Carolyn Wells

Imagine having to recreate a masterpiece, not once, but twice — that’s the incredible story of the binding for an edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. Sangorski agonised over every detail, at one point borrowing a human skull so he could accurately depict it in his artistic vision. He even bribed a keeper at […]

Being born royalty is a bizarre thing. It is an even stranger position to then be dethroned. Helen Lewis impartially explores the people left in this unique situation. In some ways, his story is quintessentially Millennial: In previous generations, a crown prince could look forward to a secure, permanent job, with a salary and great […]

JJ Goode uses rich and beautiful language to contemplate his subject matter: poo. His ponderings on why we talk so freely about masticating, but not defecating, are nothing but fascinating. After seven years submerged in the toilet bowl of parenthood, coauthoring cookbooks by day and wiping butts by night, it began to strike me as […]

Laura Jedeed vividly brings to life a bizarre evening she spent at James O’Keefe’s book launch. She is left bemused by the spectacle, and no wonder —  it’s a wild ride! Fake news. Those two words singlehandedly rescued O’Keefe from obscurity and set him on a path to greatness. By Trump’s metric, Project Veritas’ journalism […]

Rose Minutaglio explores the bizarre story of an attempted kidnapping that never happened — a case study in the desire for attention going too far. Experts say that the problem with these types of “awareness” videos is that once an account of trafficking goes viral—real or not—legitimate nonprofits like the National Human Trafficking Hotline receive […]

What is so special about a particular tree harvested from a forest in Belize? Ellen Ruppel Shell finds out in this meticulous essay. But then, there it was: a Paul Bunyan–size log, wedged deep in a gully and covered in undergrowth. In an instant, Novak knew this tree was truly extraordinary. But he had no […]

Lena Crown picks apart some disturbing facets of growing up in a wealthy Californian high school. Ready to learn about Fantasy Slut League? She still finds it hard to take FSL seriously, or to think of it as harmful. This is despite the fact that the culture of competition behind FSL often made her question […]

Jude Isabella takes a detailed look at the Indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego — people who have been described in many different ways over thousands of years. The written record, centuries deep, becomes the narrative, limited and blinkered by the lens of a vastly different culture. There is a different story. Or, more precisely, […]

This is an insightful first-person account of the shifting role of an English doctor. The comparison offered — 30 years apart — tells a powerful story.  Today, unlike 30 years ago, all patients are strangers and, as my catchment area now extends into different London boroughs, even the places I go are unfamiliar. Gone is […]