A book can be an entire world but there’s also an entire world of books. There is absolutely no reason why the latter has to be pretentious or accessible to only a few, though it often is. Merve Emre’s latest essay in the New Yorker (“The Worlds of Italo Calvino”) bucks that trend and is the most charming thing I read last week.

I do not remember when I first discovered the Ongoing History of New Music on the radio but it was my first experience studying history of any kind. The idea that you could apply your curiosity in both general and specific ways to create context is something I still take profound joy from every day. Alan Cross posted the very first episode of the show from 30 years ago, on his podcast last week, and it was wonderful to explore the history behind the history. Thanks, Alan.

My latest column in Decorum (“There is No Right Side of History”) aims to kick an overused and unhelpful phrase when it’s down.