Reviews several books for adults. `Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture,' by Ross King; `The Complete Jacob Lawrence,' by Peter T. Nesbitt and Michelle DuBois; `Letters From the Editor: The New Yorker's Harold Ross,' by Harold Ross and edited by Thomas Kunkel; `In Search of Moby Dick: The Quest for the Great White Whale,' by Tim Severin.