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THIS WEEK’S ARCHIVE PICK
Buoyancy
By Willard Spiegelman
In ye olde days, keeping your head above water had a more literal meaning—you wouldn’t want anything contaminated splashing into your mouth if you went swimming in a river or a lake. We hope a young Ben Franklin took this to heart in 1726, when he swam the Thames from Chelsea to Blackfriars just for fun. Nowadays, swimmers such as Willard Spiegelman fully immerse themselves in chlorine solitude, whether or not they choose to don a bathing cap. Read this essay from the Summer 2008 issue to rediscover the art of swimming, an activity that “returns us to ourselves.”
WEB EXCLUSIVES
Editors’ Picks
Best-of lists from bad romances to Shakespearean verse
The Guest List
We ask our favorite writers about their favorite titles
The Daily Scholar Archives
The complete collection of our blogs, including Zinsser on Friday and our weekly Writing Lessons
Online Essays
Works you won’t find in print, from the likes of Harold Holzer, Wendy Smith, and Neil Shea
Bible Nation
By Candida Moss and Joel Baden
An excerpt from Candida Moss and Joel Baden’s investigation of the expanding religious and political scope of Hobby Lobby
