Literature
America’s Other (Lady) Audubon
Genevieve Jones got an early start as a birder. Born in the 1850s, the 6-year old would accompany her father on egg collecting trips to fill the family’s curiosities shelf. She wanted to create a book illustrating different nests and eggs of bird species, but her family discouraged her since producing such a book would [...]
June 27, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Movie Mash-ups That Beat Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
Mixing movie genres, from Abbott and Costello to SCTV
June 20, 2012 |
By Daniel Eagan
Document Deep Dive: The Musical History of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Was the national anthem really set to the melody of a drinking tune? Take a closer look at the original manuscript of Francis Scott Key's song
June 13, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
A Serious Look at Funny Faces
A history of caricatures exposes the inside jokes
June 08, 2012 |
By Henry Adams
A Taste of Edible Feces
Ambergris, the subject of a new book, "is aromatic—both woody and floral. The smell reminds me of leaf litter on a forest floor."
June 04, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The Peas that Smelled the Leaky Pipe
In 1901, a 17-year-old Russian discovered the gas that tells fruits to ripen
June 01, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Passion in the Poconos
Home of the heart-shaped tub, the Pennsylvania mountains once rivaled Niagara Falls as a honeymoon destination
June 01, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Loving Elephants, the Meaning of Life, a London History and More Recent Books
A pioneering elephant rescuer looks back on the loves of her life and a collection of essays investigates the history of happiness
June 2012 |
By Chloë Schama
Books on How To Get Pickled
Curious about the middle ground between fresh and rotten? These four books tell you how to preserve the fleeting tastes of spring
May 18, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Mark Kurlansky on the Cultural Importance of Salt
Salt, it may be useful to know, cures a zombie
May 17, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
The Great Books and Movies to Read and Watch Before Visiting India
A list of some of the best books and films about the subcontinent to take in before you go.
May 16, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
Clarence Birdseye, the Man Behind Modern Frozen Food
I spoke with author Mark Kurlansky about the quirky inventor who changed the way we eat
May 16, 2012 |
By Jesse Rhodes
Danger and Romance from HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn”
A new made-for-television movie airing May 28 recounts the stormy love affair between the writer and the war correspondent
May 09, 2012 |
By Susan Spano
The Banana King, Surviving K2, the Allure of America and More Recent Books
The man who helped make the banana an American favorite also mercilessly used his company’s power to topple foreign governments
May 2012 |
By Chloë Schama
From the Joshua Tree to The Slaughtered Lamb: Destinations of Story and Song
Should you go to Cephalonia, bring a copy of the Odyssey—perhaps the truest guidebook to this Greek island
April 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Secret Lives of Medieval Books
A new method reveals which pages of ancient religious texts were most frequently used—and which prayers perpetually put readers to sleep
April 26, 2012 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Dinosaurs vs. Aliens
You know it had to happen eventually: Dinosaurs chomp aliens in forthcoming graphic novel
April 20, 2012 |
By Brian Switek
Colonel Curmudgeon and KFC’s Mascot Problem
Colonel Sanders thought the quality of his chicken had "slipped mightily" and the whole culture of fast food appeared to disgust him
April 18, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Fiddlehead Ferns: How Dangerous is the First Taste of Spring?
The French botanist named 6,700 species in a manic quest for fame. But did his taste for wild foods do him in?
April 09, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Exotic Fruits to Eat Locally When Traveling Globally
The crimson fruits occur by the millions, and fishermen, tequila-sipping cowboys, families from the city and even a few tourists take to the desert to pursue the pitahaya
April 06, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
