The Olympics, Dave Eggers, and Your Idiot Brain
Our Friday Reads are these five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
What Sir Walter Scott’s Historical Fiction Reveals About the Brexit
A scholar locates early European Unionism in the works of Sir Walter Scott. How would Scott have voted in the Brexit referendum?
The Monstrous Words Lurking in Your Language
“You have hissed all my mystery lectures. I saw you fight a liar in the back quad; in ...
What Did Fashion Magazines Have To Do With Dada?
When you think of Dada, do you think of Europe? If so, you’re missing one of its hotbeds—New York.
Queen Elizabeth II: Symbol and Style
The fashion of Queen Elizabeth II reigned supreme for the past 90 years.
New International Books
Five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else.
The Unlikely Origins of “Strange Fruit”
The man behind the anti-lynching anthem "Strange Fruit" was a white, Jewish, Communist named Abel Meeropol.
The History of “Your Body Is A Battleground”
Revisiting the iconic work of Barbara Kruger (“Your Body is a Battleground”) that has just as much resonance today as it did a quarter century ago.
Joy Williams, Tennessee Williams, and More
Five new books out this week, and links to related content you won’t find anywhere else. Prose master ...
The Linguistics of My Next Band Name
Why do certain combinations of words make good band names? Linguistic research points to "semantic space."