Chapter & Verse

Christopher Monson seeks the author of the truism, "The rectangle is the beginning of aesthetics." Dale Fink would welcome a verifiable...

Christopher Monson seeks the author of the truism, "The rectangle is the beginning of aesthetics."

 

Dale Fink would welcome a verifiable source for words attributed to James Joyce at the time he became blind: "I can see a thousand worlds. I have lost but one of them."

 

Jeffrey Williams hopes someone can identify the titles and authors of two stories used in an anthology that he recalls being distributed in the late 1970s by U.S. embassies as teaching material for English teachers abroad. "The first involves a father taking his daughter to an outing at an amusement park who loses her on the Ferris wheel; the second is a sort of science-fiction story involving an unhappy person who through lack of faith misses a trip to a better world."

 

"a battered old book, bound in red buckram" (September-October). Roger Mills and Mark Stoeckle were the first to identify "Midnight Express," a short story by English poet and author Alfred Noyes. First published in 1935 in This Week, the text appears in various anthologies, including August Derleth's 1944 collection Sleep No More.

 

Send inquiries and answers to "Chapter and Verse," Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138.

     

Most popular

Ronny Chieng Tells Harvard to ‘Destroy AI’ as Graduates Cheer

The comedian and The Daily Show host gave the keynote address for Class Day 2026.

Harvard Confers Five Honorary Degrees at the 2026 Commencement

O’Brien joins journalists, a scholar of AI, and a Broadway star.

Harvard 2026 Commencement Photo Album

A gallery of photographs from the Commencement celebration for the class of 2026

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Four stylized magnifying glasses arranged in a gradient background with abstract patterns.

AI Hunts For Stolen Harvard Coins

A museum curator and a computer scientist track down ancient coins taken in a legendary heist.

Illustration of two students in Harvard hoodies, one speaking animatedly to a phone, the other reading, looking annoyed.

We’re All Harvard Influencers, Like It or Not

In the digital age, it’s hard to avoid playing into the mythology.