December 20, 2011

New Book Tuesday: American Theatre and More

Our weekly list of new titles now available: American Theatre: History, Context, Form Theresa Saxon The Phantom of Chance: From Fortune to Randomness in Seventeenth-Century French Literature John D. Lyons Imagining the Cape Colony: History, Literature, and the South African...

December 19, 2011

Christopher Hitchens on Unanswerable Prayers

Last week brought the very sad news of Christopher Hitchens’s passing after a struggle with cancer. We were fortunate enough to have been able to include some of his writing in The Best American Magazine Writing series. In 2007, his...

December 19, 2011

Richard Betts on American Force

This week will be featuring American Force: Dangers, Delusions, and Dilemmas in National Security, by Richard Betts. In the book, Betts takes a skeptical look at the use of American force in the postwar era and analyzes, sometimes critically, the...

December 16, 2011

The Unfinished Greatest Grid

In conjunction with The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011, edited by Hilary Ballon, The Museum of the City of New York in conjunction with their exhibit on the grid is also presenting The Unfinished Grid: Design Speculations...

December 15, 2011

13 Facts About the Greatest Grid: How a Plan from 1811 Allowed New York City to Grow

The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011, edited by Hilary Ballon, recounts the history of the planning, implementation, and impact of the grid on New York City. Conceived as a plan that was both logical and a reflection...

December 14, 2011

Dean Starkman on the Limited Vision of News Gurus

Longform recently selected Dean Starkman’s Confidence Game: The Limited Vision of News Gurus, as one of the best articles for 2011 in media. Starkman’s article, which was published in the Columbia Journalism Review, and is now available as a digital...

December 14, 2011

Images from The Greatest Grid: Scenes of New York City Before and After the Grid

The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011, edited by Hilary Ballon, contains a variety of different images and artifacts that offer a visual history of how the city changed as the grid evolved. Below are some images from...

December 14, 2011

Michael Mann — A Look Into Our Climate: Past To Present To Future

The following video features Michael Mann, author of the forthcoming The Hockey Stick: Dispatches from the Front Lines. In the talk given at a TEDx event, Mann explains the scientific data pointing to global warming.

December 13, 2011

Hilary Ballon on the History and Impact of New York City's Grid

Our featured book of the week is The Greatest Grid: Manhattan’s Master Plan, 1811-2011, edited by Hilary Ballon. (The book makes an excellent gift and is part of our special 40% off holiday sale). The following is an excerpt from...

December 13, 2011

New Book Tuesday: Islam Through Western Eyes, The Greatest Grid, and Other New Titles

Islam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism Jonathan Lyons The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011 Edited by Hilary Ballon The Racial Discourses of Life Philosophy: Négritude, Vitalism, and Modernity Donna Jones Intermittency:...

December 12, 2011

The Greatest Grid: Hilary Ballon and Jon Meacham on the History of Manhattan's Grid

We are very excited to be publishing The Greatest Grid: The Master Plan of Manhattan, 1811-2011, edited by Hilary Ballon, which accompanies an exhibit of the same name at the Museum of the City of New York. In the following...

December 9, 2011

Neurogastronomy: Aging, Flavor, and Taste

We conclude our week-long feature on Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters, by Gordon Shepherd fittingly enough with an excerpt from the final chapter. In the chapter, “Why Flavor Matters,” Shepherd discusses how perceptions of flavor...