For a civilization that ended nearly one thousand years ago, there seems to be a great deal new to know about the Vikings since we last checked. That the Viking world extended to four continents, for example, and some of their ships were... Read More

Certain regions do comfort food better than others. Just ask fans of home cooking from Mexico, Italy, and the American South—Rib Eye Steak and Mushroom Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuit Crust. That’s what we’re talking about! An... Read More

Indescribable—except to mention the author’s position as professor of religion at Columbia, and that it contains some of the finest prose and photography you’ll find anywhere—consequently, we will now commit the unpardonable sin... Read More

Angie, if you can’t get no satisfaction with the current crop of Stones books, here’s your emotional rescue. Yes, it’s only rock and roll, but if you know some Puerto Rican girls that are just dying for a 672-page book that... Read More

The US military presence in nomadic Afghanistan represents the world’s most advanced weaponry and technology, placed in the hands of highly trained volunteer soldiers from every corner of hyperindustrialized America—it’s an... Read More

Der zhargon, the jargon—that’s how Yiddish was dismissed in the mid-nineteenth century in Eastern Europe, and the few who authored books in the language of the Jewish street caused peals of cynical laughter to rattle the university... Read More

Japan is civilization personified. Art, design, food, health, infrastructure, civility—name a societal / cultural benchmark and you can make a compelling case that the rising sunners lead the world. So when the United Nations came... Read More

I want to look at a cow without my mind saying cow, haiku’d Jim Harrison. And we should all be so lucky in the presence of a zebra, panda, or peacock. Fresh eyes are required to get an accurate idea of what an animal is doing when it... Read More