Category Archives: Books Publishing and Writing

Wildness and Savage Majesty Reigned

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Now did the soft breezes of the south steal sweetly over the genial face of nature, tempering the panting heats of summer into genial and prolific warmth; when that miracle of hardihood and chivalric virtue, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, History | Tagged A History of New York, Hudson River, Hudson Valley, New York, Peter Stuyvesant, Washington Irving | 2 Comments

Your Comedy and Mine

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: There came a day when the round of decorous pleasures and solemn gaieties in which Mr. Jos Sedley’s family indulged was interrupted by an event which happens in most houses. As you ascend the staircase of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged England, Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray | Leave a comment

Our Favorite Things in 2017

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: As you will quickly notice, we’re a grouchy, grumpy lot, all of whom are too old to keep up with new things, so this list consists of our favorite things we encountered this year whether or not … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Bitcoin, Books Publishing and Writing, Commercial art, Food and health, History, Linkathons, Media, Movies, Music, Performers, Television, The Good Life, Theater, Trends | Tagged Abel Ferrara, Adam Sandler, Alberto Lattuada, Apple, Arthur Fremantle, Ashley Judd, Aziz Ansari, BBC, bitcoin, Bob Odenkirk, carla bruni-sarkozy, Chairlift, Chantal Delsol, Christopher Nolan, Claude Barras, Cluster, CNN, Confederate statues, Cooper Hewitt, Courtney Barnett, Curtis Harding, David Attenborough, david lynch, Derren Brown, Don Miguel Gascon, Donald Trump, Douglas Murray, Eataly NYC Flatiron, Edgar Allan Poe, fake news, Filmstruck, Francois Ozon, Harvey Weinstein, Holt McCallany, Joe Rogan, Jonathan Groff, Keri Russell, Kurt Vile, Larry David, Louis C.K., M. Night Shyamalan, Maison Pickle, Matthew Rhys, michel houellebecq, Moses Sumney, Nadia Reid, Nathan Fielder, Noah Van Sciver, Pere Ubu, Radiohead, Raphael Semmes, Russia, Seth MacFarlane, Slowdive, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tacitus, Taylor Swift, The Civil War, The Duffer Brothers, Thomas Fleming, Tim Hortons, Tom Scioli, VCV Rack, Wonder Woman, Yeoman Colt, Yumi Zouma | 10 Comments

If I Must Have a Master, My Master Should Be a Great Man

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: By this time it was about midnight. One of her servants, waiting with her pelisse, went down to order her carriage. On her way home she fell naturally enough to musing over M. de Montriveau’s prediction. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing | Tagged branding game, France, Honore de Balzac, The Duchess of Langeaise | 2 Comments

“Ultrasociety” by Peter Turchin

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Paleo Retiree

Paleo Retiree writes: The book’s complete title: “Ultrasociety: How 10,000 Years of War Made Humans the Greatest Cooperators on Earth.” A stimulating, clear, fast and provocative attempt to explain via the principles of cultural evolution and population biology how humans … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, History, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged Cliodynamics, complexity, evolution, Evolutionary Biology, history, Peter Turchin | Leave a comment

All the Fine Pleasures of Life

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: I liked Hubert Woroniecki’s documentary on Elite Modeling kingpin John Casablancas, particularly the subject’s reflections on life, beauty, sex, and leisure. It’s based on voice recordings Casablancas made prior to his death, so it’s a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Movies, Sex, The Good Life | Tagged Camille Paglia, Casablancas: The Man Who Loved Women, documentaries, Film, Hubert Woroniecki, Hugh Hefner, John Casablancas, movies, Playboy | Leave a comment

Juxtaposin’: The Peculiar Institution

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The city of Savannah abounds in parks, as they are called—squares, fenced in, with trees. Young children and infants were there, with very respectable colored nurses—young women, with bandanna and plaid cambric turbans, and superior in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Movies, Politics and Economics | Tagged A Southside View of Slavery, Film, Franco Prosperi, Goodbye Uncle Tom, Gualtiero Jacopetti, movies, Nehemiah Adams, slavery | Leave a comment

“Citizen Jane: Battle for the City” (2016)

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: As the full title implies, director Matt Tyrnauer‘s documentary profile of writer and urban theorist Jane Jacobs frames her story in terms of confrontation. In this corner we have politician Robert Moses, the power broker of post-World … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Movies | Tagged David Rockefeller, Jane Jacobs, modernism, Nelson Rockefeller, New York City, Robert Moses, Rockefeller Foundation, spontaneous order, urban renewal | 4 Comments

Notes on Stephen Hicks’s “Explaining Postmodernism”

Posted on September 28, 2017 by The Mistaken

The Mistaken writes: Explaining Postmodernism is the clearest book I’ve read on postmodern theory and how it fits into our current political climate. Stephen Hicks is a professor of philosophy at Rockford University in Illinois, with a PhD in Philosophy … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | Tagged postmodernism, Stephen Hicks | 23 Comments

Book Notes: “The Whig Interpretation of History”

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: This short essay — which can be easily read in a weekend or even a single sitting — is a useful rejoinder to the idea that there exists a “right side of history.” Butterfield, a Cambridge don, takes … Continue reading →