Publications
Books
​
​
Seventeen and Oh: Miami, 1972, and the NFL's Only Perfect Season (Abrams Press, July 2022).
​
A Backhanded Gift, a novel (New Chapter Press, 2013).
​
A Terrible Splendor: Three Extraordinary Men, a World Poised for War, and the Greatest Tennis Match Ever Played (Crown, 2009; Three Rivers Press paperback, 2010).
​
Mysteries of Lost Empires (MacMillan UK, 2000). Companion to the NOVA series. With David E. Fisher
​
Strangers in the Night: A Brief History of Life on Other Worlds (Counterpoint, 1998). With David E. Fisher
​
Tube: The Invention of Television (Counterpoint, 1996; Harcourt-Brace paperback, 1997). With David E. Fisher
​
The Ozone Layer (Chelsea House, 1992).
​
Articles/Essays/Stories
​
Medium.com
11/2/22 "The Shrinking Library"—short story
7/2/20 "Nabokov vs. Hemingway"—Volodya and Papa in a bout for the ages
4/9/20 "Packets of Air"—a surreal pneumonia ICU experience, pre-COVID
​
Sports Illustrated (website)
3/13/17 "Disallow the Bouncing Ball"—a modest proposal for professional tennis
​
Country
Sept 2016 "Lawn Boys"—an age-old chore, family style
​
The San Francisco Chronicle
12/23/17 Review of The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein
6/3/16 Review of Late to the Ball by Gerald Marzorati
12/14/08 Review of My Life at First Try by Mark Budman
​
The New York Times (website)
12/26/14 "A Hell of a Thing"—insomnia and parenting
​
Brandeis Magazine
Summer 2013 "Little Feet"—short story
​
Berkshire Magazine
Dec 2012 "Hangman"—laundry and life
​
Upstreet
2005 “Cannibals”—poem
​
The Atlantic Monthly
May 2002 “Tennis on the Green”—grass-court tennis
Dec 2001 “Pixels at an Exhibition”—digital photography
April 2001 “The Ergonomic Rocking Chair”
Oct 2000 “Better Living Through the Placebo Effect”
May 2000 “The Unlikely Father of Miami Crime Fiction”— Charles Willeford
April 1998 “An Eye for Anomaly”—Rosamond Purcell
Sept 1997 “moldovascam.com”—internet scam
Aug 1997 “Artful Restorations”—ébénesterie
July 1997 “Alleycat Couriers”—bicycle messenger races
July 1995 “The Feel of Wood” —wooden tennis rackets
Jan 1998 (website) “Punt, Pass, Dance, and Pray”—end-zone celebrations
Oct 1997; (website) “Brando’s Birds”—Atlantic Abroad, Paris
Aug 1997 (website) “Ecophobia”—environmental angst
​
Harper’s
Dec 2002 “Memoria ex Machina”—reprint from DoubleTake
​
DoubleTake
Summer 2002 “Memoria ex Machina”—a remembrance of gadgets past
Summer 2000 “Bodysurfing: My Father’s Board”
​
Discover
August 2004 "The Biology of Migraines"
July 2002 “The X-Prize”—civilian rocketry
April 2001 “The Nitrogen Bomb”—nitrogen pollution
​
Country Journal
May 2000 “At Home with Annie”—profile
​
Earthwatch
Sep/Oct 1998 “A Woman’s War on Worms”—Health project in Cameroon
May/Jun 1997 “The Coral Kingdom”—Belize archaeology
Dec 1990 “Cliff Notes”—Wyoming rock art
June 1990 “Bones of Contention”—Indian remains
​
Worldview
Winter 1999 “Madame Nurse”—Peace Corps nurse in Cameroon
​
American Way
May 1, 1998 “The Paperback Heist”—short story
​
The Sciences
Nov/Dec 1996 “Racket Science”—tennis technology
May/Jun 1996 “Water Whirled”—Earth’s slowing spin
Mar/Apr 1996 "Immaculate Reception"—digital TV
​
Los Angeles Times Book Review
3/1/97 “Review of “Defining Vision” by Joel Brinkley
​
American Heritage of Invention& Technology
Winter 1997 “The Color War”—development of color TV
​
Los Angeles Times Magazine
9/15/91 "Attack of the Killer Mosquitos"—insects and global warming
​
Boston Book Review
Fall 1994, Apr, Sep 1995 Reviews of books by Dorris, McPhee, and Iyer
​
​
​