From the Editor

“Read biography,” said Disraeli, “for that is life without theory.” And to grasp the truth of that remark, read an obituary. Those in the U.S. press, alas, are usually perfunctory at best. But British newspapers-notably, the London Times and the Daily Telegraph-run long, serious and (sometimes) frank obituaries.

They are among the most popular pages in a newspaper. I used to think this was because elderly readers turned to them in a spirit of cut-throat competition: “Aha. Saw him out.”