to New York City, my hometown, I took a bath in this entertaining 2002 history of the great Gotham bohemia. In 1914, Villagers were saying, “It’s not what it used to be!” When I started going down there as a teenager in the ’60s, it represented the terra incognita of freedom.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Thoughts Without a Thinker by Mark Epstein (Perseus, $15). Epstein explores the confluence of modern psychology and Buddhist philosophy in a clear and entertaining way. As a practitioner of both Buddhism and psychotherapy, he is in a unique position to speak from both perspectives. I found this book to be a real light on the path of my own inner journey.
Anything by John Ashbery—a favorite poet of mine. For an early sample, try Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (Penguin, $16) or Houseboat Days (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $13). For late work, there’s Where Shall I Wander (Ecco, $23), his most recent collection. Tubing down the mindstream of his exquisite sensibility, I encounter all the flotsam and jetsam of human experience. As a guide toward meaning, he points out the best views.
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Andrea Long Chu's 6 favorite books for people who crave new ideas
Feature The book critic recommends works by Rachel Cusk, Sigmund Freud, and more
-
Bryan Burrough's 6 favorite books about Old West gunfighters
Feature The Texas-raised author recommends works by T.J. Stiles, John Boessenecker, and more
-
Tash Aw's 6 favorite books about forbidden love
Feature The Malaysian novelist recommends works by James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and more
-
Richard Bausch's 6 favorite books that are worth rereading
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and more
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers
Feature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more
-
Laurence Leamer's 6 favorite books that took courage to write
Feature The author recommends works by George Orwell, Truman Capote and more