
C-SPAN Bookshelf
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!
Latest episodes

Jun 3, 2025 • 1h 14min
BN+: Kenneth Rogoff, "Our Dollar, Your Problem"
Kenneth Rogoff is professor of economics at Harvard University and former International Monetary
Fund (IMF) chief economist. In his most recent book, "Our Dollar, Your
Problem," he argues that America's currency might have reached today's
lofty pinnacle without a certain amount of good luck. However, as Professor
Rogoff nears the end of his 345-page book, he writes, quote: "If rapidly
rising debt is left unchecked, and there seems to be little political appetite
to rein in massive deficits, the United States and the entire world is in for a
substantial period of global financial volatility marked by higher average real interest rates and inflation."
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Jun 2, 2025 • 1h 10min
Q&A: Jason Riley, "The Affirmative Action Myth"
Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Riley, author of "The Affirmative Action Myth," argues that the racial preference policies of the 1960s and 70s have had an overall negative impact on the success of Black Americans. He says that Black incomes, homeownership, and educational attainment were all on an upward trajectory prior to these policies being implemented.
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May 27, 2025 • 1h 21min
BN+: Rick Atkinson, "The Fate of the Day"
Rick Atkinson has just published the second volume of his American Revolution trilogy. The book is called "The Fate of the Day" and covers years 1777 to 1780. His initial 800-page volume, titled "The British Are Coming," was published in 2019 and focused on years 1775 to 1777. Mr. Atkinson won the George Washington prize for this beginning look at the revolution. His second book in the trilogy covers the middle years. Stationed in Paris, Benjamin Franklin was wooing the French. In Pennsylvania, George Washington was pleading with Congress to deliver the money, men, and material he needed to continue the fight. This volume is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 26, 2025 • 59min
Q&A: Rick Steves, "On the Hippie Trail"
Travel writer Rick Steves talks about his 1978 journey along the "Hippie Trail" and the 60,000-word journal he kept of the trip which he recently published as a book. During the 3,000-mile trek, the then 23-year-old Steves and a friend visited Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. He talks about the people he met along the way, the challenges of travelling in foreign countries in the 1970s, and the lifelong impact the trip had on him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 2025 • 1h 8min
BN+: Rick Atkinson, "An Army at Dawn"
On November 17th, 2002, 23 years ago, Rick Atkinson appeared on the Booknotes television program to discuss his book, "Army at Dawn." This was the first of three books Atkinson called the "Liberation Trilogy," a full history of the European theater of World War II, which is a total of 2,512 pages, including notes and indexes. Beginning in 2019, Rick Atkinson switched trilogies. This time, it's the history of the American Revolution. In this episode of Booknotes+, we are repeating the 2002 interview, which has substantial background on Rick Atkinson's life and writing experience. During next week's episode, we will talk with him about his second book on the Revolution, "The Fate of the Day." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 19, 2025 • 1h 11min
Q&A: Christopher Cox, "Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn"
Former U.S. Congressman Christopher Cox (R-CA), author of "Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn," takes a critical look at the 28th President of the United States and his attitudes towards racial equality and women's suffrage. Mr. Cox also talks about Wilson's intellectual development and his tenure as president of Princeton University.
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May 18, 2025 • 1h 7min
AW: Leah Litman, "Lawless - How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes"
University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman explains why she believes the Supreme Court isn't making rulings based on legal principles. She was interviewed by author and Nation Magazine justice correspondent Elie Mystal.
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May 13, 2025 • 1h 9min
BN+: Thomas Maier, "The Invisible Spy"
"Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and 'Brain Trust' aide to President Franklin Roosevelt." While on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell, Cuneo "mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight." All of this is the way Hanover Square Press introduces readers to Thomas Maier's book, "The Invisible Spy." Maier, a graduate of Fordham and Columbia, is an author and a television producer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 12, 2025 • 1h 1min
Q&A: John Kasich, "Heaven Help Us"
Former Ohio governor John Kasich (R) talks about the good work done by religious institutions and people of faith in the United States. In his book "Heaven Help Us," Mr. Kasich profiles over a dozen religious Americans involved in combating homelessness, hunger, human trafficking, and other issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 11, 2025 • 1h 8min
AW: Sophie Gilbert, "Girl on Girl - How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves"
Atlantic Magazine staff writer Sophie Gilbert looks at the pop culture of the '90s & early 2000s and its impact on women and the feminist movement. She's interviewed by Jennifer Pozner, author and founder of Women in Media & News.
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