A drawing of three chairs by Thomas Chippendale

The Shakespeare of English Furniture?

Not much is known about eighteenth-century furniture designer Thomas Chippendale, making his life and work perfect for mythologizing after his death.
Yellow Shank by John James Audubon, 1836

How to Look at Art and Understand What You See

There are dozens of ways of looking at visual art. None of them are wrong, but certain methods facilitate deeper connection and understanding.
Alexander The Great mosaic

The Other Alexander the Great

Stories emerged in the centuries after Alexander the Great’s death. They revolved around Alexander's failures, not his victories. The portrait that emerges is strangely poignant.
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.