Books

Reynolds Price... writer, teacher, poet ... has turned his attention to the life of Jesus and the gospels. His latest book, "Three Gospels" (Scribner) is a translation of the gospels of Mark and John from the original Greek and includes a new gospel, "An Honest Account of a Memorable Life". In 1984 Price was diagnosed with spinal cancer, and became paralyzed from the waist down. His other books include, "The Promise of Rest", "A Whole New Life" and "The Collected Stories".

John Douglas, author and former FBI unit chief who originated the Unabomber profile talks about the 18-year manhunt for the Unabomber suspect. Douglas has published a new book, "Unabomber: on the trail of America's most wanted serial killer" (Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster). His previous book is, "Mindhunter", a report on the criminal profiling program of the FBI's behavioral science unit.

Spy-watcher and gadget collector, Keith Melton who's book, "The Ultimate Spy Book" (DK Publishing) has been published recently.

Linguist and author Naomi S. Baron. Her book, "Growing up with Language" (Addison-Wesley publishers, 1992) examines the process by which children learn to use language. Baron is Professor of Linguistics and associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the American University in Washington DC. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev)

Author and Professor of Law, James Boyle. What are intellectual property rights and who owns your genetic information? In his book "Shamans, Software and Spleen" (Harvard University Press), James Boyle explores the dilemmas posed by the information age - the ethical, legal and economic implications of who owns and controls access to information. (Interview by Barbara Bogaev).

Restaurant-owner and chef, Mai Pham. Born in Vietnam and raised in Thailand, Pham came to the United States in 1975 and became the first Vietnamese journalist in this country. Her first cookbook, "The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking" (Prima) is a collection of recipes coupled with memories and reflections of life and food in South East Asian culture. Subtitled, "Favorite Recipes from the Lemon Grass Restaurant and Cafes", the book includes 150 of Pham's recipes that have drawn accolades for her three Sacramento restaurants

Journalist Richard Kluger. He's written a new history of the tobacco industry in America: "Ashes to Ashes: America's Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris." (Knopf). Kluger was literary editor of the New York Herald Tribune. He also wrote for The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

Ira Kay is the Practice Director of Watson Wyatt's Executive Compensation Practice. He's also the author of "Value at the Top: Solutions to the Executive Compensation Crisis" (Harper Collins).

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Last Orders" (Knopf) the new novel by Graham Swift.

Former Jesuit seminarian and literary critic Jack Miles. He's just won the Pulitzer prize for his book, "God: A Biography." (Vintage). In the book he examines God as a character -- the protagonist -- of the Old Testament. Miles is also a columnist and member of the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times.