Sunday's Notes

Eric Ormsby,"Empires in Collision," NYT, 12 June, reviews Andrew Wheatcroft's The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans and the Battle for Europe.

Kathryn Harrison,"Oh, Lord," NYT, 12 June, reviews Edna O'Brien's Byron in Love: A Short Daring Life.

Muriel Dobbin,"Albert 'fell into step behind' Victoria," Washington Times, 10 June, reviews Gillian Gill's Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals.

Beverly Gage,"American Macho," NYT, 12 June, Patricia O'Toole,"Barbarian Virtues," American Scholar, Summer, and Tim Rutten for the LA Times, 12 June, review Jackson Lears's Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920.

Matthew Dallek,"Not Ready for Mt. Rushmore," American Scholar, Summer, assesses Ronald Reagan, the myth and the reality. See also: John Harwood,"Republicans Rethinking the Reagan Mystique," NYT, 13 June.

Leah Hager Cohen,"Feminine Mystique," NYT, 12 June, reviews Kate Walbert's A Short History of Women, a work of fiction.