A journal of American letters

The First Four Million

The First Four Million

Four centuries after the refugees of Troy arrived on the shores of Italy, a legendary king established the promised new city whose stature would one day rival that of the old; it would take five more centuries to rise even as a regional power, and two more still...
The Fairest Portion of the Earth

The Fairest Portion of the Earth

For months on end four years ago, Americans watched their cities burned and looted as their leaders cowered or turned their backs. In the worst-hit places —  Minneapolis, Seattle, Philadelphia, Atlanta — whole blocks were reduced to ash and rubble, or made safe...