Meet Julia Warhola, Andy Warhol’s mother. And this is Thomas A. Watson, the assistant to Alexander Graham Bell. And let’s not forget Vera Nabokov and Anna Dostoyevskaya, the wives of literary masters Vladimir Nabokov and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, respectively. The Who, The What, and The When (Chronicle, $24.95) is both familiar and revelatory; for every well-known figure of science, art, and politics it names, editors Jenny Volvovski, Julia Rothman, and Matt Lamothe, partners in ALSO, an award-winning Chicago– and New York–based design firm, introduce that personage’s loved ones or assistants, and these engaging profiles allow us to see the famous personalities in a fresh and different light. Each capsule biography is complemented with a unique visual portrait—the artwork ranging in style, medium, and sensibility to reflect the diverse temperaments of the subjects—thus sustaining a sense of the wonder of discovery which makes this volume something refreshingly different.