Dec. 8, 2025
#8 Greatest Book of All Time
There is a lot to praise about Herman Melville's Moby Dick, which comes in at #8 on the History of Literature's list of 25 Greatest Books of All Time. In Episode 747, Jacke considers this tale that is so much more than a story about a whale. Eager to dive deeper into the novel? Take a listen to episodes 481 and 482, a pair of episodes in which Jacke pursues 10 essential questions regarding this literary leviathan that begins with the memorable first line:
Call me Ishmael.
Episode 838: The Emerson Circle with Bruce Nichols
In Episode 838, Jacke talks to author Bruce Nichols about his new book The Emerson Circle: The Concord Radicals Who Reinvented the World. They discuss how literary luminaries — Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Bronson Al…
Twenty Shakespeare Episodes on the History of Literature Podcast
Spend time exploring the world of Shakespeare with host Jacke Wilson on the History of Literature Podcast! Here's a list of the twenty episodes on Shakespeare on the History of Literature Podcast. In these episodes, Jacke talks with eminent scholar…
