Two new books delve into our primal desire to feel valued and worthy of attention. By Jennifer Szalai In “The Oak and the Larch,” Sophie Pinkham examines a vast history and culture through the ...

Lately, I, a maximalist, have been yearning to be a minimalist. I am not alone. “People are stuck in their houses and sick of their stuff,” Randy Sabin, who runs estate and Internet sales, told me ...