"Each morning I would strike out for this temple of learning in the crisp autumn air . . . with a sense of purpose and the conviction that this was where I belonged."--Marilyn Stasio from "My Research Project"

Inspired partly by Richard Altick's The Scholar Adventurers, the thirteen writers in Curiosity's Cats offer powerful arguments for the value of hands-on research, be it chasing documents, cracking mysteries, interviewing long-lost subjects, or visiting exotic and not-so-exotic locales.

Alberto Martinez explains how diligence with dates can provide clues to unlock...