What We Are Reading Today: Rodin’s Egypt by Bénédicte Garnier

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Updated 08 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: Rodin’s Egypt by Bénédicte Garnier

Celebrated as one of the fathers of modern European sculpture, Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) created expressive and emotive human bodies in works that abandoned narrative and embraced the subject and materiality of his medium.

While his revolutionary approach to the body broke from neoclassical tradition, he revered the works of antiquity, in which he saw the truest expressions of nature.

Rodin was particularly enthralled by the art of ancient Egypt, amassing a collection of more than 1,000 Egyptian objects. The book reveals the profound influence Egyptian art had on Rodin’s work.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Voices of Nature’ by Nicolas Mathevon

Updated 20 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Voices of Nature’ by Nicolas Mathevon

What is the meaning of a bird’s song, a baboon’s bark, an owl’s hoot, or a dolphin’s clicks? In “The Voices of Nature,” Nicolas Mathevon explores the mysteries of animal sound.

Putting readers in the middle of animal soundscapes that range from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, Mathevon reveals the amazing variety of animal vocalizations.

He describes how animals use sound to express emotion, to choose a mate, to trick others, to mark their territory, to call for help, and much more.