The Most Popular New Fiction of 2019

1. Four Months after Herbert Died

A dark hallway with a shadow of a man in the background
(Shutterstock)

By Jessica Federle

“For all 68 years of his life, being overlooked had been a norm. Finally, it seemed that being overlooked had fallen in his favor.”

2. Marlie’s House

Old, abandoned farmhouse
(Shutterstock)

By Sara Amis

Escaping to the Georgia home she once shared with her parents, a young artist creates a happiness mural. But happiness, like life, won’t last forever.

3. Papa

(Shutterstock)

By Jonathan Vollinger

Young Jack looks to his father for answers about his mother’s strange behavior.

4. Calculus 1

Piece of paper with algebra equations
(Shutterstock)

By John M. Floyd

He was good at math — but some problems aren’t so easily solved.

5. A Sentimental Person

Man playing a guitar
(Shutterstock)

By Kevin Fitton

Years after his wife’s death, a Michigan pastor learns how to play the blues and how to let go.

6. The Mailman

Man handing a package to its owner.
(Shutterstock)

By Jeff Wallach

A technical writer living in Oregon discovers the new mailman is his friend’s dead husband.

7. Cool, Damp Cloth

(Shutterstock)

By Niles Reddick

“At the first light, I … saw a fellow with a cigarette in one hand, cell phone in the other, and his belly steered the old Buick when the light turned green.”

8. Everything in Time Travel Has Been Done

Boy looking at his wristwatch
(Shutterstock)

By Doug Lane

When picking a science fair project, NEVER pick time travel. It’s worse than dangerous: There are no great projects left.

9. The Mansion

(Shutterstock)

By Mehdi M. Kashani

The winds of fate don’t always smell so sweet.

10. The Day the Earth Smiled

(Shutterstock)

By Nathan Goodroe

Dad’s obsession was pretty overwhelming, so he wouldn’t settle for a normal family photo.

 

Featured image: Shutterstock

The Most Popular Videos of 2019

1. Rockwell Video Minute: The Holdout

Norman Rockwell admired men and women who fearlessly stood by their convictions. Nowhere was that more evident than in his portrayal a jury’s lone dissenter.

2. Movies for the Rest of Us with Bill Newcott: 10 Great Movies That Weren’t Nominated for Oscars

Movie fans are outraged when their favorite film gets passed over for an Oscar nomination, but lots of classic pictures never came close to Oscar gold.

3. Rockwell Video Minute: Missing Tooth

Norman Rockwell often painted girls at turning points in their lives. In this 1957 cover, he captured a big step toward one childhood goal — growing up.

4. The Saturday Evening Post History Minute: The Post Office Porn Police 

In the 1870s, Anthony Comstock was appointed U.S. postal inspector and dedicated himself to ridding the mail of obscene material. He took his job very seriously.

5. Rockwell Video Minute: Coming and Going

Norman Rockwell pays tribute to the grandest of American traditions: the family road trip!

6. Saturday Evening Post Time Capsule: February 1950

The Saturday Evening Post’s coverage in February of 1950 included the communist threat, Ingrid Bergman, and…roller derby?

7. The Saturday Evening Post History Minute: Allied Troops’ Love-Hate Relationship with Axis Sally

You might have heard of the World War II radio propagandist Tokyo Rose, but did you know about the exploits of Axis Sally?

8. Saturday Evening Post Time Capsule: The Day Before D-Day

What was happening in the world on June 5, 1944: The day before D-Day?

9. Saturday Evening Post Time Capsule: September 1900

In 1900, phonographs were all the rage and the electric light bulb was gaining popularity. But another innovation was about to enter American homes. It was small, simple, and inexpensive, but it would forever change how Americans saw themselves.

10. Saturday Evening Post Time Capsule: March 1932

The Saturday Evening Post’s coverage in March of 1932 included stories on the rise of nationalism in Europe, fiction by Fitzgerald and Faulkner, and humor by Will Rogers. But the news that captured everyone’s attention was the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby.

The Most Popular Articles of 2019

At the beginning of 2019, we could have guessed that our most popular articles would feature a little bit of history, literature and art. But you also surprised us with your interest in Gen Con, movie theme songs, and candy! Here’s our list of the ten most popular articles we published in 2019. Enjoy!

1. The 50 Greatest TV Theme Songs of All Time: Live-Action

(Shutterstock)

We’re warning you now: after reading this, you’ll be humming these theme songs all day.

2. The Case for Late Bloomers

(Shutterstock)

Making too much of those who achieve success early — whether measured by college admission, a glamour job, money, or fame — can make it seem that the rest of us are destined to be also-rans for the rest of our lives.

3. Considering History: Myths and Realities of the Mexican-American Border

(Wikimedia Commons)

Many imagine the border between the U.S. and Mexico to be a consistent, stable entity, but history shows that this line – and the many debates that surround it – is prone to revision.

4. Killer in the White House

The White House
(Library of Congress)

For over twenty years a silent killer stalked the White House. Was this killer responsible for the death of three presidents?

5. How Dodge City Became the Ultimate Wild West

(Shutterstock)

Fake news and smoking guns made the Kansas town a symbol of frontier lawlessness.

6. 11 Old Candies You Can’t Buy Anymore

(The Sweets Company of America, The Saturday Evening Post, 1920)

Like a dirty trick, these treats disappeared.

7. What We Can Learn from Gen Con

(A diorama of the game Marvel: Crisis Protocol by Atomic Mass Games. Photo by Troy Brownfield.)

Gen Con brings gamers, cosplayers, and other fandoms together. And we should follow their example.

8. The Creation of Nancy Drew

Cover for the Nancy Drew novel, The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene
(Detail from the cover of The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene)

It took a tenacious, bold, independent writer to invent the fictional teen sleuth.

9. America’s First Opioid Epidemic

(“The countess, having taken a dose of laudanum nears death.” Engraving by Louis Gérard Scotin after William Hogarth, 1745. Wellcome Collection galleryCC-BY-4.0)

As the country struggles with a terrible opioid crisis, we remember a similar epidemic that raged through the U.S. in the 1800s.

10. How to Look at a Norman Rockwell Picture: Part 1 — Hands

(©SEPS)

David Apatoff takes a closer look at the details that make Norman Rockwell a true artist. He starts with Rockwell’s use of hands.

Featured image: ©SEPS