An op-ed by columnist Anne Applebaum in the January 9 edition of The Washington Post: “A regime too evil to comprehend”

Two book reviews in the January 10-11 issue of The Wall Street Journal. The first by Stephen Budiansky: “The Unkindest Cut of All” ‘Genocidal killing sprees have taken more than 100 million lives since the late 19th century – four times the toll of combatants in ‘regular’ wars. The book is “The Killing Compartments” by Abram de Swaan, Yale, $35, 344 pages. The second is by Frederick Brown: “Make Way for the People” ‘Red flags flew in 1871 as the Commune was declared. Weeks later, a French army would kill 25,000 Parisians.’ The book is “Massacre” by John Merriman, Basic, $29.99, 327 pages.