January 29, 2016
The Rest Is History
Medieval graffiti, breasts of the nineteenth century, and Vladimir Nabokov’s dutiful food log.
Read MoreMay 10, 2025
January 29, 2016
Medieval graffiti, breasts of the nineteenth century, and Vladimir Nabokov’s dutiful food log.
Read MoreJanuary 22, 2016
Prehistoric massacres, the radical women of early Christianity, and eye-rollingly awful similes.
Read MoreJanuary 15, 2016
Roman toilets, novels about (and for) housewives, and the history of women’s swimming in America.
Read MoreJanuary 08, 2016
Benjamin Franklin’s pranks, men’s dominance of history books, and the dangers of premature burial.
Read MoreDecember 18, 2015
Christmas on Ellis Island, an unexpected Poe bestseller, and the question of a hyphen.
Read MoreDecember 04, 2015
A forgotten genius, a confusing confection, and Herman Melville goes to London.
Read MoreNovember 23, 2015
Michael Dirda explores the lives and histories behind Sherlock Holmes.
Read More2023:
Fitness instructor carves his girlfriend’s name into the Colosseum.
c. 1850:
Thompson of Sunderland makes his mark on Pompey’s pillar.
2023:
Writers on strike search for romance at the picket line.
c. 1945:
Young communists engage in party matchmaking.