Robert W. Fieseler investigates the hidden and forgotten histories of marginalized groups, producing work like Tinderbox, which earned several awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Fact Crime. Read an excerpt from the celebrated journalist's second book, American Scare: Florida's Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives, a riveting examination of a state-sponsored campaign of surveillance and intimidation.... (continued)

Pop quiz: "Did Mark Twain really say that?" (via Mental Floss)

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Putid, for example. Merriam-Webster looked up "better ways to say 'this sucks.' "

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At an auction, bidders could purchase Charles Dickens's personal travel writing desk and silverware set, Smithsonian magazine noted.

William Langewiesche, a magazine writer and author "who forged complex narratives with precision-tooled prose that shed fresh light on national security, the occupation of Iraq and, especially, aviation disasters," died June 14 at age 70, the New York Times reported. Langewiesche was an international correspondent for Vanity Fair, a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine, a national correspondent for the Atlantic, and author of several books.... (continued)