A shelf of weathered leather bound books

The First English Books

In the rare book world, the earliest printed books are known as incunables or incunabula.
Snowpiercer Dystopian Film

Why are Dystopian Films on the Rise Again?

The recent uptick in dystopian films and post-apocalpytic scenarios seems more urgent and more extreme than it has in the past.
Older photograph of Florence Foster Jenkins standing agains a flowery backdrop while holding a fully feathered fan

Florence Foster Jenkins, World’s Worst Opera Diva

Florence Foster Jenkins, the legendary diva of awfulness, known as the world's worst opera singer.
Close-up of Carmen de Lavallade with her eyes closed and her arm bent over her head in a dance pose

83-Year-Old Carmen de Lavallade Dances at Kennedy Center

Dance icon Carmen de Lavallade, 83, was the first African-American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera.
Painting: Concert with Frederick the Great in Sanssouci by Adolph Menzel

Ain’t Misbehaving? When Audiences Distract The Performers

Should distracting live audience members be shamed for their behavior?
Wolf in the snow with a radio collar around its neck

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Will Be a New TV Series

Karen Russell St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, a short story collection by Karen Russell, will be turned into an ABC show
Tom Magliozzi

Remembering “Car Talk” Host Tom Magliozzi

Tom Magliozzi, one of the "Tappet Brother" hosts of the popular public radio show "Car Talk" has died.

Hermathena

Selected items from Hermathena, a scholarly journal of classics from Trinity College, Dublin.
Bach's Family Morning painted by Toby Edward Rosenthal depicting a busy communal space (oil on canvas)

Did Mrs. Bach Write the Cello Suites?

A new documentary film Written by Mrs. Bach suggests that the composer’s second wife is the author of his Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello & other works.
A skeleton-costumed child holding out a pumpkin bowl of Halloween candy

The Origins of Halloween

Halloween history and ethnography.