Essays

Lapham's Quarterly

"House Hunters," exploring the afterlives of the homes of Ernest Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe

"The Father and Son Who Believed in Fairies," studying the drawings of Arthur Conan Doyle’s father

"A Pilgrim’s Drunken Progress" surveying the drinking habits of the Plymouth Colony pilgrims

"Celebrating Dickens in London," wreath-laying at Dickens’s Westminster Abbey burial site on his 200th birthday

"Are the Ravens Responsible for the Fall of the House of Edgar Allan Poe?" On the eve of the Super Bowl, a look at the Baltimore Ravens' literary legacy

"The Terrible Beauty of Tor House," a visit to Robinson Jeffers's hand-built home and hawk tower in Carmel, California

"On the Outskirts," an existential tour of the many homes of Edgar Allan Poe. Received Notable Distinction from The Best American Essays 2011.

"Out of Wonderland," a guide to Alice in Wonderland landmarks in New York City

"The Coats of Edward Gorey," on how to purchase one of Edward Gorey’s fur coats at auction.

"Closing the Book on John Cheever's House," profile of the house that cemented John Cheever's status as Chekov-of-the-suburbs

"A Tale of Two Houses," Edgar Allan Poe’s Bronx home is restored

"The First Editions Club," how to collecting modern first editions

"Pierpont Morgan at the Morgan Library," an exhibit of items relating to his life.

"A Paean to Poe," a road trip to a Richmond Museum dedicated to Poe

"The Importance of Being Nancy," feature on the 75th anniversary of Nancy Drew and her cultural impact