About this podcast
The C-SPAN Bookshelf podcast feed makes it easy for you to listen to all of the C-SPAN podcast episodes about nonfiction books. Each week we gather episodes from the different C-SPAN podcasts that feature authors talking about history, biography, current events, and culture to make it easier to discover the episodes and listen. If you like nonfiction books, follow this podcast feed so you never miss an episode!
Episodes
The newest 50 of 594 episodes
- BN+: Journalist Eric Sevareid on His Life & Career · 1 h 2 minThis week's program is an encore presentation featuring a C-SPAN interview with Eric Sevareid that was recorded in his Georgetown home 37 years ago in 1989. Sevareid was a war…
- Q&A: David Hume Kennerly, "In the Room" · 1 h 1 minOver his six-decade career, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly has covered U.S. presidents and first ladies, world leaders, the Vietnam War, the 1971…
- ABC: Jared Diamond on Evolution, Human Sexuality & Why Is Sex Fun? · 1 h 1 minPulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author Jared Diamond joins David M. Rubenstein for a fascinating conversation about the origins of life on Earth, the science of the animal…
- How Companies Use Your Data to Charge You More · 52 minEver wonder why things cost what they do? Economic expert and author Lindsay Owens argued that technology is used against consumers to determine pricing on everything from rainy…
- Booknotes+: Walter Stahr, "William Howard Taft" · 1 h 2 minHistorian Walter Stahr has written books on John Jay, William Henry Seward, Edwin Stanton, and Salmon Chase. Now comes his biography of America's 27th president, William Howard…
- Q&A: Kelly Stewart-Harcourt & Aaron Burns, "Jimmy" · 1 h 2 minThe actor Jimmy Stewart left great success in Hollywood in 1941 to become an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. A licensed pilot, he flew B-24 bomber…
- Annette Gordon-Reed & Douglas Brinkley on the People and Events That Shaped America · 46 minWho are the most influential figures in American history, and which events have shaped the nation we know today? Award-winning, bestselling historians Annette Gordon-Reed and…
- AW: "The Art of the Obituary" with NYT Obituarist, Sam Roberts · 1 h 5 min"Can we say, 'In a crocodile accident?'" This and many other stories documenting not just how people died, but how they lived - in a book from New York Times obit writer Sam…
- BN+: Shawn Gude, "American Socialist" · 1 h 7 minEugene V. Debs ran for President of the United States as a socialist five times. The first in 1900, the last in 1920, when he received close to a million votes. Shawn Gude, a…
- Q&A: Dana Bash, "The Elections That Changed the World" · 1 h 2 minCNN Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, co-author of "The Elections That Changed the World," looks at elections going back to ancient Rome that have had an outsized impact…
- America's Book Club: Newt Gingrich on His Political Career, Congress, and Writing More Than 40 Book · 59 minAuthor and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (1995-99) joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his extensive career in Congress and writing more than 40 books on…
- AW: Jill Lepore on "The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State" · 1 h 1 minHarvard historian Jill Lepore explores how digital technology is re-shaping society. She was interviewed by WPVI-TV anchor Tamala Edwards at the Free Library of Philadelphia in…
- Booknotes+: Simon Sebag Montefiore, "The Cauldron" · 1 h 11 minSimon Sebag Montefiore has written nine nonfiction books and three novels. His latest is called "The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East." The time period covered is…
- Q&A Podcast: Kerry Kennedy, "Ethel" · 1 h 3 minLawyer and activist Kerry Kennedy, author of "Ethel," discusses her mother Ethel Kennedy's early life, marriage to Robert Kennedy, and involvement in human rights causes both at…
- America’s Book Club: Elliot Ackerman & Admiral James Stavridis on War, Global Conflict, and Their Bestselling Thrillers · 1 h 1 minBestselling authors Elliot Ackerman, a Marine Corps veteran, and retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis join David M. Rubenstein to discuss their military thrillers, including…
- AW: "Frenchman Flat: The Rise and Fall of Atomic Bombs" · 1 h 4 minJon Else explored the lives of the scientists who worked on the atomic bombs, including the health impacts they experienced. He was interviewed by UC Berkeley Journalism…
- BN+: John Ryan, "America's Trial" · 1 h 41 minOnly nine men have been convicted, through military commissions at Guantanamo Bay, out of roughly 780 total detainees held there for some time since 2002. However, only 15…
- Q&A: Brad Ryan, "Grandma Joy and Me" · 1 h 3 minBrad Ryan and his 96-year-old grandmother Joy recount their visits to all 63 U.S. National Parks. Completed over a 7-year period, the duo visited parks from Alaska to Florida…
- Min Jin Lee on “Pachinko,” Her Literary Career & Meeting King Charles · 1 h 2 minBestselling author Min Jin Lee joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss her literary career, early life in the United States, her award-winning novel "Pachinko," and meeting King…
- AW: Dad Brain - The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives · 58 minNeuroscientist Darby Saxbe describes how men's brains change with fatherhood. She was interviewed by journalist, Matthew Yglesias at the Politics and Prose bookstore in…
- BN+: Sam Roberts, "Are They Dead Yet?" · 1 h 10 minThe name of the book is "Are They Dead Yet?: The Art of the Obit." The author, Sam Roberts, is a 50-year veteran of New York journalism. He says in his book: "I've buried 1,600…
- Q&A: Mitch Daniels, "Impatience Is a Virtue" · 1 h 2 minPurdue University President Mitch Daniels discusses his life in public service, including his time in Washington, DC, during the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations and his…
- ABC: Nathaniel Philbrick on the Mayflower, George Washington & the California Gold Rush · 1 h 1 minNational Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist historian Nathaniel Philbrick joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his bestselling books about the Mayflower, George…
- AW: "Technology, Politics, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco" · 1 h 10 minThe 21st century saga of San Francisco's rise and fall -- paralleled by the arrival of tech entrepreneurs who remade the city's culture, politics, and economy - as told by…
- BN+: Craig Whitlock, Washington Post Investigative Reporter · 1 h 4 minOn Saturday, August 8, on the front page of the Washington Post was this headline: "Some Vets Went Along with Scams of the G.I. Bill." Leading the team of Post reporters was…
- Q&A: Zayd Ayers Dohrn, "Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young" · 1 h 1 minZayd Ayers Dohrn, author of "Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young," spent the first three years of his life on the run from the law with his fugitive parents, Weather Underground…
- ABC: Scott Turow on Legal Thrillers, Writing & Artificial Intelligence · 1 h 0 minBestselling author and attorney Scott Turow joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his career as a master of the legal thriller, his writing process, and the experiences that have…
- BN+: Andrew Burstein, "Being Thomas Jefferson" · 1 h 8 minAndrew Burstein recently retired as a professor of history at Louisiana State University. "Being Thomas Jefferson: An Intimate History" is his 16th book about the early years of…
- Q&A: Andrea Mitchell, NBC Chief Washington Correspondent · 1 h 2 minNBC News Chief Washington and Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell talks about some of the big stories and important people – including U.S. presidents and world leaders…
- ABC: David Maraniss on Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Vince Lombardi & Jim Thorpe · 1 h 0 minPulitzer Prize winner and longtime Washington Post reporter David Maraniss joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his biographies of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Vince Lombardi, and…
- AW: The American Way of Welfare · 1 h 9 minChris Pope argued for policies that he believes would improve the current welfare system in the United States. The Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., hosted…
- BN+: Jonathan Jordan, "Ike and Winston · 1 h 12 minJonathan Jordan devotes 544 pages and 57 chapters of his book "Ike and Winston" to telling the story of the friendship between Dwight David Eisenhower and Sir Winston Leonard…
- Q&A: Kenneth Feinberg, "What Is Life Worth?" · 1 h 5 minEleven days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress passed a law establishing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund to compensate families who lost loved ones on…
- ABC: Susan Page on Queen Elizabeth’s Relationships With 13 U.S. Presidents · 1 h 0 minBest-selling author and USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss her book about Queen Elizabeth's relationships with 13 U.S. presidents…
- AW: Stories of Patriotism and Purpose with Martha Raddatz · 1 h 10 minLongtime ABC News war correspondent Martha Raddatz profiled American military service members and their families who have served in the 25 years since the terrorist attacks of…
- BN+: Scott Greenberger, "The Forsaken Founder" · 1 h 4 minIn the beginning of Scott Greenberger's new book, "The Forsaken Founder," Dawn Davis, publisher of the Simon & Schuster imprint 37 Ink, introduces us to this new history of a…
- Q&A: 9/11 Oral Histories · 1 h 5 minTo mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, we present first-hand accounts of that day from first responders, journalists, political figures, and others…
- ABC: Kai Bird on Roy Cohn, American Scoundrel & American Prometheus · 1 h 0 minPulitzer Prize winner Kai Bird joins David M. Rubenstein to discuss his biography of Roy Cohn, American Scoundrel, and his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus…
- AW: Amazon Labor Union Co-Founder, Chris Smalls · 1 h 6 minChris Smalls told his story of becoming the co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union. He was interviewed by Journalist & Author Karen Attiah at the Politics and Prose bookstore in…
- BN+: Joby Warrick, "The Jackal" · 1 h 4 minIlich Ramírez Sánchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, has been in prison for 32 years in France. He was captured in Sudan on August 14, 1994. In his book titled "The Jackal,"…
- New York Times Photographer Doug Mills on Covering the White House · 1 h 3 minNew York Times staff photographer Doug Mills has won 3 Pulitzer Prizes for his work covering the White House & Washington, Super Bowls, Olympics, and many other major events. He…
- AW: Joanna Stern's Year Using AI to Do (Almost) Everything · 1 h 5 minTechnology reporter Joanna Stern describes the year she spent using artificial intelligence and robots in all aspects of her life. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View…
- BN+: Paul Taylor, "This Is Getting Old" · 1 h 6 minPaul Taylor tells his readers: "For the first 25 years, I was a newspaper reporter. For the next 25, a political reformer, a demographer, a pollster, an author, and a public…
- Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch Discusses Heroes of 1776 · 51 minFrom the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Neil Gorsuch discusses his children's book, "Heroes of 1776," about the signers of the Declaration of Independence and other…
- After Words: A Woman's-Eye View of the Revolutionary Era · 50 minHistorian Molly Beer took a woman's-eye view of the revolutionary era through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's sister-in-law. Thomas Jefferson's…
- BN+: JD Vance, "Hillbilly Elegy" · 1 h 3 minIn the political history of the United States, books have had a big impact on who the public follows in elections. In 1956, John F. Kennedy published "Profiles in Courage," which…
- Q&A: Historian & Biographer Robert Caro · 1 h 3 minThis week on Q&A, it's a rare interview with one of America's leading historians. We tour the New York City office and home library of Pulitzer Prize-winning bestselling…
- BN+: John Jenkins, "Summer of '71" – Part 2 · 1 h 9 minThis is the second of a two-part interview with journalist John A. Jenkins. His book is "Summer of '71: Five Months That Changed America." Jenkins writes in the introduction…
- Jennifer Levasseur, Space History Curator · 59 minThe Smithsonian Institution National Air & Space Museum's Jennifer Levasseur discusses the history of the 135-mission Space Shuttle program (1981-2011), its accomplishments, and…
- BN+: John Jenkins, "Summer of '71" – Part 1 · 57 minJohn A. Jenkins has been a journalist most of his life in the city of his birth, Washington, DC. He says he's never known another summer like the one 55 years ago. His book…
