Reading Thoreau at 200

Why is the seminal work of the great American transcendentalist held in such scorn today?

The Cost of Keeping Bees

Try mowing our lawn in New Zealand before dusk.

The Thoughts of a Spiderweb

A species with a mind that isn’t fully confined within the head.

The Nightmare of the Tiny House

A little bigger is better.

Australian Convict Pirates in Japan: Evidence of 1830 Voyage Unearthed

I missed this one when writing Samurai Road.

What Happens When Authors Are Afraid to Stand Alone

Writing as an individual pursuit has been replaced by “community”—and literature is the worse for it.

Between Everywhere and Nowhere

A little review of travel literature.

A Radical for All Seasons

The surprising persistence of Henry David Thoreau.

Heike Crabs

As portrayed in Samurai Road.

We are back from Borneo

Let the games begin.