Coming this fall from @wwnorton.com... A stonemason's tale of conserving Canterbury Cathedral, Angkor Wat, Trevi Fountain, Obelisk of Axum, and more. "A captivating, informative journey with an expert guide."― KIRKUS "What a joy to read a craftsman so clearly in love with his craft."―Simon Jenkins

Coming this fall from @wwnorton.com... "A wide-ranging, eye-opening, and entertaining survey of the weird and wonderful world of Wikipedia"- @libraryjournal.bsky.social ⭐ "Expertly reported, alive with fascinating details, and written with remarkable narrative flair."- @markoconnell.bsky.social

O holy day! Today marks the 43rd anniversary of the hallowed day (8/3/83) Prince played a benefit for Minnesota Dance Theatre at First Avenue, debuting "Purple Rain"--and it's this immortal version that is heard in the movie and on the record. h/t @chrissteller.bsky.social *who was there!*

"a handful"? Who wrote that? There is no such thing as a handful of dead American soldiers. Do you not know the number? Find the number.

NPR@npr.org · 4d ago

Staff Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad is one of a handful of service members who've recently died in the conflict with Iran. Her family says she knew from a young age she wanted to serve in the military.

Poor St. Paul just can't get a break this week. Pearson's started in Minneapolis before moving to St Paul, making the American classic "Salted Nut Roll" a truly Twin Cities enterprise. Goodbye Pearson's, you deserve an homage 🧵

madi mcvan@madisonmcvan.bsky.social · 6d ago

pearson's in st. paul is closing and laying off all its workers

Thank you to indie booksellers nationwide for making Oana Aristide's ASTRONAUT! a @literaryhub.bsky.social independent press bestseller, and in such good company.

An exceptional piece of writing from @leanderalphabet.bsky.social that sums the whole World Cup up defector.com/fifa-got-wha...

Thankful for so much first-rate, thoughtful World Cup commentary here these hothouse weeks @alexshephard.bsky.social @brianphillips.lol @clintsmithiii.bsky.social @jodyrosen.bsky.social @michaelcaley.bsky.social @leanderalphabet.bsky.social @tariqpanja.bsky.social @douglasmack.bsky.social et al...

Watch the Apollo 11 Moon landing "live", as it was presented on TV by Walter Cronkite 57 years ago today. The landing starts at 4:10pm EDT and the moon walk at 10:51 pm EDT. [kottke.org]

Watch 1969’s Apollo 11 Moon Landing “Live!”

57 years ago today, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon and went for a little walk. For the 18th year in a row, you can watch the original CBS News coverage of Walter Cronkite reporting on t

kottke.org

"ASTRONAUT! - with an exclamation point - is the title of Oana Aristide's new novel, which is all at once a family drama, a who-done-it, a workplace comedy and a-coming-of-age story as the Iron Curtain begins to crumble all over Eastern Europe."--Scott Simon, NPR Weekend Edition

No matter what kind of day you are having, this👇 will make it better. 🥹 🚲 ❤️

First team to 10 goals wins

Happy 50th birthday today to @booksmith.bsky.social and its booksellers in San Francisco.

The Booksmith@booksmith.bsky.social · last mo.

we are turning FIFTY. let's party: Saturday, July 18, all day long. cocktails, special day-only merch, giveaways, and MORE. details here: booksmith.com/event/booksm...

Would attend a Society for Latrine Archaeology conference and subscribe to its journal

Medievalist.net@medievalists.bsky.social · 3w ago

Medieval Notebook Discovered in German Latrine www.medievalists.net/2026/05/medi... #Manuscripts

Lies of the regime, a child's dreams of a better life, and laughter and defiance in terrible times... What a wonderful @npr.org interview with Oana Aristide about her novel ASTRONAUT! www.npr.org/2026/07/18/n...

When the state invents the truth: Oana Aristide discusses her new novel, 'Astronaut!'

A little girl dreams of color and a detective dreams of truth as he tries to catch a serial killer in communist Romania: NPR's Scott Simon talks with Ona Aristide about her new novel, "Astronaut!"

npr.org

This is terrific and worth your time. (One of the many things I admire about it is that it makes the persuasive arguments without pretending that we’ll be able to discern the AI from the human-generated.)

J. Robert Lennon@jrobertlennon.com · 3w ago

I didn't want to write about AI or have an AI policy for EPOCH because I thought it went without saying...that was naive of me, I think. Click through to read my blog post on the subject, if you like.

The Library of Congress is acquiring Grant Wahl's papers, which is incredible news, even if it only makes me miss him more. Especially right now. time.com/article/2026...

This Should Have Been the Grant Wahl World Cup

The preeminent soccer journalist in the U.S. died at the 2022 tournament.

time.com

For the @bostonglobe.com I wrote about David Rees's GET YOUR WAR ON, the book that somehow made me feel sane when the world felt insane, the definitive look at how gen-X came of age amid war, terror, and the dot com bubble & bust. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/09/a...

In ‘Get Your War On,’ David Rees helped Generation X grow the [expletive] up - The Boston Globe

The global war on terror kicked off just as the dot-com bubble was getting ready to burst, all of which coincided with the coming of age of my generation, the slackers and cynics and losers we call Ge...

bostonglobe.com

On Thursday, July 16, the friends from @goldengoalmag.bsky.social are hosting @rorysmith.bsky.social, @simonkuper.bsky.social, @ishaantharoor.bsky.social and little old me for a panel discussion about the World Cup. 7pm. McNally Jackson in Brooklyn. RSVP here: mcnallyjackson.com/event/2026-0...

Making Sense of the 2026 World Cup

McNally Jackson is an independent bookstore with five New York locations.

mcnallyjackson.com

The Anniversary Collection Celebrating 80 Years of Farrar, Straus and Giroux Cover art by Alex Merto and Charlotte Grimm.

Cristiano Ronaldo: what if a mall in Dubai was a person

Hail and farewell, Mike Wallace. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/b...

Mike Wallace, Who Wrote an Acclaimed History of New York, Dies at 83

nytimes.com

Round of 32 results by shirt color Red 7-0 White 5-3 Green 1-1 Yellow 2-4 Blue 1-6 Orange 0-2

America42

Punk Rock History@punkrockhistory.bsky.social · last mo.

42 years ago today – SST Records released a second legendary double album. Zen Arcade is the second studio album by the American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released on July 3, 1984. #punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #zenarcade #hüskerdü #history #punkrockhistory

The great Vale of the Mississippi between St Paul and Minneapolis. On the right is the original United States as defined by the Treaty of Paris, 1783. On the left is the Louisiana Purchase, 1804.

Soccer is my favorite sport and always will be, but Jesus Christ they've got to do something about this VAR issue. Every exciting moment devolves into legalistic nitpicking and standing around. For a match like this to end with Zapruder analysis and trigonometry is simply not fun!!!

That’s why Italy no longer qualifies for the World Cup.

Favorite works of fiction with exclamation marks in their titles GO, DOG. GO! O PIONEERS! ABSALOM, ABSALOM! SWAMPLANDIA! ASTRONAUT! by Oana Aristide, out from @wwnorton.com later this month... "A splendid novel... A stirring ode to the goodness that persists despite humanity’s cruelty."―PW