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Category Archives: New Books
When nuns puked nails
Demonic possession might explain your convulsions, vomiting, or visions. But what explains the popularity of demons, in the 16th century and today?… more»
Narratives of war
And now Michael Howard anoints a new Clausewitz. His name: Emile Simpson, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Are his ideas the future of military strategy?… more»
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Reassessing Edward Thomas
When Edward Thomas was killed, in 1917, his reputation rested on his prose: 20 books, 70 articles, 1,900 reviews. He wrote on deadline, but he was no hack… more»
Cabinet magazine rewrites the encyclopedia
In the pages of Cabinet, insecure academics commiserate with insecure artists. The magazine is idiosyncratic, goofy, and a consistent delight… more»
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Jill Lepore, the microhistorian
The genius of Jill Lepore. She’s turned microhistory into an essayistic art. But therein lurk the perils of the quest for perfect readability… more»
The hunt for Herman Melville
The Melville biographer Hershel Parker warns that his craft is under attack from “subversive interlopers” – academic critics with their intellectual fads… more»
History of sound and listening
“Listening” has pleasant connotations. “Noise,” not so much. But noise is often the sound of progress, irksome as it is… more»
A history of neon
For Adorno, neon represented mass-produced kitsch. For others, the ostentatious yet charismatic glow means something else: possibility… more»
The science of monsters
The question of monsters is credulity versus skepticism: Science puts to rest tales of Minotaur and Medusa. And yet we want to believe. Why?… more»
Hobsbawm: The posthumous essays
What explains Eric Hobsbawm’s influence? His genius for conceptually framing history? His encyclopedic knowledge? His Marxism?… more»