When I was a sophomore in college, I read the book that changed my life. I was considering a major in religious studies, and took the required foundation course. On our syllabus were books and articles looking at many different religions from various points of view: theological, psychological, historical, sociological,...

What a joy it is to be in this room with this community.When Vincent van Gogh got his first and essentially only printed review, he was extremely pleased — and also knocked off balance. He’d been uneasy with praise since he was a child, destroying a drawing of a cat...

There is no sure-fire, never-fail road map for research. There certainly is no GPS with a reassuring British voice guiding you when you make a wrong turn (“recalculating…”). Research takes you into unexplored, wild, rocky terrain, and each book teaches you how to research that book. Sure, there are techniques...