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The Anachronistic Workflow Behind *Red Sheet*At 78, James Ellroy is a literary anomaly in the age of the internet. His latest book, Red Sheet, published on June 9, is a sprawling historical noir set in 1962 during the height of the Cold War. However, the method used to create this complex narrative is strictly analog. Ellroy does not own a computer, nor has he ever owned a mobile phone. His workflow is a throwback to a bygone era: he dictates responses to printed emails and employs a retired FBI couple in southern France to type his handwritten manuscripts.Publication Date: June 9, 2022Setting: October 1962 (Cuban Missile Crisis era)Key Protagonist: Freddy Otash, a corrupt private investigatorThe Methodology of ObsessionEllroy describes his approach as 'reckless verisimilitude,' blending historical fact with subjective fantasy to uncover deeper truths. His rejection of Google and digital research is compensated by a dedicated researcher who summarizes books and sends physical pages. This physical, tactile process allows him to maintain a hyper-focused, almost obsessive creative state that is difficult to replicate in a digital environment.The Cultural Relevance of a Tech-Free IconIn an industry increasingly driven by social media engagement and digital distribution, Ellroy's stance is a powerful statement on the nature of focus. By removing the distractions of constant connectivity, he preserves a 'mad dog' intensity that fuels his writing. His latest work challenges the conventional narrative of the Hollywood Ten and the Red Scare, offering a contrarian view that the figures who refused to testify were complicit in a criminal conspiracy.A Niche for Analog AuthenticityEllroy's continued success suggests that there is enduring value in high-intensity, analog craftsmanship. While the publishing industry moves toward digital-first models, his ability to produce complex historical fiction without modern tools proves that for certain genres, the human-centric process of creation remains paramount. His future outlook remains as sharp and defiant as ever, continuing to challenge liberal sacred cows and redefine the boundaries of crime fiction.

A Lost Literary Treasure EmergesA never-before-published short story by Edith Wharton, the first female Pulitzer prize winner who encapsulated the so-called gilded age of US society in bestselling novels including The Age of Innocence, has received its first public airing more than a century after it was written.The Discovery of "The Men Who Saved the World"The story, discovered in the author's archives at Yale University, appears in The Strand, a quarterly magazine that has previously turned up lost or previously unknown works by literary luminaries such as Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene and Tennessee Williams. Believed to have been written no earlier than July 1918, the story was found "incomplete and unpublished" in the Edith Wharton Collection at Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.A Tale of Contrasting RealitiesSet during a dinner party in a French chateau towards the end of the first world war, the story tells of the country's wealthiest residents attempting to move on from the conflict that recently scarred them, even as guns are heard still booming and soldiers dying only miles away. The tale is punctuated by the meal being served on a grand dining room table that was used as an operating table for amputations only months before when the chateau was used as a field hospital.Wharton's War Experience Reflected in FictionA main character is a young American nurse called Milly Arden, who observes the household's easy return to its privileged prewar days as she wrestles with the horrors of war and the injuries she has seen and treated. Arden's character appears to be at least in part autobiographical: Wharton, who died in 1937 aged 75, had extensive experience of field hospitals during the conflict also known as the Great War, and helped set up medical care and facilities for affected women and children.Modern Parallels in a Century-Old NarrativeAndrew Gulli, editor-in-chief of The Strand, said the story from more than a century ago has parallels in global events of today. "We live in a time where we're very far away from a lot of horrific events that are happening around the world, and this story sort of encapsulates that mood where there's this beautiful chateau, and people are trying to go back to the old prewar era with the chandeliers and this wonderful dancing, and a dinner party, and not far away the war's still happening," he said.Scholarly Significance and Future DiscoveriesProfessor Isabelle Parsons, a British Open University professor and Wharton scholar who first uncovered the manuscripts, noted that "in the past decade, news of fresh archival discoveries has frequently thrilled Wharton's casual and critical readers." She described the story as "casting a satirical eye over the volunteer efforts of privileged women" and "reads like an experimental attempt – ultimately abandoned by Wharton – at confronting the traumatic effects of warfare through its explicit references to amputation as medical care at the front."

The Enduring Magic of Baseball Baseball's relationship with superstitions and curses stretches back to its earliest days, with the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat being just one example. When Chicago bar owner William Sianis was denied entry to the 1945 World Series with his pet goat Murphy, he allegedly cursed the team, which then went 71 years without winning another championship. This story, along with countless other rituals and beliefs, forms the foundation of baseball's unique relationship with the magical and supernatural. A New Book Explores Baseball's Mystical Side Author, journalist, and New York Mets fan Addy Baird has chronicled baseball's rich tradition of superstitions in her new book, "The Magical Game: The Spirit and History of Baseball's Superstitions, Rituals, and Curses." Baird became fascinated with baseball's magical elements while cheering for the Mets, finding herself becoming increasingly superstitious as the team had successful stretches. "I changed the way I acted, things I did, wore, watched, said, ate," she admits, trying to influence the team's performance through her own rituals. Legendary Superstitions and Rituals The book documents numerous baseball superstitions throughout history. Turn-of-the-century managers like Connie Mack and John McGraw relied on human mascots to bring their teams good luck. Wade Boggs famously ate chicken before every game during his career in the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, a Seattle Mariners fan believes that holding a pair of slippers somehow negatively affected his team's performance, while a Tampa Bay Rays fan plays Middle Earth music during difficult innings despite having no interest in Lord of the Rings. Even in softball, superstitions persist—this week it was revealed that a top college player eats ladybugs in the dugout for good luck. The Psychology Behind Baseball's Magic When asked what makes baseball particularly prone to magical thinking, Baird identifies several factors: the presence of luck, the game's unique structure, and its repetitive nature. "Basically, when a sport has fewer instances of scoring, luck is a bigger factor," she explains. Baseball's structure is also distinctive as "one of the only games we play, and the only major North American sport, where the defense has the ball," creating an uncertain environment. The repetitive nature of the game—with batters facing dozens of pitches over a 162-game season—further compounds the uncertainty, creating what Baird calls "a perfect environment for magic to thrive." Baseball's Mythological Foundations Baird connects baseball's structure to ancient mythological patterns, noting that MLB's official historian John Thorn observed that "the form of the game itself mirrors that of the Odyssey." The nine innings represent the hero's journey: starting at home, facing potential failure, and embarking on a journey with the goal of returning home. "The story of this myth is embedded in the game itself. Magic is in its very structure," Baird concludes. This connection helps explain why baseball has developed such rich traditions and superstitions throughout its history. Evolution of Baseball's Magic The book also examines how recent changes to baseball, including sabermetrics and new rules like the pitch clock, might affect the game's magical elements. Initially, Baird believed these changes were killing baseball's magic, but her research revealed a long tradition of people claiming "baseball is dying" since the 1860s. She now believes "the game should evolve, an unchanging thing is a dead thing." Interestingly, she finds that sabermetrics actually "help us to see what makes [baseball] unique, what makes it special, what makes players exceptionally good... Those numbers reveal to us the magic." Baseball's Appeal Beyond the Field Through her research, Baird not only completed a manuscript but also discovered a new career path. In addition to her journalism work, she has become a practicing astrologer. "It was one of my really interesting side quests," she says. "I do readings for people, reading charts." Whether you're a baseball enthusiast or someone interested in magic and ritual, "The Magical Game" offers something for everyone. As Baird explains, "it's a book for people who love baseball, also for those who do not care about baseball at all" and "for the people who love magic, looking at it through a lens they may never have considered before."

Executive Summary of the Suppression AllegationsLast week the New York Times and Washington Post disclosed that the FDA directed the withdrawal of two Covid‑19 vaccine safety studies and blocked a Shingrix safety abstract, despite peer‑review acceptance. The actions raise serious questions about political interference in vaccine safety surveillance.FDA Withdraws Peer‑Reviewed Vaccine Safety StudiesIn October, FDA scientists were instructed to pull two manuscripts that had been accepted by the journals Drug Safety and Vaccine. A February decision prevented the submission of Shingrix safety abstracts to a major drug‑safety conference. The agency commissioned the work, received the findings, but has not released them.Scale of the Suppressed Studies and Their FindingsStudy 1 examined 7.5 million Medicare beneficiaries for 14 pre‑specified adverse outcomes after 2023‑2024 Covid‑19 vaccination, using a self‑controlled case‑series design with up to 90 days follow‑up. Only anaphylaxis (~1 per million Pfizer‑BioNTech doses) rose above statistical noise.Study 2 analyzed 4.2 million recipients aged 6 months to 64 years, confirming rare febrile‑seizure and myocarditis signals already on product labels.The Shingrix analysis, covering millions, reaffirmed a low but elevated Guillain‑Barré risk noted on the vaccine’s package insert.Implications for Public‑Health Transparency Ahead of the World CupThe timing coincides with the 2026 FIFA World Cup across 11 U.S. host cities, a period when measles cases have surged to >9,000 in Mexico and Canada lost measles‑elimination status. The CDC has lost roughly a quarter of its workforce in the past year and has faced editorial pressure on its weekly reports. Suppressing reassuring safety data while allowing unsubstantiated adverse‑event claims to circulate undermines clinician confidence and public‑health surveillance.Future Outlook for Vaccine Surveillance and PolicyIf political appointees continue to block peer‑reviewed findings, the credibility of federal vaccine monitoring could erode, prompting calls for independent oversight or legislative action. Transparency of the existing data may become a focal point for lawmakers and health‑care professionals as the World Cup progresses and respiratory clusters emerge.

Lead: Beijing’s New Guard on AI Human CapitalChina is increasingly keeping its best AI talent to itself, imposing travel restrictions and mandatory government approval for foreign capital. The policy reflects a broader strategy to treat AI as both an economic engine and a national‑security priority.Travel Bans and Approval Requirements Target Top ResearchersResearchers, startup founders, and executives now need official clearance before traveling abroad.Restrictions were first reported by the Wall Street Journal in March 2025, advising top AI founders to avoid the U.S.Recent cases include the two co‑founders of Manus, barred from leaving China amid the Meta acquisition review.Quantifying the Controls: Deals, Funding, and Performance GapsMeta’s acquisition of Manus valued at $2 billion is under investigation for breaching foreign‑investment rules.The co‑founders are exploring a $1 billion buy‑back from external investors to unwind the deal.Stanford’s AI Index shows the performance gap between top U.S. and Chinese models narrowed to 2.7 % in March 2026, down from 31 % in 2023.China plans to require sign‑off before firms like Moonshot AI, StepFun, and ByteDance can accept U.S. capital, per Bloomberg (April 2026).2025 saw two rounds of export controls on 14 rare‑earth materials and a ban on state‑funded data centers using foreign AI chips.Implications for the Global AI Race and Capital FlowsThe restrictions tighten Beijing’s control over a talent pool that fuels rapid model training and fine‑tuning. While the U.S. still leads in model quality and high‑impact patents, China’s surge in publications, citations, and patent volume threatens to erode that advantage. Investment curbs could also deter U.S. venture capital, reshaping funding pathways for Chinese AI startups.Looking Ahead: Continued Containment or Strategic Opening?Analysts expect China to maintain, if not expand, travel and capital controls as it consolidates AI capabilities. Potential outcomes include a slower pace of cross‑border collaboration, increased domestic funding mechanisms, and heightened regulatory scrutiny of foreign acquisitions. The policy trajectory will likely influence whether China can sustain its rapid catch‑up without alienating key international partners.

The Lebaudy manuscript, one of the earliest illustrated copies of the Old French Lancelot‑Grail cycle, is set to be auctioned by Christie’s on 8 July with an estimated hammer price of £1.5m‑£2m, offering institutions a rare chance to acquire a piece of Arthurian heritage that has never been publicly exhibited. Rare Arthurian Manuscript Set for Christie’s Auction Dating from c1290‑1310, the vellum‑bound tome contains 126 miniature illustrations, including a unique depiction of Merlin transformed into a talking stag. Produced by the anonymous Master of the Liège Apocalypse, the manuscript’s gold‑leafed miniatures were aggressively polished to achieve a dazzling shine. Its provenance traces back to a 15th‑century knight, a young jouster, the bibliophile Sir Thomas Phillipps, and 20th‑century French industrialist Jean Lebaudy, who survived two world wars and earned the croix de guerre. Estimated £1.5‑£2 Million Valuation and Market Context Current auction estimate: £1.5m‑£2m. Only three similar Arthurian manuscripts are known to reside in private collections, making this the earliest and most richly illustrated of the trio, according to Dr Eugenio Donadoni, Christie’s director of medieval and renaissance manuscripts. The manuscript will be featured in Christie’s “valuable books and manuscripts” sale, a marquee event for high‑value cultural assets. Scholarly Significance and Public Access Implications Experts such as Dr Irene Fabry‑Tehranchi of Cambridge University Library stress that the manuscript’s private ownership has limited comprehensive academic study. The work’s unique ending to the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, which emphasizes Arthur’s battles and questions of kingship, offers fresh insight into medieval narrative adaptation. Its potential transfer to a public institution could break a centuries‑long pattern of elite exclusivity, enabling digitisation and broader scholarly engagement. Future Prospects: Ownership and Research Opportunities Should a museum or university secure the manuscript, it would likely become a cornerstone for exhibitions on medieval literature and art, as well as a catalyst for new research on Arthurian myth‑making. Conversely, acquisition by a private collector could preserve the work but maintain current access barriers. Market observers anticipate strong competition, given the manuscript’s rarity, condition, and cultural cachet, which may drive the final price toward the upper end of the estimate.

The Trump-Xi Summit: Style Over SubstanceAmerican strength back on the world stage," crowed the White House social media post: a curious remark, when the attached video showed the stars and stripes fluttering beneath a long row of Chinese flags, and People's Liberation Army soldiers marching in unison.This week's visit to Beijing offered the kind of style that Donald Trump enjoys – parading troops, a banquet and a polite if not markedly enthusiastic welcome from a strongman he called "really a friend" – but little apparent substance. The public account of the encounter will be partial: Mr Trump's former adviser John Bolton has claimed that in previous conversations the US president begged Xi Jinping for help to win re-election and urged him to "go ahead" with internment camps for Uyghurs in Xinjiang. But this meeting appears to have been about stabilising the relationship, not shifting it.The Trade War Stalemate and Rare Earths LeverageChaotic US planning for a trip deferred due to the Iran war may have contributed to the lack of tangible outcomes. But the overall impression is of a wary stalemate. Just over a year ago, the US imposed 145% tariffs on China. Beijing hit back with its own tariffs and, critically, curbs on desperately needed rare earths exports, forcing Mr Trump to retreat. The US national security strategy announced a new focus on the western hemisphere. Military assets have been moved from Asia to the Middle East. US hawks have been muted, with China policy appearing to be directed primarily via the trade secretary, Scott Bessent.US Strategy: Biding Time While Reassessing Global PositionThe US hopes to establish alternative sources of rare earths. Deng Xiaoping urged China to "hide its light and bide its time" in foreign policy; now US officials joke of adopting his strategy. But others think that the US needs to move fast to tighten controls on exports of advanced technologies, and make serious progress in "de-risking" supply chains. They fear Mr Trump, who likes quick wins, is trading long-term national security for short-term economic gain.China's Pursuit of Technological and Economic SupremacyFor China, its economic, technological and security progress are inextricably linked. It wants time to surpass the US on all scores. Last month Beijing ordered Meta to unwind its purchase of Manus, a Chinese-founded AI firm. It also introduced new measures to punish companies compliant in sanctions against Chinese firms.Mr Xi called the Beijing meeting a "milestone". That's better understood as a marker on a long journey than a major achievement. China believes it is on the path to restored greatness, while Chen Yixin, minister for state security, wrote scathingly in December that US hegemony is "increasingly unsustainable … At home, its democracy is mutating, its economy decaying, and its society fracturing … abroad, its credibility is rapidly going bankrupt, its hegemony is crumbling, and its myth is collapsing."Global Implications: Allies and the Waiting GameUS allies are engaging more with China. But Washington's slide has complications too for Beijing. The China scholar Sam Chetwin George this week delineated its contemplation of a greater security role, arguing: "A country built on an anti-imperial story has arrived at the point in which it must, with some reluctance, assume a greater share of the burdens of empire." Its handling of the Iran war is instructive: it would like it to be over, but has no eagerness to act as mediator, wary of expending its own assets or leverage.The two great powers are playing the waiting game. The rest of the world watches.

Donna Fisher’s unpublished manuscript Sheep’s Clothing has taken the inaugural Libraro prize, a £50,000 reader‑led award that aims to sidestep the conventional barriers of the book industry by letting readers shortlist manuscripts uploaded directly by writers. The Libraro Prize: A Reader‑Driven Disruption of Traditional Publishing The Libraro prize was created to empower readers to shape the shortlist from more than 2,000 submissions on the Libraro platform, a digital community of over 15,000 members. After the reader‑curated shortlist, an industry panel—including Joanne Harris and Elly Griffiths—selected Fisher’s novel as the winner. Financial Stakes: £50,000 Prize Package and Market Implications £30,000 in direct prize money £20,000 earmarked for marketing support Option of a book deal with Hachette UK The award also featured a £10,000 reader‑engagement prize, won by Holly Hughes for her commentary on submissions. Industry Ripple: How Community‑Sourced Awards Could Redefine Book Discovery By allowing anyone over 18 worldwide to submit manuscripts without prior publishing credentials, the Libraro model challenges the traditional gatekeeping role of agents and editors. Early‑career writers like Fisher—previously shortlisted for the 2025 Bridport short story prize—gain a direct pathway to major publishing houses. Looking Ahead: The Future of Reader‑Led Publishing Platforms With the success of the inaugural prize, the Libraro platform is poised to expand its membership and attract more submissions, potentially reshaping how literary talent is scouted. Analysts predict that similar reader‑driven initiatives could become a regular feature of the publishing ecosystem, offering publishers a data‑rich talent pipeline while giving readers a stronger voice in cultural production.

The Discovery of a Lost Musical MasterpieceThe discovery of a new work by Ralph Vaughan Williams has set the world alight this week. In a box in the archives of London's Morley College, Elaine Andrews came across a previously unknown Vaughan Williams song titled "Before the Mirror," which sets a Swinburne poem inspired by a Whistler painting. The manuscript's workings, its crossings-out and corrections, offer a fascinating insight into Vaughan Williams's creative process, revealing music of surprising tonal adventure and expressive ambiguity written shortly after his marriage in 1897.The Vast Landscape of Lost Musical WorksBut a single song pales into comparison compared to the musical riches that may be lying dormant in libraries, archives and lofts all over the world. One of the most significant musical finds of all time was the treasure-trove of manuscripts by Florence Price found in a derelict house in Illinois in 2009, which included her two violin concertos, Fourth Symphony and dozens of other pieces. This discovery revealed not only wonderful music, but also pointed to the priorities – and prejudices – of music historians.The Systematic Erasure of Female ComposersThat discovery revealed not only wonderful music, but also pointed to the priorities – and prejudices – of music historians. The discovery of previous unknown manuscripts by the most familiar composers – a single page of Mozart, an exercise by Beethoven, a sketch by Haydn – often happen because historians know where to look for ephemera of lives whose every artefact has been combed over for centuries. But that had not been the case for Price, or for other composers who have been musicologically marginalised. Their work is supposed to be "lost" simply because no one had been looking for it.Rediscovering Forgotten Female VoicesThat's why some of the deepest holes in musical history – works that we know composers wrote and that were performed in their lifetimes, but which their biographies say are now "lost" – are by female composers. Francesca Caccini wrote more than 13 stage works in her lifetime in 17th-century Italy, but only one survives today. Caccini's dozen other operas may currently be "lost," but have researchers been looking for them as assiduously as they search for a page by Bruckner or a letter by Mahler?The Case of Joseph BologneThe same goes for at least three complete operas by Joseph Bologne, who lived an extraordinary life in 18th-century France, as composer, violinist, orchestral leader, fencer and soldier, becoming a colonel in the revolution's only all-black regiment. But Bologne's legacy suffered the prejudices of a culture that reinstated slavery and which erased his contribution to the revolution and to musical society after his death in 1799. Now that Bologne's work is at last finding its place there must be renewed focus on recovering these vital "lost" operas from the oblivion that they never deserved.Legendary Lost Works We Can Only Dream OfMind you, there is also lost music whose absence has been known of for centuries – we can only dream of what could be. Bach's St Mark Passion and scores of his cantatas, Monteverdi's Arianna and other stage works, the dozens of quartets and sonatas that Brahms threw out as unworthy, or Sibelius's Eighth Symphony, likely consigned to the flames by Sibelius himself.New Leadership in Classical MusicIn other classical music news, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has announced that Lithuanian conductor Giedrė Šlekytė is to be their next music director, succeeding Thomas Søndergård from the 2027 season. The appointment comes after just two projects: a well-received week of Mahler's First Symphony, and a subsequent recording session. As the RSNO's chief executive Alistair Mackie said: "When she joined us last year, her musical ideas and the way she works with players spoke for themselves. Giedrė gives the orchestra room to breathe and to play."