Reuters - A new double biography of two 19th century American icons has a special resonance this political season with the election of Barack Obama.

Reuters - An unusually large fragment from possibly the oldest copy of part of the Gospel of John failed to sell at a Sotheby's auction on Wednesday.

Reuters - J.K. Rowling's first editor, who championed Harry Potter after several publishers had turned the boy wizard down, described the author as "fierce" but fair to work with.

Reuters - Auction house Christie's sold $146 million worth of Asian artwork in its Hong Kong autumn sales concluded Wednesday, around 35 percent below its pre-sale estimate as the financial crisis shrunk demand for Asian art.

Reuters - It cost nearly $20 million more than planned, and opens amid fear of recession, but Australians are hailing a new portrait gallery as a celebration of national identity.

Playbill - The 2009 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, a weekend of readings and discussions focused on playwright and fiction writer Williams, will welcome Broadway stars Zoe Caldwell, Marian Seldes and Frances Sternhagen March 25-29.

Playbill - Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago announced Dec. 2 that its newest ensemble member is William Petersen, the Chicago-area actor who is internationally known for the TV crime drama "CSI."

Playbill - While renovations continue at historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, the not-for-profit institution presents its annual production of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas at DC's Lansburgh Theatre, Dec. 2-28.

Playbill - Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD, launches the world premiere of Alice, a new theatrically buoyant adaptation of Lewis Carroll's beloved novel "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," opening Dec. 2 after previews from Nov. 26, for a holiday run through Dec. 28.

Playbill - Director Rebecca Bayla Taichman's new production of Twelfth Night, featuring Veanne Cox as Olivia, Samantha Soule as Viola and Christopher Innvar as Orsino, begins Dec. 2 at Washington, DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company.