A Commonplace Book

An editorial by Michael B. Mukasey describes Tamerlane as "the 14th-century Muslim conqueror famous for building pyramids of his victi...

We have those that rush towards danger Some wear badge or uniform And some only are discovered In the moment of alarm.

Andrea di Bonaiuto da Firenze. Note the contrasting skirt of the leftmost figure of the top image, the classical bodice of the second figu...

A useful collection of contemporary documents.

Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones turned in powerful performances as usual. The last four months of Lincoln's life provided the ingre...

Eric Naiman's detective work uncovers a web of academic and literary sock-puppetry stretching across three decades, featuring bad sex s...

If Cordwainer Smith was a minority taste, let me also recommend Algis Budrys. He was not very prolific, but his best was very good. My favor...

As Steve Muhlberger noted , Cordwainer Smith "was always very much a minority taste." If you've read him and didn't find h...

Except for Cosmas Indicopleustes . Cosmas who, you ask? That's pretty much what they said back then, too. Except for the scholars who ...

If a quote on the Internet attributed to a respected historical figure sounds incredibly apt to contemporary politics, it is probably spuri...