

C-SPAN Bookshelf
C-SPAN
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
Mentioned books

Oct 30, 2023 • 1h 2min
Q&A: Tom Cronin, "Imagining a Great Republic"
Professor Tom Cronin talked about his book, Imagining a Great Republic, a survey of American novels that have helped tell the story of the American political experiment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 29, 2023 • 1h 2min
AW: Martin Baron, "Collision of Power"
Martin Baron talks about leading the Washington Post as executive editor under the ownership of Jeff Bezos & during Donald Trump’s presidency. He's interviewed by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 27, 2023 • 26min
AB: Book Bans & School Libraries
The podcast covers the controversial topic of book bans in school libraries. They discuss the use of AI to comply with age-appropriate book requirements and the banning and restoration of certain books in Mason City Schools. They debate the availability of controversial books in school libraries and highlight their importance in promoting empathy and understanding.

Oct 27, 2023 • 25min
BTSA: "My Antonia" by Willa Cather w/ Historian Richard Norton Smith
Historian Richard Norton Smith discusses Willa Cather's novel, My Ántonia, which explores immigrant pioneers in America. The book follows a girl's friendship with an orphaned boy, addressing women's issues and the meaning of success in America. The podcast also explores Cather's credibility, rise to success, literary conservatism, and impact on other writers and readers.

Oct 24, 2023 • 1h 6min
BN: Brooke Barbier, "King Hancock"
John Hancock is one of the most famous signatures in the history of the United States. Most people don’t know much more than that about him. Brooke Barbier, our guest this week, who is the founder of Ye Olde Tavern Tours of Boston, wants to change your perception of this American signer of the Declaration of Independence. Barbier's newest book is called "King Hancock." He got that moniker back in the middle of the 1700s. The author writes: "His stature eventually rose so high that he became known by both his friends and enemies by that name." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 23, 2023 • 1h 3min
Q&A: Elizabeth Papez on Chief Justices of the Supreme Court
Elizabeth Papez talked about the influence of Chief Justice John Roberts and other high-profile chief justices on the direction of the Supreme Court as well as American life. Ms. Papez is a litigator and partner in the firm of Gibson Dunn who previously clerked for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and served as deputy assistant attorney general during the George W. Bush administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 22, 2023 • 1h 3min
AW: Ryan Reilly, "Sedition Hunters - How January 6th Broke the Justice System"
NBC News' Ryan Reilly chronicled how citizens helped law enforcement find individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was interviewed by Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 20, 2023 • 35min
BTSA: The Life of Mark Twain w/ Professor Matt Seybold
Our guest this week is Elmira College Professor Matt Seybold, who shares insights and introspections into the life of Mark Twain. Named among the great American novels, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been known internationally since its first printing in 1884 and remains popular yet controversial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 18, 2023 • 29min
BTSA: "The Common Law" by Oliver Wendell Holmes w/ Historian Stephen Budiansky
Our guest this week is historian Stephen Budianksy, who shares his insights into the late Justice's life and work.After serving in the Civil War, during which he was wounded, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. became a scholar and jurist, eventually rising to the U.S. Supreme Court after being nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt.While practicing law in Boston, Holmes summarized a series of lectures he had delivered and had them published in 1881 as a book titled The Common Law. Holmes is known for the maxim, "The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience," and that the law develops according to the "felt necessities of the time." He served on the high court for nearly 30 years, retiring at age 90, and has been of the most frequently cited justices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 17, 2023 • 1h 8min
BN: Diana Henriques, "Taming the Street"
Diana Henriques is the author of 5 previous books including "The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust." Originally from Bryan, Texas, and Roanoke, Virginia, Ms. Henriques spent 22 years as a reporter with the New York Times. In her latest book "Taming the Street," she writes in the preface: "My mission is to describe just one of the New Deal's most significant achievements, clearing out the vicious jungle that was the nation's financial landscape in the 1920s and replacing it with a well-tended terrain where ordinary Americans could save and invest with confidence." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices