Essays

Message from Pope Francis: Read a Novel

The Late Pontiff’s Take on the Power of Literature for Secular and Religious Readers Alike

Apr 26 •

Questioning the Greatness of ‘Gatsby’

Is ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald’s Masterpiece or, as One Critic Says, ‘Aesthetically Overrated, Psychologically Vacant, and Morally Complacent’?

Apr 16 •

My Book! ‘The Idea Machine’ Is Almost Here

A Book about Books: How They Helped Create Our World and Still Shape Our Future

Apr 9 •

3 Ways to Make New Stuff Happen

Lessons in Innovation from Buckminster Fuller, Martin Luther King Jr., Milton Friedman, and Sonny Rollins

Apr 5 •

Open Thread: Authors You’ve Read Most?

Fiction or Nonfiction, Which Writers Have You Spent the Most Time With?

Mar 29 •

Why Read and Write While the World Burns?

What George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis Teach Us Today

Mar 19 •

3 Reasons Your Art Might Fail (and How to Ensure It Doesn’t)

Philosopher Agnes Callard Poses a Question; I, a Professional Editor, Venture an Answer

Mar 8 •

Open Thread: Books You ‘Shouldn’t’ Love But Do?

They’re Guilty Pleasures, Unfashionable, Offensive, Weird, Tacky, Lousy, Whatever. Still, You Can’t Help Yourself: You Love Them

Mar 5 •

Open Thread: Books You Feel Bad about Not Liking?

Friends, Coworkers, Society—They All Want Us to Like Certain Books, but Sometimes You Just Can’t Get into Them

Feb 27 •

Forget Your Antilibrary, Try Bacon Instead

Nassim Nicholas Taleb Coined the Term. Lifestyle Bloggers Made It a Thing. But Francis Bacon Had a Better Idea

Feb 22 •

5 Reasons to Write in Your Books

Scandalized by Writing in Books? C.S. Lewis Did It. So Did U.S. President John Adams. So Should You

Feb 19 •

Cat and Mouse in the Library

Medieval Monks and Mousers, Japanese Woodblock Cats, Top Cats in Literature, More

Feb 15 •

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