Literature
It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny
Unlike New Yorker cartoons, in which, you are actually missing the joke, Garfield is in fact not even designed to be funny
March 20, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Top Ten Most Influential Travel Books
Even before there were armchairs, voracious bookworms traveled the world just by reading
March 20, 2013 |
By Tony Perrottet
Centuries Ago, a Cat Walked Across This Medieval Manuscript
While pawing through a stack of medieval manuscripts from Dubrovnik, Croatia, a student stumbled upon a familiar set of splotches marring the book's pages
March 12, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
This Is The Only Known Footage of George Orwell
Scholars had thought that, although he lived in the 1950s, author George Orwell's mug was never captured on film
March 04, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Stupid Reason the NHL Drafts Older Players First
Take note, coaches: stop listening to Malcolm Gladwell, and start listening to science
March 01, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick
The whaler Essex was indeed sunk by a whale—and that's only the beginning
March 01, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
Billy Collins’ “The Deep”
A new poem from the former poet laureate of the United States
March 2013 |
By Billy Collins
How Gorillas Emerged From Africa and More New and Notable Books
Read the latest on subliminal message, body snatching, and Sheryl Sandberg’s insights on the rise of women
March 2013 |
By Chloë Schama
Geneticists Try to Figure Out When the Illiad Was Published
When was The Iliad actually written? To answer that question, you might turn to a historian or a literary scholar. But geneticists wanted a crack at it, too
February 27, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Snakes in a Frame: Mark Laita’s Stunning Photographs of Slithering Beasts
In his new book, Serpentine, Mark Laita captures the colors, textures and sinuous forms of a variety of snake species
February 26, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Meals in a Jar: From Pancakes to Baby Back Ribs, Just Add Water
Ready-made meals, good for months on a pantry shelf, work for busy nights, camping trips and power outages
February 22, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
With Biodesign, Life is Not Only the Subject of Art, But the Medium Too
Artists are borrowing from biology to create dazzling "biodesigns" that challenge our aesthetics—and our place in nature
February 21, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
The World’s Greatest Angling Authors Went by Names Like ‘Badger Hackle’ and ‘Old Log’
If you're an angler and an author, there's a good chance you're using a pen name
February 21, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Interview: Jane Goodall on the Future of Plants and Chimps
The renowned chimp expert discusses her new book, her efforts to protect the rainforest and why she misses living with chimps
February 21, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
New York Is Running Out of Ways to Separate Gifted Pre-Schoolers From Well-Prepared Ones
Actually figuring out which four-years-old are naturally smart and which have simply prepared, is harder than you might think
February 18, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
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
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
