They Read It For The Articles: Playboy’s First Nudity-Free Issue, Reviewed

Playboy doing away with naked women … might sound like Vogue doing away with fashion, or Cat Fancy doing away with cats, or, frankly, Vanity Fair doing away with movie stars and badly behaving rich people. … Now that the ‘the articles’ are, indeed, the only reason to read Playboy, the question is raised: Are they, in fact, any good?”

The Art Of Genius – An Uneven, Messy Quality

“Thanks to the diversity of human experience and human talents, we know that genius isn’t a monolithic quality that appears in identical form everywhere we find it. Einstein’s genius was different from Curie’s, and scientific genius is different from musical genius. Celebrity, on the other hand, tends to follow more predictable patterns.”

Glenda Jackson Is Returning To The Stage – In Shakespeare’s Greatest Role For Older Actors

Twenty-five years ago, when Jackson gave up acting for politics, she was considered perhaps the most formidable actress in the English language; after 23 years as a Labour MP, she retired from Parliament last year. She’ll be back on the boards later this year at the Old Vic, with Deborah Warner as director, playing …

Will Small, Used-Book Bookstores Be The Last Ones Standing?

“The not very glamorous economic answer is that it’s a lot easier to make money selling used books. … On the whole, the problem with new books is that there’s a list price set by the publisher and a discount price that’s also set by the publisher. So, as a new bookseller, you have no control over what the book sells for or what you pay for it. With used books, if you’re smart, you find ways to get them cheap, and you decide what you price them at.”