Harper’s Magazine

Joseph Epstein on “Old Age and Other Laughs”

July 26, 2018

In his latest anthology of essays, The Ideal of Culture, Joseph Epstein devotes a chapter to “old age and other laughs.” He was 75 when he wrote the essay in 2012 for Commentary magazine. He and I are among the…

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It is the one thing that can’t be learned; it is also a sign of genius.

June 23, 2018

In The Ideal of Culture, his latest and best anthology of essays, Joseph Epstein devotes one of his chapters to a discussion of wit. He observes, “Wit is the expression of those who understand and are able to formulate and deflate…

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The Georgetown Set: A book review by Bob Morris

January 20, 2015

The Georgetown Set: Friends and Rivals in Cold War Washington Gregg Herken Alfred A. Knopf (2014) “The hand that mixes the Georgetown martini is time and again the hand that guides the destiny of the Western world.” Henry Kissinger. As…

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Essays in Biography: A book review by Bob Morris

August 22, 2014

Essays in Biography Joseph Epstein Axios Press (2012) The more we learn about others, it seems, the better we understand ourselves…at least sometimes I have read most of Joseph Epstein’s 13 collections of essays dating back to Divorced in America:…

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A Literary Education and Other Essays: A book review

August 20, 2014

A Literary Education and Other Essays Joseph Epstein Axios Press (2014) Compelling, eloquent evidence of one writer’s education: “First reality, then ideas” I have read most of Joseph Epstein’s collections of essays dating back to Divorced in America: Marriage in…

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Books about books and their authors that book lovers cherish

August 6, 2014

Amazon now sells more books in digital form than as bound volumes. Unlike those who read plot summaries because they are too busy to read books, book lovers worthy of the name read them in one and/or both versions and…

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