The Economist reads | The Economist looks at
How to stare at the Sun, through art
Seven artworks use the Sun to talk of time, the Earth, the act of seeing and industrial civilisation
![Midnight Sun, 1940 by Eric Ravilious](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240622_BLP511.jpg)
CHILDREN—and eclipse-watchers—are warned not to stare directly at the Sun. Ignore that advice and the result may be burnt retinas and partial blindness. Yet an urge persists to somehow see the source of the light by which once all things were seen. Central to the world but always moving in the sky, bringing days into being and governing the cycles of the year—it is hard not to see the fascination, even if you sensibly avert your eyes.
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The romance and reality of Paris, the Olympics’ host
Five non-fiction books about a city that is both gilded and gritty
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Novels set on holiday
Some of these fictional holidays aren’t fun, but they might enhance yours
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Five books on the glories and flaws of the Olympics
The games fall short of their ideals, but they’re still worth watching