“Where Woolf hesitated to praise her own writing, she wasn’t nearly so shy about her talent for baking. … Bread was her specialty, particularly a traditionally British double-decker creation: the snowmanesque cottage loaf.”
Month: January 2013
200 Years Of Pride And Prejudice Covers
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes it’s OK to judge a book by its cover. This week marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of one of Jane Austen’s most beloved novels … [and] the numerous editions of the original text have also seen a wealth of interpretive covers: from the annotated to the peacock-inspired.”
An Artifact Of Aleppo’s Happier Days
“At The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C., there is moving evidence of an earlier, more peaceful time in that now-beleaguered Syrian hub: photographs of 19th century women in gold-trimmed velvet jackets, flowing pants and, on their heads, finely woven skull caps. One such small and brimless cap, made in 1800, is on display at the museum.”
The Art Of Programming New Work (It’s A Dance)
“There’s no one way artistic directors go about finding new work to bolster their seasons and raise their company profiles. It’s as individualized a process as directing a company.”
Washington Performing Arts Society Gets A New Director
“Bilfield, who transformed Stanford Live (formerly Lively Arts at Stanford) from a simple university presenter to a full-fledged producing organization and oversaw the planning and construction of the new Bing Concert Hall, which opened earlier this month, will become only the fourth leader in WPAS’s 47-year history.”
Your E-Book Is Tracking You
“You can tell everything about how somebody reads a book,” says Turow, “whether they are the kind that skips to the end, how fast they read, what they skip … So [data from e-readers] can give the author specific feedback. You know, ’35 percent of the people who bought this book quit after the first two chapters.’ “
Do Cool Tech Giants Design Cool Homes For Themselves?
“This building (provisionally due to open in 2016) is, like the iPad, iPhone and others, a smooth, seamless and slick product rather than a piece of architecture.”
London’s West End Box Office Up Slightly In 2012
“Overall sales increased by 0.27% to £529.7m, with audiences up 0.56% to 13.99 million on 2011’s totals.”
Big Vocabulary = Success
“Vocabulary size is a convenient proxy for a whole range of educational attainments and abilities–not just skill in reading, writing, listening, and speaking but also general knowledge of science, history, and the arts. If we want to reduce economic inequality in America, a good place to start is the language-arts classroom.”
Detectives Probe For Bolshoi Secrets
“Among their tasks is to peer into the dark side of the ballet company: old rivalries and professional grudges that Bolshoi officials believe may have motivated the attack.”