On this day in 1857, The Atlantic published its first issue. Of all the writing that appeared in this inaugural edition, the most enduring 153 years later has been the poetry. The issue's 128 pages ...

Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021. In “Emerson,” composed in 1868 and published posthumously in our ...

War is on its last legs, he said. The question is only How Soon. Caught up in a metaphorical swoon by the oversoul in his head War is on its last legs, he said. The question is only How Soon.

In “Emerson,” composed in 1868 and published posthumously in our December 1904 issue, theologian Henry James Sr. reflected on the distinct impression Ralph Waldo Emerson made upon his readers: No ...