"Rude Talk in Athens" is a spirited introduction to the all but forgotten work of the ancient Greek playwright Ariphrades. Since none of Ariphrades’s work survives, the “all but” refers to mentions of the playwright in other plays,... Read More

History mutes women; it also depends on them. This paradox is at the heart of a "A Ghost in the Throat", an extraordinary literary memoir that finds life in buried spaces. In her childhood, Doireann Ní Ghríofa got in a tiff over her... Read More

Blake Scott Ball charts the impact of the classic comic strip Peanuts on American culture, and vice versa, in Charlie Brown’s America. Peanuts is a cultural icon, but even with its sly humor inspired by changes in society, such as... Read More

The insightful essays of "Supersex" comment on the omnipresence—and official absence—of superheroes’ sexuality. This collection acknowledges that comics have been a site of moral panic for generations. The superhero genre, in... Read More

Patrick Samway’s literary history portrays editor Robert Giroux’s relationship with confessional poet and writer John Berryman. Giroux, who published most of Berryman’s books in the US, studied with the poet at Columbia. They... Read More

Peter Nowak analyzes the phenomenon of real people dressing in costumes to fight crime and help others in "The Rise of Real-Life Superheroes". Since 1969, when a junior high school science teacher fought corporate pollution as “The... Read More

Kate Young’s cookbook addresses twinned appetites: for rich reading, and for seasonal flavors, from blood oranges in icy winters to vibrant rhubarbs at the first sign of spring. Young treats both reading and cooking as cozy,... Read More

In Faulkner’s Shadow is a lively literary memoir set in Oxford, Mississippi, the hometown of famed novelist William Faulkner. Oxford has produced more writers than most places. There’s competition, Lawrence Wells says, to see who... Read More