Emdashes. The New Yorker between the lines
Best of Emdashes: Hit Parade
Our Daily Comic: The Wavy Rule
Archive: Ask the Librarians
Send us a question!
Frequently:
Headline Shooter
Seal Barks
Eustace Google
Looked Into
Punctuation Papers: Newton's Pound Sign and the Fullest Stop
Filed under: Looked Into Tagged: Chemical Heritage Foundation, Sir Isaac Newtown, alchemy, caput mortuum, contests, punctuation, skulls
Jonathan Taylor writes:
Those awaiting the results of the punctuation letter-writing contest should take a look in the meantime at some smooth quillwork by Sir Isaac Newton in a manuscript at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, a great example of the cursive "lb." transmogrifying into the pound sign (upper left):
Hamlet might have written a nice letter to the caput mortuum, or (continued)
Daily Comic: Wikipedia, the Movie
Filed under: The Wavy Rule Tagged: cartoons, cinema, comics, David Cross, Facebook, Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger, Pollux, Timothy Dalton, Wikipedia
There is a lot of buzz about the upcoming movie about the founding of Facebook, The Social Network. I’ve been thinking: how about a movie about the founding of Wikipedia? Plenty of intrigue and betrayal there. Perhaps some day… (continued)
2010 New Yorker Festival Details Released
Filed under: New Yorker Festival Tagged: New Yorker Festival
Martin Schneider writes:
The New Yorker has announced the program for the 2010 New Yorker Festival, scheduled for October 1-3. As always, the event will feature author events on the Friday, followed by a wide variety of events over the next two days.
Full details after the jump.
(continued)
Daily Comic: The War at Home
Filed under: The Wavy Rule Tagged: cartoons, comics, Iraq, Iraq War, Pollux, war
Daily Comic: Video Resume
Filed under: The Wavy Rule Tagged: cartoons, comics, economics, economy, employment, Pollux, resume, video resume
Happy Rea Irvin's Birthday!
Filed under: Little Words Tagged: art, cartoons, design, illustration, punctuation, Rea Irvin
We always like to remember the high life, meticulous labors, and lasting legacy of Rea Irvin, The New Yorker’s first and most influential art director, but especially on this day, his birthday. Hooray for Rea! Meanwhile, for those awaiting punctuation contest results, be patient—they’re coming! —Emily Gordon (continued)
Daily Comic: The Forgotten Labors of Hercules
Filed under: The Wavy Rule Tagged: cartoons, comics, dog, Hercules, mythology, Pollux
Daily Comic: Postal Peeping
Filed under: The Wavy Rule Tagged: cartoons, comics, peeping, Pollux, Post Office
Mad Men, Season 4: The Subaru Parallel
Filed under: The Squib Report Tagged: advertising, Mad Men, Martin Schneider, Randall Rothenberg, Subaru
Martin Schneider writes:
One more quick thing about the most recent episode, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." The news that SCDP would be handling Honda's nascent automobile division could not but remind me of Randall Rothenberg's engrossing book Where the Suckers Moon. That 1994 book detailed the circa-1990 process whereby Subaru hired a new advertising agency for its upcoming campaign and, as such, is an essential resource—one I haven't seen mentioned enough—for anyone who wants to read more about Don Draper's job description (albeit 25 years later).
Mad Men's description of Honda's new cars as "motorcycles with a frame around them" (or whatever) immediately brought me back to Rothenberg's account of Subaru's early years. At the time—an automobile enthusiast could confirm if this is still true—Subaru was kind of the ignoble stalwart on the lower end of the Japanese automobile market. Their cars were clunky, cheap, and reliable, and they were also known for pioneering the four-wheel drive. Somehow I can't help but think that Weiner and Co. are obliquely referring to Where the Suckers Moon here; it's just too close.
(continued)
About us
Hello! We are media enthusiasts and culture addicts—not to mention classically trained (as we like to say) professional journalists. This is our collection of generally civilized conversations about magazines, movies, politics, punctuation, and other things that stir us.
You'd like to read more about us individually? That's so nice! Here you can learn a lot more about the Emdashes team, the mysterious-sounding names of our daily and non-daily columns, and our guest contributors.
We welcome tips, questions, and comments, and are always looking for ardent new contributors who care about letters (postal, typographical, admiring, literary, and tough-love). Here's how to contact us.
Occasionally, we host book giveaways, and review books here as often as we can. Publishers, please e-mail us and we'll send you an appropriate mailing address.
Tell me more
They say that dashes “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like em dashes—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.
Emdashes, founded in 2004, is currently written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. (Unsigned posts through October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.)
The site is designed and maintained by House of Pretty and illustrated by Jesse Ewing for Inkleaf Studio. Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (who also draws our daily comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The kissable Emdashes logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.
Other writing by Emily Gordon
- Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World; PDF, p. 20)
- Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, man about town, and New Yorker founding father (for Print)
- Report: Learning to read with comic books--that are edited by Françoise Mouly (for Print)
- Interview: Designer Eleanor Grosch (for Print)
- Proposal: a better-designed Metrocard (for A Brief Message)
- Review: Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis (for Newsday)
- Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Review: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Report: Eustace Tilley spruces up for The New Yorker's website redesign (for Print)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
- Micro-essay: on saving time through inspiration (for A Brief Message)
- Review: books about various New Yorker cartoonists by Liza Donnelly and Iain Topliss (for Newsday)
- Profile: screenwriter and novelist Joe Keenan (for Newsday)
- Review: The Complete New Yorker (for Print)
No fear
Everything you tell or send us is off the record unless we ask for your permission to use it.
T-shirts! The Emdashes Emporium at CafePress.