What We Are Reading Today: Journeys of the Mind

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Updated 11 September 2023
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What We Are Reading Today: Journeys of the Mind

Author: Peter Brown

The end of the ancient world was long regarded by historians as a time of decadence, decline, and fall.

In his career-long engagement with this era, the widely acclaimed and pathbreaking historian Peter Brown has shown, however, that the “neglected half-millennium” now known as late antiquity was in fact crucial to the development of modern Europe and the Middle East.

In “Journeys of the Mind,” Brown recounts his life and work, describing his efforts to recapture the spirit of an age.


What We Are Reading Today: Writing Timbuktu

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Updated 25 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: Writing Timbuktu

  • In “Writing Timbuktu,” Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa

Author: Shamil Jeppie

Printed books did not reach West Africa until the early 20th century. And yet, between the 15th and 20th centuries, literate and curious readers throughout the region found books to read — books that were written and copied by hand.

In “Writing Timbuktu,” Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa.

Centering his account in the historic city of Timbuktu, Jeppie explores the culture of the “manuscript-book” — unbound pages, often held together by carefully crafted leather covers.