Published in 1936, "Absalom, Absalom!" is a work by noted American author and Nobel-Prize recipient William Faulkner. The book takes place around the time of the Civil War and is narrated via a series of flashbacks. This website, which is a fascinating interactive companion to this remarkable modernist novel, was created by Stephen Railton and Will Rourk of the University of Virginia. Visitors to...

The dramatic nature photography of Alfred Stieglitz is well-known around the world. But what of his autochromes? The autochrome process is an interesting one, crafted by the Lumiere brothers in 1903 to create color photos. Stieglitz discovered the process in 1907 on a visit to Europe and several years later he began experimenting with the process himself. He frequently took photos of family and...

Since 1970, the University of North Dakota (UND) has hosted an annual writers conference, complete with plenary sessions, panel discussions, and seminars. A number of important writers have been in attendance, including Harlan Ellison and Allen Ginsburg. Currently, the Chester Fritz Library Department of Special Collections at UND is digitizing all of these sessions, and there are some real treats...

Written by Mikhail, "The Master and Margarita" is a Russian novel that blends magical realism with social satire in a spot-on effort that effectively skewers the bizarre bureaucracy and social order of the Soviet Union. The book features characters that include a talking black cat, a young poet, and a cast of others that poke in and out of the narrative. Upon reading this novel, some might wish...

Founded in 1959, the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is "dedicated to providing a comprehensive range of research-based information, tools, and resources related to language and culture." Their site is a real pleasure to use and explore, and while some of the materials are only accessible to registered members, there are enough free resources available here to warrant several visits. From the...

Drawing on materials from the New York Public Library, the National Yiddish Book Center, and the University of California Libraries, the Internet Archive has created this trove of digitized children's books. Currently, there are over 2,700 books available here and they include works like "Infant's cabinet of birds & beasts" from 1820 and "What the Moon Saw: And Other Tales" from 1866. On the left...

In this special investigative program from the long-running Frontline series, the Washington Post's Dana Priest reports on "the sprawling post-9/11 terrorism-industrial complex." The program was designed to look into the expansion of various governmental agencies into the lives of ordinary Americans, and through hundreds of hours of detailed and delicate research, Priest and her colleagues have...

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is a non-profit organization that has the unique goal of using "independent, vigorous media" to better the human condition. Under the "Our Work" tab at the top of their website, you can view their "Programs by Topic," or by region of the world, such as "Latin America/Caribbean", "Eastern Europe/Central Asia", and "Sub-Saharan Africa". Under the...

Some readers may not need an invitation to world literature, but this very interesting and thoughtful website created by Annenberg Media offers the welcoming embrace of such works as the Bhagavad Gita and the epic of Gilgamesh. The site complements a 13-part video series, which offers up literature from "a range of eras, places, cultures, languages, and traditions." Your host for this adventure is...

The Georgetown University Library sponsors a wide range of events each academic year, and they have created this website for those curious individuals who might want to revisit a talk or event they might have missed. The programs are divided into three categories, including "Library Associates Events" and "Georgetown University Forum". All told, there are about a dozen events here currently, and...