Jane Austen’s Free Indirect Speech
A short explanation of one way that Jane Austen changed literature.
The Evolution of Pronunciation
Which words do you mispronounce? Or rather, which words that you mispronounce today will eventually be “correct”?
The Stories Behind English Letters
If you’re reading this, odds are you know the 26 letters in the English alphabet. But do you know how they came to their current forms?
“Mrs. Foster Has Sworn A Rape”; or, What Do We Owe? Generosity, Attribution, and the Perilous Invisibility of Research Infrastructure
Attribution has many virtues, but among them it can make visible the vast infrastructure of research for a public largely unaware or unconcerned with how much hard-won knowledge, including creative endeavor, that research has facilitated.
When Contractions Don’t Work
Why do some contractions work and others don’t?
The Year in Review: 2023 in The Scholarly Kitchen
Before we launch into 2024, a look back at 2023 in The Scholarly Kitchen.
Quantifying Consolidation in the Scholarly Journals Market
We all know the journals market has rapidly consolidated over recent years. But where’s the data? I set out to find some numbers to put behind the common sense.
Fun with Toponyms
Place names tell us all sorts of interesting things about history and people. Also, what is the longest one word place name in the world?
The British Library: The Importance of Legal Deposit
“This library has every book ever published.” A visit to the British Library.
Libraries, Archives, Choice and Red Envelopes: The Growth of Streaming, the Decline of Choice, and the Death of the Red Envelope
The role of libraries and archives as streaming grows, choice declines, and the death of the red envelopes arrives.
Appeals Court Rules That Library of Congress Can No Longer Require Deposit of Published Works
An appeals court has ruled that it is unconstitutional for the government to require deposit of published works in the Library of Congress
The Size of Things: Historical Overlaps
What else was happening during well known historical events? Where did the fax machine and the Oregon Trail overlap? What about Woolly Mammoths and the Great Pyramids?
The Size of Things: Time in Context
What does the timeline of human existence look like when physically laid out to scale? How does that compare to the timeline of the universe?
Design Matters: Critiquing US Flag Designs
How well-designed is your state’s flag?
Is the Letter “R” a Vowel? What is a Vowel Anyway, and What Does How You Pronounce “R” Say About You?
Did your teacher lie to you when they told you that the only vowels were A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y?