The world of social media is so flooded with banal, cliché, and off-putting quotes, readers have been known to spontaneously burst into flame. But great quotes, like poetry, are powerful tools because they crystallize elusive truths,... Read More

What a wonderful world it would be if every one of us came of age with a profound understanding of the natural sciences, mathematics, and philosophy. Imagine how different the politics of climate change and evolution might be. So we can... Read More

Dozens of $50 million-plus superyachts cruise the high seas in the ultimate expression of 21st-century wealth, but the yachting life wasn’t so posh in 1876 when the 175-foot Sunbeam (steam and sail powered) set sail from the Isle of... Read More

Independent publishing owes its edgy, authentic reputation to a handful of fiercely original publishers like Chelsea Green, the indisputable leader in crafting beautifully written books on sustainable farming, homesteading, green... Read More

Jesus Christ, what a guy: Jewish reformer, populist—he promises eternal salvation to Roman slave and senator alike—performer of miraculous healings and exorcisms, self-described son of God, and, for an encore, takes one for the team... Read More

The long, storied history of gardening as an art form extends many thousands of years, and the great contemporary garden designers owe much to the work of their predecessors, especially in the use of arbors, benches, fountains, gates,... Read More

If you’re on a need-to-know basis with the truth at its wackiest, if your idea of pleasure reading includes bizarre diseases, dumb crooks, and who holds the record for the longest shower, if you’re dying to know the history of lava... Read More

Boy loves balloon. Boy loses balloon. Boy breaks down, grief stricken. Slowly, heartbreakingly, skies clear and boy learns to smile again. Meanwhile— Gentle reader captivated by artwork. Gentle reader smitten with boy. Gentle reader... Read More