The Back of the Book

Mar 13 2025 13 ep. 55 mins 9
The Back of the Book Podcast artwork

In The Back of the Book, host Christopher J. Scalia interviews writers, scholars, and other expert guests about culture and the arts.

Listen to The Back of the Book, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.

  Arts  Education
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Presidents and the Power of Popular Culture

Mar 13 2025 47 mins  
Tevi Troy, a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, talks to Chris about his books The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024) and What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House (Regnery History, 2013). Tevi explains how different titans of the entertain

Who Killed Beauty? The Demise of Art Deco and the Rise of Ugly Buildings

Feb 23 2025 73 mins  
Megan Gafford joins Chris to discuss some of her recent writing about the fate of architecture in the 20th century. Art Deco was a beautiful, ornamental style that thrived in the United States in the 1920s and ‘30s. What happened to it—why did modernism displace it and what did we lose in the process? Plus, why do manifestos and fanaticism spoil art? Megan and Chris also discus

A Legion of Horribles; or Cormac McCarthy, The Cannibal Owl, and the Art of Fiction

Feb 06 2025 58 mins  
Novelist Aaron Gwyn joins the show to discuss the fiction of Cormac McCarthy. Why is McCarthy’s Blood Meridian a great American novel? What does Gwyn make of recent revelations about McCarthy’s personal life? Plus, Gwyn reads from and discusses his compelling new novella, The Cannibal Owl. What is the history, and what are the Comanche traditions, behind the work? Gwyn, who tea

The Arts in America, with Daniel Asia 

Jan 24 2025 59 mins  
Daniel Asia, a composer, author, and president of The Center for American Culture & Ideas, joins Chris to discuss his musical career (including his new opera), advise newbies on where they can start enjoying classical music (his answer will surprise you), and consider the place of high art in the United States. Is there a tension between democracy and excellence? Is there anyth

Classical English, the Socratic Method, and Stoicism: A Conversation with Ward Farnsworth

Dec 20 2024 60 mins  
Author Ward Farnsworth joins Chris to discuss his Classical English series, as well as his books on Stoicism and the Socratic Method. What—and how—can we learn from the style, rhetoric, and argument of great writers from the long 19th century? How are the ancient Stoics comparable to modern cognitive psychologists? And how can the Socratic method be an antidote for stupidity? P

The Poetry and Fiction of Sally Thomas

Dec 02 2024 59 mins  
Chris’s guest is the poet and fiction writer Sally Thomas, who shares a few of her poems and discusses some of her stories. Sally and Chris also talk about her development as a writer, why she enjoys writing formal poetry, and what she does when her short-story characters won’t leave her alone. Sally is the author of The Blackbird and Other Stories (Wiseblood, 2024) and the for

Ross Douthat on Fantasy Literature and The Falcon’s Children

Nov 15 2024 49 mins  
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat joins Chris to discuss his serialized fantasy novel, The Falcon’s Children. What inspired one of America’s most important political observers to write a work of fantasy, and to serialize it on Substack? What are his hopes for the project? And why is fantasy such a compelling literary genre?Show NotesRoss’s novel, The Falcon’s Children R

Virtue Ethics and Athletic Excellence with Sabrina B. Little

Oct 31 2024 51 mins  
Chris talks to philosophy professor and competitive trail, road, and ultramarathon runner Sabrina B. Little about virtue ethics, athletics, and her book The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runners. How can distance running—and sports in general—form us into virtuous people? Conversely, what vices can they shape? What does it mean to live the good life? And what’s so

Keith O'Brien on The Life and Legacy of Pete Rose

Oct 09 2024 71 mins  
Chris speaks to Keith O’Brien about the life and legacy of Pete Rose. O’Brien is the author of Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball (Pantheon, 2024). Keith interviewed Rose for his remarkable book and has insights about the legend you won’t hear from anyone else. At the top of the episode, Chris shares his memories of Pete Rose,

Saturday Night Live at 50, with Scot Bertram and Christian Schneider

Oct 01 2024 80 mins  
The sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live is about to embark on its 50th season. How has the show lasted so long? How has it reflected and shaped our culture? Who are its best cast members, what are its funniest sketches, and who or what’s been over- or underrated? Find out during Chris’s conversation with Scot Bertram and Christian Schneider, the co-hosts of “Wasn’t That