The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “books”

What Makes People Compelling
What Makes People Compelling

The art of mastering the vital osmosis of two conflicting qualities.

read article

The Poetic Principle: Poe on Truth, Love, Reason, and the Human Impulse for Beauty
The Poetic Principle: Poe on Truth, Love, Reason, and the Human Impulse for Beauty

“A poem deserves its title only inasmuch as it excites, by elevating the soul. The value of the poem is in the ratio of this elevating excitement.”

read article

The Ego and the Universe: Alan Watts on Becoming Who You Really Are
The Ego and the Universe: Alan Watts on Becoming Who You Really Are

“Unless one is able to live fully in the present, the future is a hoax. There is no point whatever in making plans for a future which you will never be able to enjoy.”

read article

From Galileo to Sagan, Famous Scientists on the Art of Wonder, the Mystery of the Universe, and the Heart of Science
From Galileo to Sagan, Famous Scientists on the Art of Wonder, the Mystery of the Universe, and the Heart of Science

“It would be a very dull universe for any intelligent being were everything of importance to be known.”

read article

Much Loved: Portraits of Beloved Childhood Teddies
Much Loved: Portraits of Beloved Childhood Teddies

What a forty-something bear might know about the meaning of life.

read article

Industrial Sublime: How New York City’s Bridges and Rivers Became a Muse of Modernism
Industrial Sublime: How New York City’s Bridges and Rivers Became a Muse of Modernism

How a city of contrasts inspired a generation of artists.

read article

Astronaut Chris Hadfield on Success and the Meaning of Life
Astronaut Chris Hadfield on Success and the Meaning of Life

“If you view crossing the finish line as the measure of your life, you’re setting yourself up for a personal disaster.”

read article

John Lennon’s Semi-Sensical Poetry and Prose, Illustrated with His Charming Drawings
John Lennon’s Semi-Sensical Poetry and Prose, Illustrated with His Charming Drawings

Subtle critique of culture’s hypocrisies, wrapped in bewitching gibberish.

read article

Sir Quentin Blake’s Quirky Illustrated Alphabet Book
Sir Quentin Blake’s Quirky Illustrated Alphabet Book

“A is for apples, some green and some red, B is for breakfast we’re having in bed.”

read article

The Future of Love: A Humorous Century-Old Prediction for the Age of Data
The Future of Love: A Humorous Century-Old Prediction for the Age of Data

The Stimulus and the Response go on a date.

read article

View Full Site

The Marginalian participates in the Bookshop.org and Amazon.com affiliate programs, designed to provide a means for sites to earn commissions by linking to books. In more human terms, this means that whenever you buy a book from a link here, I receive a small percentage of its price, which goes straight back into my own colossal biblioexpenses. Privacy policy. (TLDR: You're safe — there are no nefarious "third parties" lurking on my watch or shedding crumbs of the "cookies" the rest of the internet uses.)