No other genre lends itself so readily to the well-turned phrase as the swashbuckler. Something about the combination of adventure, swordplay, and high romance liberates, and lubricates, a writer’s flair for the dramatic. Whether swinging from a chandelier or the rigging of a ship, swashbuckling heroes are as quick with a bon mot as a […]
There is nothing quite as gratifying as a good comeuppance—it can even outmatch a good revenge, in some cases. Although the two definitely overlap, revenges are engineered by mere mortals. Comeuppances, however, read as if the universe itself stepped in to make sure that justice is doled out properly. Here are our favorite examples of karmic […]
I love opening a new book and taking a big whiff of fresh ink. Nothing delights a bibliophile’s nose more than a hardcover that still smells like the printing press. Except, perhaps, a dusty antique paperback that promises a world apart. But what if the Grapes of Wrath actually smelled like cheap wine? Or Tom […]
