Burn the Paintings

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Is iconoclasm anything more than the senseless destruction of art?

The Lure of Hidden Treasure

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Reading Harry Hervey's search for lost treasure made me realize I was holding a hidden treasure of my own: Harry's writing.

Inside the the Régie d’Opium

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In French Indochina in 1925, Harry Hervey examines men in their worst role: that of an altruist. An excerpt from the newly released

Searching for Michelangelo

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Michelangelo’s most famous work doesn’t show us anything about the life of the artist himself. For those works, he had to understand suffering first.

Glory at the Fountain of Coca Cola

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Coca Cola might just be the closest thing we have to a religion that worships the idea of America — The World of Coca Cola certainly presents itself as such.

A Spoonful of Sugar

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"Sweets" might sound like a tame recipe booklet, but the tale of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound is actually pretty creepy.

What’s In an Anniversary?

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People were annoyed with Proust even when he was alive, so how can we keep him relevant today? By forcefully pushing his anniversary, of course.