In Search of Civilization

A brave and spirited assault against the forces of cultural entropy, this meditation upon the virtues of civilization by a down-to-earth philosopher proves that what is most missing from our civic discourse is a long-range perspective steeped in enduring verities.

June 19: On this day in 1816, the Shelleys, Lord Byron, and entourage gathered at the Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva to tell the ghost stories that would trigger Frankenstein. This most legendary of storm-tossed evenings inspired…

Very few debut novels exhibit the charm, assurance, emotional depth and bravura fabulation which the lucky reader will discover in Helene Wecker's

advertisement