Today’s What We’re Reading features a cold truth, the art of curation, NEH funding under attack, choosing a digital format for dissertations, and much more!
History Links
A Cold Truth about the Ice Business
A history of ice and ice boxes on the radio show Marketplace.
Was the Skeleton in the Leicester Car Park Really Richard III?
Historians raise doubts about the identity of the much-publicized skeleton found in 2012.
Street Fighter 2: An Oral History
An inside look at video game culture that starts with this tidbit: “In 1985, artist Akira Yasuda showed up to a Capcom job interview dressed in pajamas and a tie. He left his portfolio at home, saying fans stole his work because it was too good. Asked why he chose pajamas, he replied he wanted to look presentable and that was the only thing he owned with a collar.”
The Skinny on Harvard’s Rare Book Collection
This article, written in 2006, is still interesting—it’s about books bound in human skin.
Hans Ulrich Obrist: The Art of Curation
A curator writes about his life with art, including Yoko Ono’s, and reflects on his profession.
Tom Shieber, author of the Baseball Researcher blog, describes the process of uncovering and verifying the date of a film showing two baseball greats – Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson – squaring off at Yankee Stadium on June 1, 1925
The Profession
Michael Stratford for Inside Higher Ed reports on the latest proposal from Rep. Paul Ryan to make considerable cuts to Pell Grants, student loans, and research funding.
For the Persistent PhD Impulse, Gentle Dissuasion
A post on the Chronicle blog ponders whether pursuing a PhD in the humanities is closer to aspiring to be an actor or professional athlete than applying to a professional school.
L. Maren Wood discusses the anxieties PhD students may experience admitting to their advisors their aspirations for jobs outside of academia.
Publishing Your Work
Choosing the Best Format for Your Scholarship: Digital Dissertation Edition
Amanda Visconti, of Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities, talks about why she chose a digital format for her dissertation.
Fun and Off-Beat
Penguin Books is updating classic novels for the 21st century, by adding exclamation points at the end of every sentence!
This post first appeared on AHA Today.
Tags: AHA Today What We're Reading
Comment
Please read our commenting and letters policy before submitting.
