History

"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history." — George Bernard Shaw

Acid’s First Convert, Cary Grant: On Edward J. Delaney’s “The Acrobat"
James Penner on Edward J. Delaney’s 2022 novel “The Acrobat."
James PennerNov 2, 2023
- Fiction
- History
No Fap: A Cultural History of Anti-Masturbation
Aya Labanieh analyzes the history of the anti-masturbation NoFap movement, which has historical roots far beyond contemporary internet culture.
Aya LabaniehNov 1, 2023
- Gender & Sexuality
- History
Not Only in America: On Benjamin D. Weber’s “American Purgatory”
Spencer J. Weinreich reviews Benjamin D. Weber’s “American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration.”
Spencer J. WeinreichOct 28, 2023
- History
- Politics
Empress Elisabeth and the Archives of Anorexia
In a preview of the new LARB Quarterly, no. 39: “Air,” Meghan Racklin considers the life and imperfectly rendered image of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Meghan RacklinOct 20, 2023
The Diasporic Worlds of Panama’s West Indian Women: On Joan Flores-Villalobos’s “The Silver Women”
Nicolle Alzamora reviews Joan Flores-Villalobos’s “The Silver Women: How Black Women’s Labor Made the Panama Canal.”
Nicolle AlzamoraOct 19, 2023
- History
Who Gets to Set the Research Agenda for the Planet? On Lorraine Daston’s “Rivals”
Deborah Coen pushes back against one part of Lorraine Daston’s “Rivals: How Scientists Learned to Cooperate” by arguing that what constitutes “success” is a matter of who is part of the scientific conversation (and who is not)—and thus a matter of standpoint.
Deborah R. CoenOct 17, 2023
Where Sables Roam: On Vladimir Arsenyev’s “Dersu Uzala” Trilogy
Noah Sparkes writes about Valdimir Arsenyev’s “Dersu Uzala” trilogy.
Noah SparkesOct 15, 2023
- History
After the Party: A Walking Tour of Manchester with Andy Spinoza
Chandler Dandridge takes a tour of Manchester with Andy Spinoza, author of “Manchester Unspun: Pop, Property, and Power in the Original Modern City.”
Chandler DandridgeOct 10, 2023
- History
- Music
Crony Capitalism, 16th-Century Style: On Philip J. Stern’s “Empire, Incorporated”
Dinyar Patel reviews Philip J. Stern’s “Empire, Incorporated: The Corporations That Built British Colonialism.”
Dinyar PatelOct 7, 2023
- Economics and Finance
- History
The Struggle Continues: On Vincent Bevins’s “If We Burn”
Tyler McBrien reviews Vincent Bevins’s “If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution.”
Tyler McBrienOct 3, 2023
Ostalgie: Revisiting East Germany
Does nostalgia for the old East Berlin come from a deeper longing for socialism?
Matthew LongoOct 1, 2023
The Law-Breaking Supreme Court: On Stephen Vladeck’s “The Shadow Docket”
Andrew Koppelman reviews Stephen Vladeck’s “The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.”
Andrew KoppelmanSep 27, 2023