If you’re ready to dive into literature’s spookiest genre, we’ve got a few suggestions to start with – 10 beloved horror books and some contemporary releases for a scary October read. Read more
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These immersive works of journalism follow ordinary Americans facing long odds. Read more
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The 15th through 17th centuries saw a wave of “witch hunts” break out across the Western world: the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, the 1428 Valais Hexen hunts in what is now Switzerland, and the myriad persecutions in Scotland and Ireland after the passage of the Witchcraft Acts of 1563 and 1586 (respectively) are only a few of the many witchcraft-related uproars that plagued Europe and America.
The idea of witches had been present in folklore all the way back to the time of the ancient Romans. But a persecution on this scale hadn’t occurred before across nations. What could have prompted these 300 years of deadly witch hunts? A new study published in the journal Theory and Society seems to have pinpointed the source of this outbreak of witchcraft panic. And as it turns out, the culprit for the deadly craze is none other than Johannes Gutenberg. No, the famed German inventor was not some master of the occult. But his most notable invention, the printing press, is what helped the massive spreading of a new theory of witchcraft in the 15th century, according to this study.
One particularly damaging mass-produced book—a text called Malleus Maleficarum, written in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer, a Dominican friar—reshaped how the Western world saw the practice of witchcraft. As the study writes, this new line of thinking “depicted witchcraft as conspiratorial activity against godly society and not simply mischief by village sorceresses, pagans, or ignorant peasants.”
More than just crafting a conspiracy theory, Malleus Maleficarum—which translates to “The Hammer of Evil-Doers”—also served as “the first printed guide for witch-hunters” Read more
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The writer Megan Kamalei Kakimoto recommends books that illuminate the islands’ rich history and storytelling spirit. Read more
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Whether through atrophy or apathy, a generation of students is reading fewer books. They might read more as they age—older adults are the most voracious readers—but the data are not encouraging. The American Time Use Survey shows that the overall pool of people who read books for pleasure has shrunk over the past two decades. A couple of professors told me that their students see reading books as akin to listening to vinyl records—something that a small subculture may still enjoy, but that’s mostly a relic of an earlier time. Read more
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The Irish city, once home to the likes of James Joyce and Oscar Wilde, is known for its bookstores, libraries and pubs, where writers found inspiration over pints of Guinness. Read more
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If you know nothing else about medieval European illuminated manuscripts, you surely know the Book of Kells. “One of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures” comments Medievalists.net, “it is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number of illustrations that run throughout the 680 pages of the book.” The work not only attracts scholars, but almost a million visitors to Dublin every year. Read more
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Many of these properties allow book lovers to sleep in the same suites where famous authors once stayed or resided. Others offer guests a chance to explore the historic corners that inspired the settings of best-selling novels. Travelers have long followed in the footsteps of artistic luminaries, but curling up in the same cozy nook where your favorite author penned their magnum opus takes literary travel to a whole new level. Read more
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Seven writers and editors discuss what they love most about this faithful companion of grammar nerds everywhere. Read more
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Other people can be baffling; these titles attempt to unravel a bit of their mystery. Read more
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