Thursday's Notes

Toby Lester,"A world redrawn," Boston Globe, 11 October, is an essay based on Lester's forthcoming book, The Fourth Part of the World, on the consequences of publication of the Waldseemüller map in 1507 CE. Click here for an interactive version of the map.

Mark Lamster,"The Art of Diplomacy," WSJ, 10 October, is an essay adapted from Lamster's Master of Shadows: The Secret Diplomatic Career of the Painter Peter Paul Rubens.

The new Common-place is up, with pirates, explorers, slave-traders and much more. Now with a feature that allows comments and discussion.

Andrea Wulf,"Let My People Grow," Literary Review, October, reviews Tim Richardson's Great Gardens of America.

Christopher Hitchens,"The Pity of War," Atlantic, November, reviews Peter Hart's The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front.

Michael Cavna,"Herblock, Through The Eyes Of History," Washington Post, 14 October, reviews"Herblock!" an exhibit at the Library of Congress.

David Thomson,"Short Cuts," TNR, 13 October, and Janet Maslin,"Ornery Glory of a Hollywood Iconoclast," NYT, 14 October, review Mitchell Zuckoff's Robert Altman: The Oral Biography.

John Ortved,"Secrets of The Simpsons," Daily Beast, 13 October, tells the backstory on his writing of The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History.