In what one scholar called “the literary event of the decade,” on 2 January 2020, Princeton University Library opened up more than 1,100 letters that the Nobel-Prize-winning poet T.S. Eliot wrote over the course of three decades to an American speech professor and amateur actress named Emily Hale. The day became even more newsworthy
When we published the Encyclopedia of Sustainability in 2012, a librarian wrote, “That goes against the spirit of sustainability.” I got a similar response this week, so I want to explain why we publish in print and online, and why online is not “green.” An ebook probably kills more trees through deforestation than an equivalent print book, and
The term “happy place” is not in the Oxford English Dictionary (though “happy slap” is), but I’ve been hearing the term a lot. There’s even a new shop in Great Barrington called HappyPlace Berkshires. I first dismissed it as therapeutic slang, but discovered that the concept actually goes back to the Greeks: a utopia is a
I went to a talk by a cookbook author who said she’d figured out a system for efficient home cooking: big pots of beans and soup, dishes that could be frozen and reheated. The concepts would have been obvious to any old-fashioned cook, and they are good, practical concepts. But her specific advice was so complicated
A friend came to me furious because, unlike her colleagues’ publishers, the company that produced her book wasn’t arranging a launch party or media interviews. I thought that her book had been beautifully edited and produced (very quickly because the subject was time-sensitive), and that she had paid a very modest fee to have this done.
When I hear about the Women’s World Cup, I think of Mr. Kim, who was in charge of the North Korean team in 1999. Twenty years later, people are talking about the World Cup without always prefacing it with “Women’s.” The World Cup is probably the most international of sporting events, except for the Olympics, and
I was curious about mirrors in Chinese culture, having heard that they are valued and important, and discovered that they not only go back to ancient times, but that the early bronze mirrors frequently featured a symbol much like today's Chinese character for "mountain" - shan or 山. (If you only see a question mark, your
Since I began working on the Encyclopedia of Chinese Cuisines, questions about wine pairing constantly come up. Can you, or should you, drink wine with Chinese food? Which wine should you drink? Which wine should you serve Chinese guests? When I use the word wine, I mean wines made in the European tradition from grapes, not
Back in 2014 I wrote an e-letter entitled “Amazon update: when will the Justice Department step in?” “Never,” most people, even lawyers, said. But things have changed, and maybe antitrust law will move into the 21st-century. I’m thrilled to say that the time has come: the Justice Department is investigating Big Tech – Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Lina Khan
“Let us pray.” On Wednesday I heard a prayer - “grace” - said before dinner for the first time in years. “Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful evening and for our fellowship.” “Help us to serve those in need.” I’d been invited to talk about the Train Campaign at the Episcopal church’s men’s dinner group. No
