The past few days have borne much sadness for us here at The American Interest. Two of our esteemed authors have passed away: Dame Mary Douglas died in London at age 86 on Wednesday, May 16, and Eugen Weber died in Los Angeles at age 82 on Thursday, May 17.

As our readers know, Professor Douglas was twice an AI author: “It’s Personal”, Nov.-Dec. 2006 and “Talking Dirty”, March-April 2007. (She particularly loved the title of the latter piece, which concerned the career of her most famous book, Purity and Danger.) One of the most influential and original anthropologists of the past half century, she was working on another essay for us at the time of her passing.

Professor Weber, the Romanian-born historian of France and Europe par excellence, wrote “Sizing Up Utopia” for our January-February 2007 issue.

These great lights of insight will be missed sorely among us here at The American Interest, as they will by scholars and admirers of learning everywhere. May their memories be for a blessing.