Books

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The Secret to National Geographic’s Maps Is an 80-Year-Old Font

With a little ingenuity, a 1930s cartographer left his mark on the society

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The Macabre Beauty of Medical Photographs

An artist-scientist duo shares nearly 100 images of modern art with a ghastly twist—they're all close-ups of human diseases and other ailments

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The CIA May Have Taken Cues From 1960s-Era James Bond

CIA director Allen Dulles admired James Bond creator Ian Fleming, and the two struck up a mutually beneficial relationship

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The Origin of the Pilcrow, aka the Strange Paragraph Symbol

It is now nearly invisible in word-processing programs, but it was one of the most elaborate of manuscript ornaments

Millennials Still Like Print Books!

Even in an age of smartphones, tablets and laptops, young folks (ages 16-29) are reading. A lot.

Alternative Medicine Is a $34 Billion Industry, But Only One-Third of the Treatments Have Been Tested

The traditional medicine industry is just as profit-driven as any other

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That “Old Book Smell” Is a Mix of Grass and Vanilla

Smell is chemistry, and the chemistry of old books gives your cherished tomes their scent

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Where Bourbon Really Got Its Name and More Tips on America’s Native Spirit

Michael Veach is Louisville's unofficial bourbon ambassador. We asked him to give us some history as well as some suggestions on what to drink

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E-Readers Don’t Cut Down on Reading Comprehension

Recent research says that reading comprehension on an e-reader and electronic screen is just as good as with paper

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When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover

A surprising examination of the original book jacket art to The Great Gatsby

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

Cover of the 1982 book Omni Future Almanac

$18 for a Dozen Eggs by 2010? Inflation Fears in 1982

The Omni Future Almanac predicted that a gallon of gas would be cheaper than a quart of milk

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby in the latest adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel

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?

30 is the number of trees, in millions, cut down annually to produce books in the U.S.

The Revolutionary Effect of the Paperback Book

This simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation

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Our Battle Against Extinction, 100 Recipes and More Recent Books Reviewed

Growing up as a poor Astor and the roots of psychiatry

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Contributors

John Trumball's The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775.

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

Cowboy boots, like this oversized 40-foot-tall pair in San Antonio, are synonymous with Texas, a state that some say is “like a whole other country.”

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

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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

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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

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