History

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

Oliver Morton: Science Journalism and Humanity’s Fascination with the Moon
Eliot Peper talks to Oliver Morton about his new book, "The Moon: A History for the Future."
Eliot PeperMar 6, 2020
Thinking Like a Plant: On Daniel Belgrad’s “The Culture of Feedback: Ecological Thinking in ’70s America”
Lewis Page considers “The Culture of Feedback: Ecological Thinking in ’70s America” by Daniel Belgrad.
Lewis PageMar 5, 2020
- Cultural Studies
- History
An Epic Struggle for Mastery of a Subcontinent
Priya Satia reviews William Dalrymple's "The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire."
Priya SatiaMar 3, 2020
Histories of Violence: Unlearning History
Brad Evans speaks with Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, whose most recent book is “Potential History: Unlearning Imperialism.”
Brad EvansMar 2, 2020
- Histories of Violence
- History
Undercover Lovers, or How The CIA Became Style
Greg Barnhisel considers how our stories about the Cold War are evolving from politically urgent realist narratives to a narrative convention itself.
Greg BarnhiselMar 1, 2020
The Voices from Inside: On “Prison Truth”
A history of a California prison newspaper says a lot about changing attitudes toward the incarcerated.
Robin Kaiser-SchatzleinMar 1, 2020
- History
- Politics
The Road to Glory: Faulkner’s Hollywood Years, 1932–1936
Lisa C. Hickman reconstructs William Faulkner’s tumultuous Hollywood sojourn of 1932–1936.
Lisa C. HickmanFeb 27, 2020
- History
- Nonfiction
Mescaline’s Bio, Soberly Considered
Philip Alcabes considers Mike Jay’s biography of the psychedelic drug mescaline.
Philip AlcabesFeb 26, 2020
- History
- Science & Technology
Anatomy of a Neo-Noir Masterpiece
A richly detailed new study of the best movie ever made about Los Angeles.
Rob LathamFeb 24, 2020
- Film
- History
The Wilde Woman and the Sunflower Apostle: Oscar Wilde in the United States
Victoria Dailey looks back at Oscar Wilde’s wild ride through the United States in the early 1880s.
Victoria DaileyFeb 8, 2020
Quantum Conversations, Entanglement, and the American Cold War “Physics Bubble”
Historian of science Michael D. Gordin reviews his former lab partner’s new book on the fuzziness of the quantum world.
Michael D. GordinFeb 7, 2020
- History
- Science & Technology
Whose Utopia Gets to Be Built?: An Interview with Eric Nusbaum
Chavez Ravine is one of L.A.’s most venerated spots, and also one of its haunted places.
Sam RibakoffFeb 6, 2020
- History
- Politics