When LSD first hit the counterculture in the 1960, it was ingested via sugar cube or colored tablet. It wasn’t until a decade later that tiny perforated paper squares known as “blotter” became the preferred way to deliver the powerful psychedelic. In this fascinating excerpt from Erik Davis’ book Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium, the journalist...

More than 30 years after its introduction, Magic: The Gathering continues to have a stranglehold on tabletop gamers’ attention and wallets. Nick Zarzycki’s fascinating feature doesn’t just chronicle Magic‘s history and development in a way outsiders (like yours truly) can understand, or explain the economics behind its continuing evolution. Most interestingly...

This story was funded by our members. Join Longreads and help us to support more writers. Ayla Samli | Longreads | May 14, 2024 | 4,420 words (16 minutes) Sometimes the past comes up in unexpected ways, like roots turning up the sidewalk, refusing to stay flat beneath the concrete. The roots insinuate themselves into the present,...

In this open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Matt Zoller Seitz explains why the company’s recent “Crush” ad—which promotes the new iPad Pro—is disturbing, destructive, and a slap in the face to all artists, musicians, and people who (try to) create for a living. Sonny and Cher sing “All I Ever Need is You” as the device destroys some of the most...

In this piece for The New York Review of Books, Mike Jay reports on the shifting science and cultural attitudes around MDMA, and how today’s research is overwhelmingly positive. The once-demonized designer club drug of the ’80s and ’90s has shown so much psychotherapy potential in the past few decades, as well as social benefits at the individual and...

This is a lovely insight into the world of Bill Berloni, an animal trainer who has seen it all after decades of working in Hollywood. Concentrating on his experience with Bing, a Great Dane who is starring in an adaptation of “The Friend” by Sigrid Nunez, we see Berloni’s passion—and Bing’s professionalism. In February, 2020, Berloni, Siegel,...