Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. As a kid, I remember reading an issue of MAD magazine with a feature on ...

When it comes to bucket-list aspirations, it seems like a longshot. Meeting a former president. Telling him how much his accomplishments meant to you, how much it meant to cast your long ago first ...

One of my favorite books of all time is “Oranges” by John McPhee. When I tell people this, they ask me what it’s about. “Oranges,” I say. “No, seriously; what’s it about?” “Oranges.” This is when they ...