The Economist reads

Language
Our language columnist, Johnson, picks five of his favourite recent reads
This is a golden age for good books about every facet of language

Silicon Valley
The five best books for understanding Silicon Valley’s history
Pentagon officials, hippies and whizzkids all feature

The Economist reads
Our former Moscow correspondent picks seven books on Russia
A readers’ guide to the mystery that is Vladimir Putin

France
Our Paris bureau chief picks seven books to make sense of modern France
A readers’ guide to understanding the paradoxical country at the heart of Europe

Biographies
Our obituaries editor picks the five best biographies ever written
Reflections on one’s own life and the lives of others, from Suetonius to Dylan Thomas