Essay Madame d鈥橝ulnoy, the mysterious fairy鈥憈ale queen March 17, 2021 For those readers who do not believe that fairies are real, they should think twice, for the extraordinary Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Comtesse d鈥橝ulnoy (1650鈥�1705) did not only invent the term fairy tale (conte de fees) and create tales about fairies, she was a fearless fairy herself. Read More
Essay What鈥檚 it like to be a spike?: What we鈥檙e learning in the Golden Age of neuroscience March 14, 2021 It began as an idle thought. I stood on a chill dimly-lit platform one early winter morning, waiting on my regular, no-doubt delayed train to emerge from the tunnel and pull up with a screech of brakes, ready to convey me through the snow-topped hills from the grey, snowy city where I live to the dark, damp city where I worked. Read More
Essay Happy 40th, Einstein! March 13, 2021 On March 14th, 1919 Albert Einstein celebrated his 40th birthday. Typically for him the big milestone passed off quietly. Read More
Essay Why plant flowers? March 12, 2021 As someone who derives a great deal of pleasure from growing and studying flowers, I would like to suggest that everyone get involved with planting flowers this spring, whether indoors or out, at home or as part of a community beautification program. Read More
Essay The blind leading the blind March 07, 2021 My mother came here to the United States from her country to help me open my very first brick and mortar business鈥擧arriett鈥檚 Bookshop鈥攊n the Fishtown section of Philadelphia back in March of 2020. Read More
Interview Sylvana Tomaselli on Wollstonecraft March 03, 2021 Mary Wollstonecraft鈥檚聽A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, first published in 1792, is a work of enduring relevance in women鈥檚 rights advocacy. However, as Sylvana Tomaselli shows, a full understanding of Wollstonecraft鈥檚 thought is possible only through a more comprehensive appreciation of Wollstonecraft herself. Read More
Essay Wasps, and their unsung contributions to the ecosystem February 27, 2021 The sting. Pain is what we associate with the word 鈥渨asp,鈥� because our definition of wasp is far too narrow. Read More
Interview Emma Rothschild on An Infinite History February 24, 2021 Marie Aymard was an illiterate widow who lived in the provincial town of Angoul锚me in southwestern France, a place where seemingly nothing ever happened. Yet, in 1764, she made her fleeting mark on the historical record. Read More
Essay Ridding ourselves of a demagogue: What the ancient Greeks would have thought of impeachment聽 February 23, 2021 In 471 BCE, the politician and renowned general Themistocles was exiled from Athens for ten years by a vote of some six thousand Athenians. Read More
Interview An interview with Jeff Deutsch February 19, 2021 We鈥檙e thrilled to welcome Jeff Deutsch to the 91桃色 Board of Trustees. Recently our sales rep Lanora Haradon chatted with Jeff about bookselling, the challenges of the past year, and the key role bookstores play in communities. Read More
Essay The surprising partnership of art and data February 18, 2021 In the mid-1960s, the renowned art historian Jules Prown was jeered. He was presenting new research at the annual meeting of the College Art Association, the principal professional art historical association. Read More
Essay George Washington鈥檚 disillusionment February 15, 2021 Today is Presidents Day, a holiday established in the late nineteenth century to celebrate the greatest of America鈥檚 founders, George Washington. By the end of his life Washington himself was hardly in a celebratory mood when he reflected on the state of the country. Read More
Essay Celebrating women in STEM February 11, 2021 International Day of Women and Girls in Science marks an opportunity to celebrate the brilliant women whose ideas have graced our bookshelves and touched our minds. Read More
Interview Nicola Suthor on Bravura February 05, 2021 The painterly style known as bravura emerged in sixteenth-century Venice and spread throughout Europe during the seventeenth century. While earlier artistic movements presented a polished image of the artist by downplaying the creative process, bravura celebrated a painter鈥檚 distinct materials, virtuosic execution, and theatrical showmanship. Read More
Essay White freedom invades the US Capitol February 03, 2021 On January 6, 2021 a violent mob numbering several thousand individuals invaded the United States Capitol Building in Washington DC, seeking not only to physically attack and even murder members of Congress but more generally to impose by force the reelection of President Donald Trump and thus to overthrow the lawfully elected American government. Read More
