Books & Publishing

A fascinating new paper sheds light on how note keeping was once central to the pedagogical experience, deeply embedded in the whole social system of academe, writes Scott McLemee.

New book urges colleges to exercise not-so-common sense when it comes to optimizing the undergraduate experience and otherwise striving toward institutional excellence.

Author discusses his new book on the evolution of Middle East studies in specific and area studies more broadly.

Scott McLemee reviews Michael Shermer's new book, Skeptic, in which the author debunks Atlantis, Bigfoot and a host of other pseudoscientific topics, as well as explaining and reflecting on real scientific developments.

Author discusses his new book about why higher education still matters.

Scott McLemee reviews a new book that examines the long literary and political history of a femme fatale that embodies two aspects of Eden: the beguiling female and the deceiving reptile, merged, literally, into one.

Paul T. Corrigan urges professors to educate their students about how the value and power of textbooks can endure long after graduation.

Scott McLemee ruminates on the memoir of Barbara Ehrenreich, who, while more or less an agnostic, undergoes what sounds like the sort of crisis described by saints and mystics.