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Birdseye packed and froze his fish fillets in the patented cartons he developed
Clarence Birdseye And His Fantastic Frozen Food Machine
()Clarence Birdseye's life as a taxidermist, fur trader, hunter, and fish lobbyist all led to his creation of the modern frozen food industry. His inventions made frozen food tastier and more widely available to consumers.
Exclusive First Read: 'Gone Girl' By Gillian Flynn
Nick and Amy, the perfect couple, are soon revealed to be unreliable narrators — and spouses.
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My '70s Show — Remembering 'Ecotopia' Author Ernest Callenbach
In the '70s, Callenbach's environmentalist cult-classic, Ecotopia, helped inspire a movement.
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Get Ready To Celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day
On Thursday, tuck a poem into your back pocket to share with loved ones and colleagues.
()The Salt
The California Taco Trail: 'How Mexican Food Conquered America'()
April 23, 2012 Once upon a time, tacos were a Mexican snack. Now they're an all-American institution. Gustavo Arellano leads us across Southern California in search of the roots of the American taco.
You Must Read This
Beyond The 'Blonde': A Look At Marilyn's Inner Life()
May 9, 2012 Flamboyant and confident, Marilyn Monroe oozed sex appeal. But in Joyce Carol Oates' Blonde, we see a woman overshadowed by her onscreen persona. Author Manuel Munoz says the novel gives a glimpse into the star's interior life. Have a favorite book about a celebrity? Tell us in the comments.
Books
The St. Cuthbert Gospel: 1,300 Years Old, And Looking Pretty Good ()
April 20, 2012 The St. Cuthbert Gospel was buried alongside its titular saint in the late seventh century, making it Europe's oldest intact book. After a massive fundraising campaign, the British Library acquired the handwritten, leather-bound tome, which is in surprisingly good condition.
Books
From Kerouac To Rand, 'Harmful' Reads For Writers()
April 19, 2012 Crawford Kilian advises aspiring writers to avoid Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and eight other well-known novels. In a piece for the Canadian online daily The Tyee, the columnist writes, "their readable styles look so easy that they might seduce a young writer into imitating them."
Books
On Writing A Best-Seller (Shhh, There's a Formula)()
April 17, 2012 To Kill a Mockingbird and Valley of the Dolls have more in common than you think. In his new book Hit Lit, mystery writer James Hall argues that best-sellers from the past century share 12 features.
Poetry
A Poem Store Open For Business, In The Open Air()
April 17, 2012 Zach Houston makes a living on the streets of San Francisco by composing poems on a manual typewriter. Give him a topic, and he'll pound out a poem in a matter of minutes — hopefully for a donation that will help him stay in business.
Essays
The DOJ E-Book Lawsuit: Is It 1934 All Over Again?()
April 12, 2012 The Department of Justice's lawsuit against Apple and five major publishers for e-book price fixing sent shivers through the industry — but Jason Boog says this fraught relationship between American publishers, retailers and the DOJ goes back to the Great Depression.
Best Books (And Surprising Insights) On Lincoln()
April 10, 2012 Politicians love to invoke Honest Abe, often while twisting his legacy to fit their own purposes. But who was the man, really? Three Lincoln historians discuss the books they think best capture the president's character.
Simple Tweets Of Fate: Teju Cole's Condensed News()
April 9, 2012 Every day, Nigerian-American novelist Teju Cole skims newspapers from present-day Nigeria and 1912's New York City. He turns the odd news of the day into the ironic, illuminating Tweets he calls "Small Fates."
