When it comes to picturing Elena Ferrante, readers have even less material than they do on Thomas Pynchon. They'll have to continue to settle for stock photography such as this, a shot of her native Naples, Italy. Angelafoto/iStockphoto hide caption
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Jack Kerouac's On the Road, a draft of which is seen here, may never have taken the rambling form it did, had he not seen a letter similarly styled by his friend Neal Cassady. Bertrand Langlois /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
The poetry shortlist for the National Book Awards will be announced Oct. 15. NationalBook.org hide caption
Microsoft already owns nearly a 17 percent stake in Nook Media. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
Jonah Lehrer attends a panel discussion in conjunction with the World Science Festival in 2008. Thos Robinson/Getty Images hide caption
Texas, 2006 Lee Friedlander hide caption