Preamble Field of Dreams By Lewis H. Lapham Play is the making of civilization—how one plays the game more to the point than whether the game is won or lost. More
Essay Blossom and Fade By John Crowley Hermann Hesse’s The Glass Bead Game is an experience with the pathos and wonder of all games—the game that is the universe. More
Essay Wordplay By Simon Apter Sportswriting is a language rich in slang that’s helped create our common culture. More
Preamble City Light By Lewis H. Lapham When it comes to the medieval cathedral and mosque, the modern skyscraper and the slum, world history is city history. More
Essay Urban Scrawl By Jamie James The city novel begins with a young person arriving from the provinces—and the world rising up to greet them. More
Essay Dickens in Lagos By George Packer In Nigeria, modernity hasn’t yet begun to solve the problems of people thrown together in the urban cauldron. More
Essay A Matter of Optics By Warren Breckman Rulers of cities have always had an interest in visibility, both in representing their power and in controlling people by seeing them. More
Voices In Time c. 1835 | London Never Can There Come a Fog Too Thick Charles Dickens on mud, fog, and the law.More
