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Artwork for The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly

The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly

Lapham’s Quarterly
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
Moby-Dick
Lapham's Quarterly
Lewis H. Lapham
Lewis Lapham
Mark Twain
San Francisco
Harper's Magazine
The Odyssey
Translation
Samuel Adams
History
Francine Prose
Technology
The Sea
Father-Son Relationships
Ralph Waldo Emerson
American Revolution
Attention

Donovan Hohn, the acting editor of Lapham's Quarterly, interviews historians, writers, and journalists about books that bring voices from the past up to the microphone of the present. New episodes are released bi-weekly.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes138Founded9 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
History

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Artwork for The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly

Latest Episodes

“What’s extraordinary in those speeches that Lincoln gave on the eve of the war,” says Gordon S. Wood in this episode of The World in Time, “is his realization of how diverse America

had become. We’ve got Frenchmen, we’ve got Spaniards, we’ve got Ge... more

A series from The World in Time, beginning Friday, July 3, 2026. Voices heard here: Lewis H. Lapham, Jill Lepore, Gordon S. Wood. Illustration: The 1795 flag that flew from Fort McHenry and inspired Francis Scott Key’s “Star-Spangled Banner.”

See Pr... more

“We have language. That’s the best tool we have for understanding the consciousness of another,” says Michael Pollan on this week’s episode of The World in Time. “You can go pretty far with it, as Proust himself showed, but that is, in the end, the f... more

“What in God’s name are the humanities,” Lewis Lapham asked in a commencement address he delivered at St. John’s College in 2003, “and why are they of any use to us here in the bright blue, technological wonder of the twenty-first century?” His answe... more

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Recent Guests

Michael Pollan
Author and journalist discussed in depth about his book A World Appears
Author, Harvard/UC Berkeley connections mentioned
Episode: Michael Pollan on Consciousness
Zena Hitz
Founder of the Catherine Project
Catherine Project
Episode: Whither the Humanities? (With Zena Hitz, Justin Smith-Ruiu, and D. Graham Burnett)
Justin Smith-Ruiu
Professor of Philosophy, Université Paris Cité; founder of The Hinternet Foundation
The Hinternet Foundation
Episode: Whither the Humanities? (With Zena Hitz, Justin Smith-Ruiu, and D. Graham Burnett)
D. Graham Burnett
Professor of the History of Science, Princeton University; co-founder of Strother School of Radical Attention
Strother School of Radical Attention
Episode: Whither the Humanities? (With Zena Hitz, Justin Smith-Ruiu, and D. Graham Burnett)
Mary Beard
Professor Emerita of Classics at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Episode: Mary Beard on the Classics
Yiyun Li
Author and essayist
Author of Things in Nature Merely Grow
Episode: Yiyun Li on “The Try-Works”
Adrienne Mayor
Folklorist, classicist, historian of ancient science
Lapham's Quarterly contributor; author of Mythopedia
Episode: Adrienne Mayor on Geomyths
Robert Moor
Author of In Trees, An Exploration
Simon & Schuster
Episode: Robert Moor on Trees
Philip Hoare
Author of William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love
Author/Writer
Episode: Philip Hoare on William Blake and “Monstrous Pictures of Whales”

Host

Donovan Hohn
Acting editor of Lapham's Quarterly; host of The World in Time

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 349 ratings
  • Oh that voice … !

    Thank you for honouring the great man at last.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    aged librarian
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Great Podcast

    I understand Mr. Latham passed away. I missed his great podcast. His website had excellent articles from different topics and reputable sources. I hope his online magazine can continue as well as his podcast. It seems there is a foundation behind the publication. My condolences to his family and friends. He will be greatly missed.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Palunargar
    United Statesa year ago
  • Why did it stop? I need to hear these episodes

    Lewis Lapham's The World In Time: Please send us more. LTF

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Billi
    United States2 years ago
  • The best podcast

    None better

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Che Block
    United States3 years ago
  • Episode 100 explains it all

    Except it’s unclear to me why the wealthy don’t understand the importance of a strong middle class Looking forward to reading the book Thank you Q: What was all that gargling at the beginning of the episode?

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Che Block
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some note the episodes inspire further reading and engagement with the material.
Many praise the host's ability to steer deep, nuanced conversations that illuminate historical topics.
Listeners describe the show as insightful and intellectually rich with high-quality guests.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Michael Pollan on Consciousness
Q: Do you think a science of consciousness is enough, or should humanities play a larger role?
Pollan argues for an interdisciplinary approach, where literature, philosophy, and Buddhism illuminate aspects of consciousness that pure third-person science may miss, suggesting that science and humanities together can offer a fuller picture.
Michael Pollan on Consciousness
Q: What's the hard problem of consciousness as the book frames it?
The hard problem asks how physical processes in the brain give rise to felt experience and consciousness, a question that resists easy reduction to brain activity or computational models.
Adrienne Mayor on Geomyths
Q: What makes a geomyth a reliable witness to past events, according to your framework?
If a myth contains datable geological details that align with scientific understanding of events like eruptions or floods, and if those details can be corroborated across independent sources, then it gains credibility as a historical memory rather than mere fable.
Adrienne Mayor on Geomyths
Q: How did you come to study such a wide range of disciplines in Mythopedia?
I deliberately avoided being confined to a single field, preferring interdisciplinary collaboration and drawing from archaeology, folklore, geology, and classics to illuminate how early observations became embedded in myth and memory.
Mary Beard on the Classics
Q: What exactly are the classics? Why study them still now in the 21st century?
Beard explains that the classics are a living conversation, not a static canon, and emphasizes the value of engaging with ancient texts to understand both the past and our present assumptions. She argues for the relevance of studying how civilizations argued, changed, and taught themselves to think critically about what it means to be human.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly

What is The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful interview series that centers historical literature, archival materials, and cross-disciplinary conversations. Guests range from literary writers and biographers to classicists, historians, and journalists, who explore how past voices come alive in present-day storytelling. Noteworthy are in-depth discussions of classic works, the interplay between fact and fiction, and multiple episodes that weave scholarly analysis with personal anecdotes. The show often features prominent historians and literary figures, offering rigorous context while remaining accessible to curious listeners who want to read more after listening.

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2. Open Source with Christopher Lydon
3. Conversations with Tyler
4. On the Media
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How many episodes of The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly are there?

The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly launched 9 years ago and published 138 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly?

Recent guests on The World in Time / Lapham’s Quarterly include:

1. Michael Pollan
2. Zena Hitz
3. Justin Smith-Ruiu
4. D. Graham Burnett
5. Mary Beard
6. Yiyun Li
7. Adrienne Mayor
8. Robert Moor

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