The Marginalian

What The Marginalian actually is

Maria Popova has written about books, science, art and letters here since 2006, back when it was called Brain Pickings. Each piece braids long quotations from an old book together with her own commentary, and the archive now holds thousands of essays sorted by author and by theme.

Why it is worth your time

The quoting is generous enough that one essay works as a full introduction to a writer you would otherwise never have opened.

Common questions

Is The Marginalian free?

Yes. The Marginalian is free and does not ask you to register or hand over an email address before you can use it.

How long does The Marginalian take?

Clear your evening. We warned you. We file it under "Rabbit hole" — two decades of one person reading and taking notes.

Does The Marginalian work on a phone?

Yes. The Marginalian works on a phone as well as it does on a laptop.

What kind of site is The Marginalian?

We list it under Deep Archives — long reads and older, stranger knowledge. The quoting is generous enough that one essay works as a full introduction to a writer you would otherwise never have opened.