Thank you for being part of this
As 2026 fast approaches, we want to sincerely thank you for reading and supporting us this year.
When Evan and I started this project nearly two years ago, the simple goal was to create a window into the great books, art, and ideas of the Western canon. Inexplicably, this community has since grown to over 300,000 readers — needless to say, the message has reached far more people than we ever thought possible.
We could not be more thankful, and are determined to expand (and improve) everything that we do here. Recently, we launched our online book club to work slowly through the Great Conversation of the literary canon, together as a community.
Why? Because as G.K. Chesterton once said, reading classic literature is what prevents us from becoming “merely modern,” and inoculates our minds from half-truths. Studying the great works exposes us instead to “the whole truth which humanity has found.”
Our mission is to reach as many minds as we can, and to build an online resource for all that is True, Good, and Beautiful — at a time when it is sorely needed. We are therefore committed to keeping the majority of our content free for all to access.
Of course, whether you’re able to support us financially or not, thank you for being here, and for reading and sharing these ideas. It’s an honor to do this work.
However, if you are in a position to support us, please do consider taking out a paid subscription for a few dollars per month. We rely almost entirely on the generous support of our readers, and your help will enable us to expand the scope and depth of this project in 2026.
To celebrate the milestone, and as a little gesture of thanks, we are running a 48-hour discount:
25% off the full publication and book club — the cheapest it will ever be!
If you’ve been thinking about supporting us and/or participating in the book club, now is the very best time to do it. This is turning into a wonderful community of regular participants, and each meeting seems even more valuable than the last.
As a reminder, all premium members get:
New, full-length articles 2x per week
Membership to our bi-weekly book club
The entire archive of content (150+ articles, essays, and podcasts)
Full access to our community of readers
The book club has just voted to read Beowulf, the foundational epic poem in the English language. The first discussion is on Wednesday, December 17, at noon ET — don’t miss it!
Honestly, what you’re doing here feels a lot like a modern Beowulf hall.
In the poem everyone sits around the fire telling the old stories, and that’s kind of what this community has become. People gathering to remember a deeper world our ancestors took for granted. No wonder Beowulf hits so hard right now. It feels like the culture is finally ready to hear those older tales again.
I thank YOU for expanding my knowledge. I first met you in Twitter as Culture Critic, liked your writings, and when you mentioned this page, I entered it. You were my first subscription in Substack. Today, besides others, I also have added The Ascent.