Researchers at the University of Toronto analyzed some of the novels of Agatha Christie, and they've come up with a startling post-mortem diagnosis: The doyenne of English mystery fiction had Alzheimer's. They base their claim on a decreased complexity in Christie's grammar. Says the Guardian, "The most abrupt decline was seen in a novel Christie … Continue reading Dame Memory

I've blogged about needlessly expensive editions of books whose primary purpose seem to be separating plutocrats from their lucre. (See items here and here.) This time, though, I genuinely covet one of these "oligarch editions." The Man Booker Prize and Oak Tree Fine Press produce the "First Chapter Series," which combines fine art and first … Continue reading The Thing of Beauty