Prof. Laura McGrath joins Jeff to talk about her new book, Middlemen: Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction. Literary agents try to stay out of the spotlight, but they shape what you read. We talk about why agents came into being, how they have developed over time, and how American fiction wouldn't be the same without them.

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Next Episode

The It Books of May 2026

May 6

•

50m

Jeff and Rebecca try to pick the It Book of May 2026.

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