To the young and healthy, death can often seem a courteous entity, one that will patiently await the completion of life’s narrative before interrupting with its final word. Published in 1896, A.E. Housman’s “To An Athlete Dying Young” confronts us with the tragedy of death as it comes, not to the sick or elderly, but…
Book Review: ‘Norman Rockwell’s Models: In and Out of the Studio’
During the middle of the 20th century, Norman Rockwell became America’s artist. He captured the best of what America represented: freedom, friendship, and family, these typically encapsulated with a sense of patriotism. Yes, it was Rockwell who captured all that with his artistic realism, but the depth to which he captured that reality depended heavily…
Book Review: ‘The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder’
Author David Grann is no stranger to writing engrossing and compelling historical narratives. His previous title, “The Lost City of Z,” was made into a 2016 film telling the tale of British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for an Amazonian civilization. “Killers of The Flower Moon” is scheduled for film release in October of…
Which to Choose: Mark Twain’s Short Story, ‘The Five Boons of Life’
Throughout our lives, we desire many different gifts but rarely desire death. We come to fear our end and so seek what we think are better gifts, rather than face what is the end of all mortals. Yet, in his short story, “The Five Boons of Life,” Mark Twain focuses on how we should see…
Book Recommendation: ‘Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable’
Wordsmiths and bibliophiles unite as Mark Dunn’s “Ella Minnow Pea” celebrates its 20th anniversary by releasing an illustrated edition to mark this milestone. ‘A Novel in Letters’ Ella Minnow Pea resides in the fictional island of Nollop, where Nevin Nollop, the fictitious inventor of the pangram “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,”…
Friendships That Endure: Aesop’s Fable, ‘Two Travelers and a Bear’
True friendship is characterized most by loyalty, for loyalty is the virtue that sustains friendships through any hardship. Loyalty gives us the courage to remain with friends, even when there is no advantage to be gained. In his short story, “Two Travelers and a Bear,” Aesop shows how easily our friendship can be tested and…
Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for May 26–June 1
This week, we feature a witty guide to domestic and cultural sanity and an incisive look at the gifts Greek classics have bestowed on our culture. Nonfiction ‘Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War’ By Peachy Keenan The new radical extremism calls for sanity! Imagine that! This enjoyable guide asks its readers…
Book Recommendation: ‘Gila Lost and Found: Search and Rescue in New Mexico’
I have a special fondness for New Mexico and its intrinsic natural beauty. Many of my cousins (on my mother’s side) reside there, predominantly around Albuquerque and Socorro. Known as “The Land of Enchantment,” New Mexico is a large state, ranking fifth among the 50 in total area, and boasting a range of landscapes from…
Book Review: ‘The Bucharest Legacy: The Rise of the Oligarchs’
In his follow up to his incredible debut, “The Bucharest Dossier,” William Maz takes the reader on an adventure back to Bucharest a few years after the dismantling of the USSR, the fall of communism, and Romania’s Christmas Revolution. “The Bucharest Legacy: The Rise of the Oligarchs” is the second in the series, of which,…
Treasures From the Past: Our Libraries, Public and Private
May 22, 2023
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Arts & CultureArts & TraditionbooksBrightLibrary of CongressOur LibrariesTraditional CultureWidener Library
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Whether it’s a special trip to the Library of Congress or a 10-minute drive to the local library, when true lovers of books hear the words “Let’s head for the library,” they experience the same stab of excitement produced by the words “ice cream parlor” in a 5-year-old. For bibliophiles, the Magic Kingdom isn’t in…
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