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

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

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 Faculty Approve a Cap on A Grades

Reforms to reduce grade inflation will take effect in the fall of 2027.

Explore More From Current Issue

Brick archway with a sandy base, surrounded by wooden planks and boxes in a dim space.

How the American Revolution Freed a Future Abolitionist

Darby Vassall, an enslaved child freed after the Battle of Bunker Hill, dedicated his life to fighting for liberty.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Portrait of a man with white hair, wearing a black coat, arms crossed, thoughtful expression.

The Framer Who Refused to Sign the Constitution

Harvard’s Elbridge Gerry helped draft the U.S. Constitution, but worried it might create a new monarch.