Katherine Zubovich on Moscow Monumental December 17, 2020 In 1947, Stalin decreed that eight monumental buildings be built in the Soviet capital. Seven of these neoclassical structures were completed in the 1950s and these buildings continue to stand today as originally intended: as elite apartment complexes, luxury hotels, and the headquarters of key institutions including Moscow State University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read More
The irrationality of 2020 December 16, 2020 Irrationality was published in 2019, but the real subject of the book, it turns out, is the year 2020. The book now seems to me to be describing a world that had been gestating for some years, but that only came out kicking and screaming, loud enough for all to hear and for none to deny, in the pandemic era, which coincides, significantly, with the final year of Donald Trump’s ignominious presidency. Read More
Listen in: The Jefferson Bible December 15, 2020 In his retirement, Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament with a penknife and glue, removing all mention of miracles and other supernatural events. Read More
The mountain memories that fuelled Tolkien’s epic tales December 14, 2020 ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door.’ Bilbo Baggins is thinking of adventure, of course, not pandemics. ‘You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.’ Yet The Lord of the Rings is a lesson in how far you can travel without leaving home. Read More
Reaffirming human rights December 10, 2020 On December 19, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It took more than two years of intense, difficult negotiations, but the members of the drafting committee understood that they could not fail. Read More
Books for readers with big questions December 08, 2020 Winter is a season for slowing down, cozying up, and taking a moment to ponder and appreciate all the wonder and complexity around us and within us. This list of books for readers with big questions doesn’t promise easy answers, but it will inform inquiry, from the “impractical splendors” of getting lost in thought to the usefulness of useless knowledge and the freedom found in idleness. Read More
Human Flow book trailer December 03, 2020 Complete with photographs taken by Ai Weiwei while filming the epic feature documentary Human Flow, this book provides a powerful, personal, and moving account of the most urgent humanitarian crisis of our time. Read More
College presidents and the struggle for Black freedom December 01, 2020 Some of America’s most pressing civil rights issues—desegregation, equal educational and employment opportunities, housing discrimination, and free speech—have been closely intertwined with higher education institutions. Read More
Timeless wisdom on generosity and gratitude December 01, 2020 The approach of the winter holidays invites us to wrestle once again with the complexities of giving. On surface it seems simple enough: Buy something nice, wrap it in colorful paper, present it to your giftee. Read More
Books for the scientifically curious November 29, 2020 Is there a reader in your life who is wont to ask why, how, and when? We have gift recommendations just for them! Read More
By Design | Books about books, or the cataloging of ideas November 27, 2020 Sales catalogs have a noble lineage, one that an academic press would gladly embrace. The first catalog was published in Venice in 1498 by Aldus Manutius, founder of the Aldine Press. Read More
Can logic be fun? November 24, 2020 Many people have tried to define logic. James Thurber wrote, “Since it is possible to touch a clock without stopping it, it follows that one can start a clock without touching it.” Read More
Books for curious kids (and grown ups too!) November 23, 2020 These books will appeal to lifelong learners and curious readers of all ages. Wrap up a great idea for the inquisitive person in your life. Read More
Books for history & biography buffs November 19, 2020 From Vienna to Ravenna, this list is rich with possibility for fans of biographies and histories. Read More
Looking at medieval objects November 17, 2020 A few years ago, I was in the Medieval Collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City examining one of the objects I was writing a book about when a father came by with two children, a boy of about 10 and a girl of 7 or 8. He was taking them to see the medieval armor in the next exhibit room. Read More