The Weight of a Stone
Searching for stability in an erratic world led Oliver Sacks and other writers to the realms of geology
By Megan Craig Thursday, January 2, 2025
Under a Spell Everlasting
Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain, published a century ago, tells of a world unable to free itself from the cataclysm of war
By Samantha Rose Hill Monday, December 2, 2024
The Fair Fields 
Only rarely did the outside world intrude on an idyllic Connecticut childhood, but in the tumultuous 1960s, that intrusion included an encounter with evil
By Rosanna Warren Monday, December 2, 2024
In the Mushroom
True foraging isn’t the domain of the weekend warrior; it’s serious, serious business
By Michael Autrey Monday, December 2, 2024
The Brahmin and His Imaginary Friend
How a classic paean to the honest virtues of a Maine fisherman obscured several ugly truths
By Janna Malamud Smith Monday, December 2, 2024
The Writer in the Family
The fiction of E. L. Doctorow gave a young man hope of connecting his father and his literary hero
By Jonathan Liebson Monday, December 2, 2024
Granaries of Language
Dictionaries are far more than alphabetized collections of words
By Ilan Stavans Monday, December 2, 2024
Reborn in the City of Light
At a time when Paris was an incubator of modernism, a group of bold American women arrived to make art out of their lives
By Rosanna Warren Thursday, October 24, 2024
Thoreau’s Pencils
How might a newly discovered
connection to slavery change
our understanding of an abolitionist
hero and his writing?
By Augustine Sedgewick Thursday, October 17, 2024
Teaching the N-Word
A black professor, an all-white class, and the thing nobody will say
By Emily Bernard Thursday, September 1, 2005
The Rise and Fall of David Duke
Breaking the code of right-wing populism in Louisana
By Lawrence N. Powell Thursday, September 1, 2005
Chekhov’s Journey
Finding the ideal of freedom in a rugged prison colony
By James McConkey Thursday, September 1, 2005
Beaten Boys and Frantic Pets
A close reading of Tom Sawyer reveals why Mark Twain isn’t nearly as funny as he thinks he is
By Adam Gussow Thursday, September 1, 2005
Custom and Law
After the death of his father, a not-notably observant Jew turns to the mourning rituals of his faith
By Melvin Jules Bukiet Thursday, September 1, 2005
Turning the Tide
How Rachel Carson became a woman of letters
By William Howarth Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Not So Fast with the DDT
Rachel Carson’s warnings still apply
By Reed Karaim Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Roosevelt Redux: Part Two
Robert M. Ball and the battle for Social Security
By Thomas N. Bethell Wednesday, June 1, 2005
