Full of history and intrigue, here’s some suggested peripheral reading to accompany the beloved games:
Over at The New Inquiry, native Londoner Laurie Penny agrees to ride the Underground for a full day, then writes about the forgotten history, ghost architecture, police brutality, and socioeconomic warfare that haunt the city’s Tube lines amidst newfound Olympic prestige.
“Do the Olympics boost the economy?” So asks Mark Perryman, pondering the downside of the games at The Daily Beast.
And last week, Dan Weiss’s Morning Coffee alerted our attention to the historic Olympic art competitions, noting a report on the architecture category. Mental Floss has been curating a series of articles concerning not just architecture, but all five artistic components. This week’s entry looks at 11 notable medalists who won said competitions, and writer Scott Allen helpfully segments the years, covering 1916-1924, 1928-1932, and 1936-1948, as well as the eventual switch from art competition to Cultural Olympiad.
