Before the Civil War, the clerk was “a small but unusual phenomenon.” By the end of the 19th century, clerical workers were a social force to be reckoned with. This is the story of their rise.
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Think of This as a Window: Remembering the Life and Work of Maggie Estep
“I moved to Lower Manhattan when I was seventeen. The only things I cared about were books and music.”
Making the Magazine: A Reading List
27 must-read stories on the making of the world’s greatest magazines.
How to Be Aca-Awesome
An interview with Kay Cannon, Pitch Perfect screenwriter, on how her a cappella comedy might be changing the definition of cool.
The Craft of Poetry: A Semester with Allen Ginsberg
An intimate recollection of a Beat legend.
The Twisted History of Your Favorite Board Game
An interview with Mary Pilon about her new book, ‘The Monopolists,’ which uncovers the real story about how Monopoly became the game it is today.
‘I Would Prefer Not To’: The Origins of the White Collar Worker
Before the Civil War, the clerk was “a small but unusual phenomenon.” By the end of the 19th century, clerical workers were a social force to be reckoned with. This is the story of their rise.
A Conversation With Writer Colm Tóibín on the ‘Close Imagining’ of Fiction
“A really good idea might come to you at night and seem really wrong in the morning. So you’re always testing things.”
Joan Didion Dismissed ‘Franny and Zooey’ as a Self-Help Book ‘for Sarah Lawrence Girls’
In 1961, Joan Didion reviewed J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey for The National Review.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Our favorite stories of the week, featuring, The New Yorker, California Sunday, New York Times Magazine, MIT Technology Review, and Next City.

