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The Beatles of Comedy

In 1968, a group of young English comedians made a TV special called How to Irritate People. Pitched for the U.S. market, the show was meant to get Americans excited about a new wave of British…
AUTHOR:David Free
LENGTH: 16 minutes (4213 words)

Nelson, Trafalgar and the Meaning of Victory

Andrew Lambert explains why Nelson’s life and death should never be forgotten. On October 21st, 1805, the Royal Navy ended the greatest threat to Britain, and her world position, since the…
PUBLISHED: Oct. 20, 2004
LENGTH: 15 minutes (3862 words)

How Many Stephen Colberts Are There?

Stephen Colbert dressing for a rehearsal of "The Colbert Report." More Photos » There used to be just two Stephen Colberts, and they were hard enough to distinguish. The main difference…
PUBLISHED: Jan. 4, 2012
LENGTH: 22 minutes (5591 words)

Six To Eight Black Men

I'VE NEVER BEEN MUCH for guidebooks, so when trying to get my bearings in a strange American city, I normally start by asking the cabdriver or hotel clerk some silly question regarding the latest…
PUBLISHED: Dec. 1, 2002
LENGTH: 7 minutes (1949 words)

Dickens and the Construction of Christmas

In October 1843, Charles Dickens began the writing of one of his most popular and best- loved books, A Christmas Carol. It was written in six weeks and finished by the end of November, being fitted…
PUBLISHED: Dec. 1, 1993
LENGTH: 16 minutes (4094 words)

Top 10 Longreads of 2011

6. What Really Happened Aboard Air France Flight 447Jeff Wise | Popular Mechanics | Dec. 6, 2011 | 17 minutes (4,253 words) A fatal human error, repeated over and over again, as the reader observes…
LENGTH: 1 minutes (371 words)

The Book of Jobs

What this transition meant, however, is that jobs and livelihoods on the farm were being destroyed. Because of accelerating productivity, output was increasing faster than demand, and prices fell…
PUBLISHED: Jan. 12, 2012
LENGTH: 5 minutes (1475 words)

Latin America’s Total War

Peter H. Wilson revisits the War of the Triple Alliance, Latin America’s bloodiest conflict. While Europeans and North Americans forged nations through inter-national and civil wars in the…
PUBLISHED: April 22, 2004
LENGTH: 1 minutes (271 words)

The Week’s Best Reads

My Unfinished 9/11 Business Bill Keller, The New York Times Magazine The executive editor of The New York Times examines his supportand regretfor the Iraq War. It
PUBLISHED: Sept. 10, 2011
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