Roundtable

Opinions and analysis from Lapham’s Quarterly writers and editors.

May 10, 2013

Charles Mingus Toilet-Trains Your Cat

By Michelle Legro

In 1952, Charles Mingus uses his cat Nightlife to teach the rest of us how to get felines to use indoor plumbing.

May 05, 2013

The Most Talented Dogs in England

By Angela Serratore

One can hardly visit the main page of any social networking site without being bombarded by the accomplishments of an adorable pet, but pride in one’s animal friends stretches far beyond the digital age. In 1895, a British weekly magazine released a collection of letters detailing the amazing accomplishments of dogs.

April 10, 2013

Monkey Business

By Paul Collins

Animals have long been used for physical labor—but what does it mean to do a job, and not truly comprehend it?

April 05, 2013

Pet Cemetery

By Miles Klee

It’s long been suggested that animals (dogs, cats, and even dolphins) have connections to other worlds. A history of animal sixth senses, from ancient Egypt to modern-day Alaska.

March 20, 2013

That Intoxicating Pink

By Peter Foges

Beautiful, expensive, and rare, rose champagne has been the drink of choice for courtesans and kings for centuries.

March 19, 2013

The Addicted Life of Thomas De Quincey

By Colin Dickey

How Thomas De Quincey turned his debilitating addiction to opium into a revival of the English essay.

March 14, 2013

A Pilgrim’s Drunken Progress

By A.N. Devers

Starting on the Mayflower, the pilgrims had a complicated relationship with alcohol—one modern history tends to ignore.

February 20, 2013

Blowing Your Mind

By Miles Klee

Total freak-out or total bliss? For centuries, LSD and its derivatives have been dreamland for the initiated, and a nightmare for those caught unawares.