Category Archives: Uncategorized

How sad to learn that writing and publishing 60 books—many superb—does not make one immortal. He never won the Nobel Prize. He didn’t need to. The quality of his best work will carry him. His plots weren’t memorable; unlike Dickens … Continue reading →

Books are filthy. I found that out some months ago when I volunteered to help re-shelve books as part of a renovation project at the Mercantile Library in Manhattan. The library, founded by merchants in 1820—before there was a public … Continue reading →

The other day my friend Oliver and I rode the Quiet Car from Washington, D.C., to New York City. We were returning home from our separate Christmas visits, Oliver to a friend and a cousin, and I from my sister, … Continue reading →

To the extent that the world is striped it is a happy place. I call your attention to the following: awnings, beach umbrellas, cabana huts along the Riviera, gondolier’s shirts, straw hats, tigers and zebras, barber poles, candy canes and … Continue reading →