For those of you who won’t rest until you find out the truth about how Chris McCandless died, know that neither will Jon Krakauer. His recent discoveries appear in the afterword to a new edition of Into the Wild, released in 2015. Also check out this Millions essay on extreme survival books.
How Chris McCandless Died
The Buffalo Prize
Hobart (who just joined Twitter) is running a new contest dubbed The Buffalo Prize. Enter for a shot at $500, or if you're feeling saucy, for the bonus $100 prize awarded to the "best cover letter ridiculing or praising contests." They're also calling for interns to join their team, too.
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Kool As the Other Side of the Pillow
"If you lack a competent distributor down here, then consider me at your service. Nothing would make me happier than to drive Salems off the market for good and ever. It’s without a doubt the foulest cigarette in the history of tobacco-addicted man—a tasteless mish-mash of paper and dry weeds." Boy, Hunter S. Thompson really hated Salems.
The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature posits that human violence is becoming less and less common in civilized culture. If your interest was piqued by the book's review in The New York Times, you will no doubt be interested in his Edge Master Class as well.
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Howard Jacobson on Table Tennis
Tablet Magazine publishes Booker prize winner (and one-time ranked junior table tennis player) Howard Jacobson's essay on flamboyant ping-pong champ Marty Reisman for the first time in the U.S.
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Influential Books
The Library of Congress has published an updated list of the most influential books in America after hearing responses from the public.
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