The Real Story Behind Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway's famous, career-launching debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, was so autobiographical, it was essentially gossipy reportage.
Dürer’s Rhinoceros and the Birth of Print Media
Dürer's image of a rhinoceros which drowned off Italy 500 years ago remains one of the world's most famous prints.
Suggested Readings: Brexit, Magic, and Aging Monkeys
Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Racism, the South, and Helen Keller
As one of her day’s most famous Southerners, Helen Keller was uniquely poised to point out—and challenge—that troubled racial heritage.
Where in the Solar System is Vulcan?
A hypothetical Planet Vulcan was the best explanation for strange astrological phenomena—until Einstein, that is.
Quantifying Rape
Rape has costs beyond the physical and emotional: Emergency room visits, therapy, rehab, wasted tuition, lost wages, and lifestyle changes expensive.
Why We Obsess Over Other People’s Mansions
Gilded Age mansions were remarkably public places. Newspapers breathlessly followed their construction and the social lives that happened within them
Gay Culture: Ancient Wonder or Modern Creation?
Even at more open-minded times, gays and gay culture is always seen as a frivolous—a decorative, added bonus of civilization.
For the Endangered American Eel, A Long, Slippery Road to Recovery
The endangered American eel, once abundant along the U.S. East Coast, is critically important in keeping rivers ecologically sound.
Video Games, Italian Revolutionaries, and Anne Tyler
Our Friday Reads are these new books out this week, and related content you won't find anywhere else.