Well, given that it seems to be confined to the NYRB and has been consistently going for so long, could it perhaps be an in-joke of theirs? EDIT: Well, I guess

Well, given that it seems to be confined to the NYRB and has been consistently going for so long, could it perhaps be an in-joke of theirs? EDIT: Well, I guess not. Looks like the resolution was far more anticlimactic.