Zachary Lesser
@zacharylesser.bsky.social
Book history, Shakespeare etc. Views my own, not my "neutral" employer's. Header is: https://shorturl.at/FtfZQ / Gen Ed., Arden Shakespeare / https://pennmaterialtexts.org / http://shakespearecensus.org / http://deepplaybooks.org
I mean, you could not ask for a better West Wing style scripted issue to contest Trump's authoritarianism than this. He's refusing to follow court orders in order to... keep people from eating? If they cave more, they are really incompetent. So, yeah, I guess so.
November 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM
I mean, you could not ask for a better West Wing style scripted issue to contest Trump's authoritarianism than this. He's refusing to follow court orders in order to... keep people from eating? If they cave more, they are really incompetent. So, yeah, I guess so.
After declaring Augustus imperator, tribune and consul for life, some in Roman Senate want a say
October 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
After declaring Augustus imperator, tribune and consul for life, some in Roman Senate want a say
Should I inform the French police? I know who did it
October 20, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Should I inform the French police? I know who did it
"The nightmares of thousands of generations live on the heads of the living now." - Mike Tyson
August 31, 2025 at 12:22 PM
"The nightmares of thousands of generations live on the heads of the living now." - Mike Tyson
There's a beautiful whale church in Iceland I saw a few years ago that obviously made me re-read this chapter -- once you finish the book you are basically obligated to go to Iceland. The whale museum in Husavik also.
July 4, 2025 at 1:52 PM
There's a beautiful whale church in Iceland I saw a few years ago that obviously made me re-read this chapter -- once you finish the book you are basically obligated to go to Iceland. The whale museum in Husavik also.
Here's a bit from our intro that explains the title of the special issue:
July 4, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Here's a bit from our intro that explains the title of the special issue:
Has anyone pointed out yet that Rome is great?
June 8, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Has anyone pointed out yet that Rome is great?
William Cartwright keeps the look neutral (1651)
May 29, 2025 at 6:09 PM
William Cartwright keeps the look neutral (1651)
In this post I am reproducing / publishing an opening from the lovely copy of the 1609 Sonnets at John Rylands Library. This is in the public domain and no copyright prevents my publishing it here.
May 26, 2025 at 5:49 PM
In this post I am reproducing / publishing an opening from the lovely copy of the 1609 Sonnets at John Rylands Library. This is in the public domain and no copyright prevents my publishing it here.
The phrase "Judeo-Christian" is antisemitic, actually.
May 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The phrase "Judeo-Christian" is antisemitic, actually.
Every humanities PhD reading the Times today: you can write a 167-page dissertation?
May 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Every humanities PhD reading the Times today: you can write a 167-page dissertation?
Blackstone called it the Great Writ for a reason: without habeas, there are no other rights.
May 9, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Blackstone called it the Great Writ for a reason: without habeas, there are no other rights.
The average American has three friends
May 2, 2025 at 2:02 AM
The average American has three friends
Absolute marketing genius
April 30, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Absolute marketing genius
Milton identified the problem 375 years ago
April 16, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Milton identified the problem 375 years ago
Which brings me back to the Berkeley F1. Panizzi's order seems to have led Harris to start signing his work as a matter of course. And if you look closely at the bottom of the dedication "To the Great Variety of Readers", you can see his tiny mark: "FS by Harris". Easy to miss unless you're looking.
March 27, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Which brings me back to the Berkeley F1. Panizzi's order seems to have led Harris to start signing his work as a matter of course. And if you look closely at the bottom of the dedication "To the Great Variety of Readers", you can see his tiny mark: "FS by Harris". Easy to miss unless you're looking.
I saw this wonderful copy of F1 today at Berkeley (shakespearecensus.org/sc/5202/)
This page looks absolutely normal at a glance. But all the prelims in this copy are facsimile. Normally this would be seen as loss, but these are by the 19th-century master of the art, John Harris. 1/3
This page looks absolutely normal at a glance. But all the prelims in this copy are facsimile. Normally this would be seen as loss, but these are by the 19th-century master of the art, John Harris. 1/3
March 27, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I saw this wonderful copy of F1 today at Berkeley (shakespearecensus.org/sc/5202/)
This page looks absolutely normal at a glance. But all the prelims in this copy are facsimile. Normally this would be seen as loss, but these are by the 19th-century master of the art, John Harris. 1/3
This page looks absolutely normal at a glance. But all the prelims in this copy are facsimile. Normally this would be seen as loss, but these are by the 19th-century master of the art, John Harris. 1/3
Credit where it's due
March 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Credit where it's due
From Stallybrass, "Against Thinking", fn1:
January 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM
From Stallybrass, "Against Thinking", fn1:
