In Search of Lost Paris
“Most cities spread like inkblots; a few, such as Manhattan, grew in linear increments. Paris expanded in concentric rings, approximately shown by the spiral numeration of its arrondissements.”
Jackie O., Working Girl
In 1975, Jackie O., widow to a president and tycoon, decided to become a literary editor.
Will Comcast Destroy Net Neutrality?
A working definition of ‘net neutrality’, a bestiary of the major players, and why the issue isn’t a cut and dry case of good vs. evil.
Winona Forever
A profile of Winona Ryder.
What I Learned from My Father, The Grifter
“My father didn’t believe in things that were a reminder of the past because he had never had things in the past, and, more important, he had never had a past—not a past that mattered, that should be passed on to me, his son.”
Not All Smurfs and Sunshine
A profile of Esquire features writer Chris Jones. Plus: the Jones archive on Longform.org.
The Bank Job
On the gap between how the world sees Goldman Sachs and how Goldman Sachs sees itself.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Brainstorm
It’s now routine for corporations to outsource the task of generating new ideas. A look at the consulting firms who meet that need.
Attacked by a Grizzly [Part 2]
What it takes to recover from a near-death brawl with a bear.
Attacked by a Grizzly [Part 1]
A (graphically) detailed account of a bear’s attack on a father and daughter hiking in Glacier National Park.
Blindsided
His wife murdered his mother, tried to do the same to him, and was prepared to orphan their 8-month-old child. The attempt left him blind. Then he defended her in court.
To Have Is to Owe
An archaeology of debt.
The Ongoing Mysteries of the Elizabeth Smart Case
He was an itinerant preacher who claimed god have revealed him to be the one true prophet. He kidnapped Elizabeth Smart and lived with her in a makeshift camp for years. She was hard to find; not because he was sly, but because Utah is full of prophets with multiple young wives.
Running in the Ruins
On the post-quake presidential election in Haiti.
Interview: Bob Rafelson
An interview with mind behind both Five Easy Pieces and The Monkees.
Zion on the Prairie
On the visionary architecture and disturbing goals of Yearning for Zion, the utopian experiment undertaken in rural Texas by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Master of Play
A profile of video game artist Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Super Mario Bros.
If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be the Taliban
At tourism’s wildest frontier; guided tours of Afghanistan.
The Next Golden Child
A profile of 12-year-old actress Elle Fanning, Dakota’s sister.
The Mad Strangler of Boston
The criminologist/lawyer who created Perry Mason unravels the Boston Strangler case, in which eleven women were murdered by an assailant they willingly let into their homes.
Obsessed with the Internet: A Tale from China
On boot camps designed to break kids of their web addiction.
Home and Away
A profile of Yao Ming published during his second season in the NBA.
"We'll Never Eliminate Risk"
A interview with John Pistole, head of the TSA.
Amakusa: Islands of Dread
The history of a Japanese archipelago and its inhabitants, through rebellions and famine, a 20th century exodus for prostitution work across Asia, and finally depopulation and isolation.
Did Hope Change?
A profile of Eric Holder.
