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New Longreads Essays and Features

When Hannibal Lecter Took Over

With “The Silence of the Lambs” hitting theaters, Orion wanted a hit. They didn’t anticipate an antihero.

By All Measures

Our problems are too vast, our distance from them too great. How do we navigate our derangement of scale?

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Recent Editors’ Picks

Recreating the Smells of History

Kaja ล eruga | Knowable Magazine | January 28, 2026 | 1,654 words

“Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields.”

When the Flames Went Out

Anthony Dinh Tran | Los Angeles Review of Books | January 25, 2026 | 4,157 words

“Losing home and rebuilding, reluctantly, in the year after Los Angelesโ€™s Eaton Fire.”

Death of an Indian Tech Worker

Parth MN | Rest of World | January 27, 2026 | 3,973 words

“A wave of suicides and widespread AI-fueled layoffs reveal a workforce under extreme pressure.”

Bang the Drumstick Slowly

Ian Frazier | The New York Review of Books | January 27, 2026 | 3,693 words

“About 26 billion chickens occupy Earth, but apart from the lucky ones in backyards, most are condemned to the hellscape that is industrial farming.”

Pizza Supreme

Luke Winkie | Slate | January 31, 2026 | 2,843 words

“Pizza Hut Classic is fast becoming a cultural obsession. I spent a day at one to find out why.”

Living in Tracy Chapman’s House

Jill Lepore | The New Yorker | February 2, 2026 | 3,695 words

“Fresh out of college, we were a bunch of misfits, in a chaotic, run-down communal home, desperately trying to figure out who we were meant to be.”

Saving Rhea Seegobin

Wency Leung | The Local | January 27, 2026 | 4,087 words

“For the growing number of Canadians who will get cancer in their lifetimes, the financial stress can be profound.”

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Weekly Top 5

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Showcasing stories from Andy Greenberg, Darshana Narayanan, Lauren Lee White, Sarah Stillman, and Gabriel Furshong.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

Showcasing stories from Jasper Craven, Mike Kane, Francesco Pacifico, Dorothy Guerrero and Stephen Harrigan, and Byard Duncan.

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More Longreads Essays and Features

Anatomy of Absolute Power

The people of Wilcox County, Alabama, remember a longtime sheriff as a god or a monsterโ€”it just depends on who you ask.
by Longreads

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Longreads Reading Lists

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The best nonfiction on the web, all in one place.

Each year since 2011, we’ve collected our favorite longform stories. Dive in and enjoy.

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