Literature
When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover
A surprising examination of the original book jacket art to The Great Gatsby
May 14, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Curses! The Four-Letter Word Renaissance Speakers Wouldn’t Flinch At
Back in the ninth century, the S-word referred to excrement in a matter-of-fact, not a vulgar, way
May 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Will the Real Great Gatsby Please Stand Up?
F. Scott Fitzgerald couldn’t resist putting his own life into his novels, but where’s the line between truth and fiction?
May 07, 2013 |
By Sarah Laskow
Our Battle Against Extinction, 100 Recipes and More Recent Books Reviewed
Growing up as a poor Astor and the roots of psychiatry
May 2013 |
By Chloë Schama
The Revolutionary Effect of the Paperback Book
This simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation
May 2013 |
By Clive Thompson
The True Story of the Battle of Bunker Hill
Nathaniel Philbrick takes on one of the Revolutionary War’s most famous and least understood battles
May 2013 |
By Tony Horwitz
Why Every State Should Be More Like Texas
Reporter Erica Grieder sees wisdom in the Lone Star State’s economic model. No verdict on if it has the best barbecue, however
April 30, 2013 |
By Amy Crawford
The Strange Beauty of David Maisel’s Aerial Photographs
A new book shows how the photographer creates startling images of open-pit mines, evaporation ponds and other sites of environmental degradation
April 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
What Modern Art Looks Like As Yummy Dessert
Pastry chef Caitlin Freeman uses inspiration from modern art to whip up cakes, cookies and other desserts
April 19, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
What Was the First Book Ever Ordered on Amazon.com?
Amazon wasn't always a multi-billion dollar company. Their first non-internal order came in 1995, and it was a science book
April 17, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
‘I Remember’: An Artist’s Chronicle of What We Wore
In the 1970s, Joe Brainard wrote a book-length poem that paid heed to fashion
April 16, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Michael Benson’s Awe-Inspiring Views of the Solar System
A photographer painstakingly pieces together raw data collected by spacecraft to produce color-perfect images of the Sun, planets and their many moons
April 02, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Stop Trying to Live Like a Caveman
Modern humans are doing it all wrong - they eat wrong, they run wrong, they work wrong, they get married wrong. But is the life of cave people really what we should be striving for?
April 01, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Maybe Cleopatra Didn’t Commit Suicide
Her murder, one author thinks, was covered up behind a veil of propaganda and lies put forth by the Roman Empire
March 29, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Nobody Chews Like You Chew
There are a few things that are distinct to every person—her fingerprints, voice, particular way of walking, and, it turns out, the way she chews
March 27, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Scientists Published Henrietta Lacks’ Genome Without the Consent of Her Family
Author Rebecca Skloot argues that society is not ready for full genetic disclosures of individuals
March 26, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Caleb Cain Marcus’ Photos of Glaciers on a Disappearing Horizon
With a surprisingly light touch, the New York City-based photographer instills feelings of solitude in his images of massive glaciers
March 21, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
