Collecting Charles Bowden
Charles Bowden’s books on the Southwest invite comparisons with Edward Abbey. However, although the two writers had a kinship based on a shared concern for a planet under siege, they are vastly different. Bowden may never fill the void left when Abbey died in 1989, but his books, like those of his friend, have acquired a cult following.

Poker Renaissance:
America’s Card Game and Its Best Books
Poker recently has enjoyed an enormous boom in popularity that has brought it back into the mainstream of America’s leisure time diversions. Casinos have expanded their card rooms and Internet poker, although it is illegal in most places, is favored by many, particularly computer-savvy players in their 20s. We look at the World Series of Poker, and the classic books it has inspired.

Ten Years Ago
A. B. Guthrie Jr.

Books into Film
The Cincinnati Kid, a novel Richard Jessup, a film directed by Norman Jewison.