Arts
Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann
The ‘Flower Moon’ is the term the Osage Indians of Oklahoma use to describe that time of year with a full moon in May when the plains around them suddenly burst forth in millions of [more…]
Foxoles
16th Century
Henry VIII’s Six Marriages
Like them or loathe them, royals seem to occupy a perennially-popular position in our national consciousness, and royal gossip even more so. We also seem fascinated as a country by our history, and by how [more…]
Book Review
Book review: Three Lives, by Nigel Parsons
According to amazon, ‘Nigel Parsons was born in an army camp in the South of England and spent many of his early years living in the remnants of the British empire, Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, and [more…]
Book Review
Book Review: Across Atlantic Ice: the origin of America’s Clovis culture
Half an academic dry tome and half one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read, this book lays out the evidence for what is known as ‘the Solutrean hypothesis’. It’s basically trying to answer [more…]
17th Century
Sir John Vanbrugh – The Supreme Schemer
Its walls and towers stare down – rather snootily it could be said – from Maze Hill, over the lesser buildings clustering round its feet on the edge of Greenwich Common. Opposite, Canary Wharf’s ghostly-looking, [more…]
Book Review
The Young H.G. Wells by Clare Tomalin. Viking: 2021
I’m sure many people are familiar with H.G. Wells’ science fiction output, with novels like The War of the Worlds, The Shape of Things to Come, The Invisible Man, The Sleeper Awakes (which some have [more…]
Arts
Long memories at Clashanimud
We are often now asked to believe that European countries have no culture, or even any connection to their own pasts – that they are all lands of immigrants, blank sheets on which anything can [more…]
Book Review
Castles in the air: the restoration adventures of two young optimists and a crumbling old mansion by Judy Corbett
Bit of a different style of review this time. I know there are a few who enjoy a spooky story on GP, as do I – especially when it’s one apparently based in reality. So [more…]
Book Review
Ancestors: A prehistory of Britain in seven burials, by Alice Roberts
One of my favourite tv moments was when we saw Alice Roberts approach an eminent palaeontologist on site. He dropped what he was doing. ‘Hello, Alice’ he said warmly, walking towards the camera, extending her [more…]