Bookshelf

Our behavior is radically inconsistent and seems to depend less on character traits than on the context of each chance to behave well or badly. Julian Baggini reviews ‘The Character Gap’ by Christian B. Miller.

In the not-too-distant future, India could have a $10 trillion economy, the world’s third largest military and the world’s largest middle class. Tunku Varadarajan reviews ‘Our Time Has Come’ by Alyssa Ayres.

Two shots rang out. A valet smashed through the locked bedroom door to find the corpses of Crown Prince Rudolf and his teenaged mistress. Mark Molesky reviews ‘Twilight of Empire’ by Greg King and Penny Wilson.

George H.W. Bush was a don’t-rock-the-boat guy when the boats were rocking wildly. He deserves credit for his muted style and steadying hand. Tom Nagorski reviews ‘When the World Seemed New’ by Jeffrey A. Engel.

TR won fame as a “trustbuster,” but his administration went after Morgan only once. Roger Lowenstein reviews “An Unlikely Trust” by Gerard Helferich.

A monumental history of modern Iran traces hidden continuities within a fragmented past. Eric Ormsby reviews “Iran: A Modern History” by Abbas Amanat.

A catalog of 75 colors and their histories, from lead white to pitch black. Laura J. Snyder reviews “The Secret Lives of Color” by Kassia St. Clair.

With this inexact science, no one can be quite certain to what extent the patient is aware. Mike Jay reviews “Anesthesia” by Kate Cole-Adams.

Fifty years ago this Sunday, the Packers and the Cowboys played for high stakes at low temperatures. David Shribman reviews “Ice Bowl ’67” by Chuck Carlson.

Meghan Cox Gurdon picks the most unsatisfying, most irritating and most egregiously opportunistic titles from 2017.

Unrelenting and impenetrable, Evgeny Kissin walks toward the piano as if toward the gallows. Norman Lebrecht reviews “Memoirs and Reflections” by Evgeny Kissin.

An anthology of poems that illuminate the strange, transporting power of joy. David Skeel reviews “Joy: 100 Poems” edited by Christian Wiman.

Sam Sacks on the fiction that defined 2017.

Tom Nolan on Poke Rafferty’s latest case in Bangkok.

The author of “The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam” on real-life spies.

We are less careful about what we eat when we trick ourselves into believing that, in the future, we’ll revert to eating healthy food. We won’t. Matthew Rees reviews ‘Why You Eat What You Eat’ by Rachel Herz and ‘The Bad Food Bible’ by Aaron Carroll.

The rapid shifts in moral standards over the past century—from birth control to gay marriage—show that culture precedes politics. Barton Swaim reviews ‘Moral Combat’ by R. Marie Griffith.

The world’s dominant nation, as it weakens, often goes to war with its growing rival. In the 19th century, power transferred peaceably. Why? Brendan Simms reviews ‘Safe Passage’ by Kori Schake.

When word got out that the trendy Bratz dolls were the brainchild of a former Mattel designer, the toy company’s executives went nuclear. Jacob Gershman reviews ‘You Don’t Own Me’ by Orly Lobel.

Now-obscure Jewish texts written centuries before Christ introduced some of the defining beliefs of Christianity. James Romm reviews ‘Crucible of Faith’ by Philip Jenkins.

Enraged at “wholesale murder,” Modoc warriors killed an Army officer during a peace treaty. Peter Cozzens reviews ‘The Modoc War’ by Robert Aquinas McNally and ‘Spirit in the Rock’ by Jim Compton.

Is the figure on the podiuma musician? What, exactly, constitutes the art of conducting? Leon Botstein reviews “Maestros and Their Music” by John Mauceri.

Before he tackled the Depression or World War II, Roosevelt conquered rivals in his own party. Robert W. Merry reviews ‘Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life’ by Robert Dallek.

The Ghost of Christmas Present’s rich robes hide two menacing children, Ignorance and Want. Alexandra Mullen reviews ‘Christmas: A Biography’ by Judith Flanders.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge on judicial memoirs.