From The Intercollegiate Review, a look at the 50 best and 50 worst books of the 20th century. From THES, a review of Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times by William Wallace; and a review of Michelangelo's Finger: An Exploration of Everyday Transcendence by Raymond Tallis. Art of the steal: Joshuah Bearman is on the trail of world’s most ingenious thief. The unreal art of realistic dialogue: Credible conversation in fiction is a long way from the chaos of ums and ahs that you'll see if you look at transcripts of the real thing. Can animals be gay? Jon Mooallem on the science of same-sex pairings in the wild. A review of Slow Death By Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie. From abuse to usufruct: Environmentalism has introduced ideas of intergenerational equality, while economics has begun to quantify "externalities", the social effects of activities that are overlooked in market prices. Smart people, dumb decisions: Chances are you're unaware of the limits to your abilities, unappreciative of the challenges that lie ahead, and uninformed of all that can go wrong — don't worry, you're not alone. Author, publisher and literary trendsetter: Dave Eggers is all those, and he's fast becoming the conscience of liberal America too. Here's a few reasons why Dave Eggers is a great American. On the secular, foodie side of things, in a town where the "entice 'em, fleece 'em and eject 'em" philosophy is rampant, McDonald's still trumps. With a client list that reads like a roster of Fortune 500 firms, a little-known company with an odd name, the Talx Corporation, has come to dominate a thriving industry: helping employers process — and fight — unemployment claims (and more on the people who screw you out of unemployment).
