Countless people through the centuries have been denied the comforts of literacy and the thrill of encountering life-changing ideas in books. This week is a good time to reflect on how fortunate we are to have the freedom to read—and to resolve more firmly to exercise it.

For all of his errors, Jaffa's insistence that the truths of the Declaration are not historical artifacts but timeless principles worthy of defending will make his best work last forever.

Carolyn Brady, Paul Jackson, and Steve Hanks introduced a new dimension into watercolor, demonstrating that what some think is an art of mere sketches and impressions is capable of the most staggering emotional impact.

If Hurley, Dennett, and Adams are right, they’ve taken a substantial step in explaining why laughter is among the loveliest manifestations of what it means to be human.

For all its apparent simplicity, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s music resonates because of the precision with which it was written, the discipline with which it was performed, and the bold and joyous spirit it evokes in its fans.

At a time when Americans are once again debating the history of slavery, we must never forget the legacy of Charles Sumner.

High above Park Avenue—and in a few scattered museums—McCartan’s art still remains, an expression of delight in the sensual world.

Westerns were a medium through which writers and directors explored profound philosophical themes, in which Hollywood articulated ideas in ways it’s seldom attempted since.

New frontiers typically have been explored and tamed, not by government entities but by entrepreneurs who, thanks to the profit motive, have found more efficient and sustainable pathways to discovery and innovation. There’s no reason why the final frontier can’t be settled the same way.

“I do not share the gloomy thought that Negroes in America are doomed to be stomped out,” wrote Zora Neale Hurston. “We will go where the internal drive carries us like everybody else. It is up to the individual.”

John Milton was a great poet, but he has such a daunting reputation for solemnity that few people read him for pleasure. That’s unfortunate because it deprives potential readers of experience with his brilliant writing.

“It is personal action that preceded every major advancement in this country. This is the aspect of being American that gives me the greatest sense of pride.” —René Marie

John White Alexander’s paintings demonstrated refined romanticism and a sense of benevolent, sunlit tranquility.

Art deco sought to reconcile industrial mass production with the fine arts in a way that was both inspirational and elegant: to replace the stately permanence of classical architecture with a vibrancy and dynamism appropriate to the new technological age.

The “real challenge” of cinematic music, said Jerry Goldsmith, “is to write a score that works brilliantly in a film, and also has a life of its own.” For half a century, his music bested that challenge.