The subtitle of this book is “Ten Great Lies and How They Shaped the World”. It presents a series of case studies supporting the author’s belief that what we think is ‘history’ – what we think we know about the … Continue reading →
The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper The stories of the lives of these five women have one thing in common: they show how desperately hard life was for working-class women in mid-Victorian times, and how … Continue reading →
This neat little book by freelance Oxford historian Liz Woolley picks out a couple of dozen of Oxford’s Victorian and Edwardian industrial and commercial buildings, many of which still survive today. If you didn’t know where four of the city’s … Continue reading →
This is a moderately heavyweight and academic account of the development of news media in Europe over the 15th to 18th centuries, but it is not dry or sterile. It describes the changes in spoken, written and printed transmission of … Continue reading →
I’ve been getting a bit behind with my project to record – however briefly – the books I read so this is no more than a quick note. In lieu of a review, here are a few things you might … Continue reading →
A book that’s as enjoyable to look at as it is fascinating to read. Hockney convincingly argues his case for the widespread use of optical aids by artists from the 15th century onwards.
Continue reading →