Chair of the English department at University of Nevado, Reno, Eric Rasmussen recently authenticated a Shakespeare First Folio found in France. He discusses the searches lead over the years to find copies of this first collection of William Shakespeare’s plays, which includes The Tempest.
Read about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s passion for Princeton football and how he may have influenced the game through his friendship with Fritz Crisler, the school’s head coach.
The 1998 film Shakespeare in Love, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, presented a fictionalized young William Shakespeare in the process of writing The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Get a sneak peek by reading legendary film critic Roger Ebert’s review.
In 2015, the Magna Carta, one of the most important documents in English history, celebrated its 800th anniversary. The Magna Carta became the model for our own United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Read about why we should never take a democratic society for granted, and explore the site to learn more.
The Supreme Court decision against segregated schools created new opportunities for African Americans. However, it also led to years of conflict between supporters and opponents of segregation. News stories, songs, videos, and pictures tell the story of people’s experiences of the changes sweeping the nation during this turbulent time.
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., houses one of the richest collections of materials related to William Shakespeare and fosters research, productions, and educational outreach. Why devote so much effort to works over 400 years old, by an author from another country?
Abraham Lincoln called his private secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay “the boys.” In a new book, Joshua Zeitz explores the role the two men had in shaping the image of Lincoln that endures today. Read the excerpt to find out more.
Although the story of Anne Frank has been told in a movie and two plays, a fresh version of her story was recently written and performed on stage in Amsterdam. The new play covers some of Anne’s life before the war and after the discovery of the Secret Annex.
Read about controversial abolitionist John Brown and the violent raid he and his men launched on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, 150 years ago; it set the stage for the Civil War.
Read this article to learn about the settlement of Plymouth and the small but powerful group of English Separatist Church members, including William Bradford, who influenced its founding.
