Blog

Becoming Jane (Austen) in the 21st Century: A Matter of Pride and Some Prejudice
Becoming Jane (Austen) in the 21st Century: A Matter of Pride and Some Prejudice
In her last completed novel, Persuasion, British author Jane Austen (1775–1817) wrote: “We none of us expect to be in smooth water all our days.” She couldn’t have known, of... Read more...
The Shadow Emperor: Unraveling the Complex Legacy of Napoleon III
The Shadow Emperor: Unraveling the Complex Legacy of Napoleon III
The Shadow Emperor: A Biography of Napoleon III by Alan Strauss-Schom offers an insightful and comprehensive examination of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most enigmatic figures in 19th-century Europe.... Read more...
Friedrich Nietzsche
10 Things You Might Not Know About Friedrich Nietzsche
1. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was briefly enlisted in the Prussian military until he injured himself jumping into the saddle of his horse and tore two muscles, leaving him unfit for... Read more...
In Memoriam: Michael White, Author and Renaissance Man
In Memoriam: Michael White, Author and Renaissance Man
The world lost a remarkable mind on February 6, 2018, with the passing of British author Michael White (February 16, 1959 – February 6, 2018), whose work spanned science, literature,... Read more...
John Keats: A New Life
John Keats: A New Life
John Keats by Nicholas Roe John Keats: A Literary Life, by R.S. White John Keats (Bloom’s Modern Critical Views), ed. By Harold Bloom The words “Romantic poetry” often conjure up... Read more...
In Memoriam: Jerry Fodor – The Mind Behind the Mind, and a Lover of Opera
In Memoriam: Jerry Fodor – The Mind Behind the Mind, and a Lover of Opera
Jerry Fodor, the renowned philosopher and cognitive scientist, passed away on November 29, 2017. His death marked the end of an era in philosophy, as he was one of the... Read more...
Peter Bondanella: More Than La Dolce Vita – A Scholar’s Enduring Influence on Italian Cinema and Culture
Peter Bondanella: More Than La Dolce Vita – A Scholar’s Enduring Influence on Italian Cinema and Culture
Peter Bondanella, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Italian Studies, Comparative Literature, and Film Studies at Indiana University, passed away on May 28, 2017, at the age of 73 near his home... Read more...
Review of Simply Dirac by Helge Kragh in Publisher's Weekly
Review of Simply Dirac by Helge Kragh in Publisher's Weekly
We’re excited to share the review of Simply Dirac by Helge Kragh, featured in Publisher's Weekly. Kragh’s accessible and engaging take on the life and work of physicist Paul Dirac... Read more...
Review of Simply Gödel by Richard Tieszen on Rudy Rucker's Blog
Review of Simply Gödel by Richard Tieszen on Rudy Rucker's Blog
A thoughtful review of Simply Gödel by Richard Tieszen is available on Rudy Rucker's blog. In this review, Rucker explores the connections between Gödel’s incompleteness theorems, phenomenology, and the idea... Read more...
Remembering Raymond Smullyan: The Man Who Made Logic Fun (Yes, Really)
Remembering Raymond Smullyan: The Man Who Made Logic Fun (Yes, Really)
Raymond Smullyan, the philosopher, mathematician, magician, and puzzle creator whose whimsical take on logic captivated minds around the world, passed away on February 6, 2017, at the age of 97.... Read more...
Leonardo and The Last Supper
Leonardo and The Last Supper
Ross King has published three engaging books, over the past sixteen years or so, that describe the creation of three of the best-known works of the Italian Renaissance: Florence’s Il... Read more...
A Good Sport: Leonhard Euler’s Contribution to a Modern Helmet
A Good Sport: Leonhard Euler’s Contribution to a Modern Helmet
What, if anything, does sports gear have in common with the field of mathematics? And, even more to the point, what role did a Swiss mathematician living in the 1700s... Read more...