Literature
Fifty Years After Sylvia Plath’s Death, Critics Are Just Starting to Understand Her Life
Cultural fascination with the author and poet continues to burn brightly despite - or perhaps because of - Plath's premature departure from this world
February 11, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Artist Uses Meat As His Medium
Dominic Episcopo's red and raw images capture the spirit of Americana.
February 11, 2013 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
Should the Constitution Be Scrapped?
In a new book, Louis Michael Seidman claims that arguing about the constitutionality of laws and reforms is the cause of our harsh political discourse
February 05, 2013 |
By Amy Crawford
New Books, Reviewed: Animal Emotions, Deconstructing Detroit and the Science of Winning
Taking a closer look at some of the newest releases in non-fiction
February 2013 |
By Chloë Schama
The Psychology Behind Superhero Origin Stories
How does following the adventures of Spider-Man and Batman inspire us to cope with adversity?
February 2013 |
By Robin Rosenberg
Most of What You Think You Know About Grammar is Wrong
And ending sentences with a preposition is nothing worth worrying about
February 2013 |
By Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellarman
Library Full of Precious Manuscripts Burned in Timbuktu
The main library in Timbuktu is full of cultural relics, manuscripts that have survived since the 1200's hidden in wooden trunks, buried in the sand, and finally housed in the small library. But recent reports from the country say that rebels might have burned that history to the ground
January 28, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Jane Austen’s English Countryside
Follow in the footsteps of Mr. Darcy and the Bennet sisters and take in the manors and gardens of rural England
January 25, 2013 |
By Nina Fedrizzi
There’s No Such Thing as Reading Silently to Yourself
Sitting in a corner reading silently - as you might be doing right now, for example - turns out to impossible
January 24, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Readers Who Bought Lance Armstrong’s Book Want Their Money Back
Lance Armstrong's doping confession has cost him his Tour de France medals, sponsors and his charity. But now, readers who bought his books, want their money back too
January 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
We’re Better at Remembering Facebook Statuses Than Book Lines
Turns out, the average person is far more likely to remember a Facebook status than they are a painstakingly edited sentence from a book
January 21, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Gory Details of Artist Katrina van Grouw’s Unfeathered Birds
A British artist, with experience in ornithology, explains how she created anatomical drawings of 200 different species of birds for a new book
January 18, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
War and Peace of Mind for Ulysses S. Grant
With the help of his friend Mark Twain, Grant finished his memoirs—and saved his wife from an impoverished widowhood—just days before he died
January 16, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
Covered in Ink, Cross-sections of Trees Make Gorgeous Prints
Connecticut-based artist Bryan Nash Gill uses ink to draw out the growth rings of a variety of tree species
January 15, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Texas’ New Library Won’t Have Any Books
In San Antonio, an entirely bookless library system
January 14, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Novice’s Guide to Venturing Into the World of Craft Beer
From food pairings to the best brews for beginners, Dan Koester presents a comprehensive guide to craft beer
January 09, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Candor and Lies of Nazi Officer Albert Speer
The minister of armaments was happy to tell his captors about the war machine he had built. But it was a different story when he was asked about the Holocaust
January 08, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
At Auction: A 1766 Copy of ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece,’ a Best-Selling Sex Guide Banned in England Until 1961
Banned in England until 1961, a copy of this 17th-century text is going up for auction
January 07, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Congratulations, You Accidentally Wrote a Book Last Year
People wrote more than 40,000 words on average last year... in email
January 04, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
