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Dictators - review
Posted on: 8 August 2021
Frank Dikotter’s ‘Dictators: the Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century’ is a highly readable potted history of eight twentieth century dictators, charting the rise and (more often than not) the...
★★★☆☆ (2019)
review
Making Deep History - review
Posted on: 6 August 2021
How do you envisage a million years? Clive Gamble in “Making Deep History: Zeal, Perseverance and the Time Revolution of 1859” tell us that Charles Darwin was advised in 1868 to try this exercise:...
★★★☆☆ (2021)
review
Why new history books? What's wrong with the old ones?
Posted on: 6 August 2021
“Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell, agreeing with me that new history books are important, in his recent...
opinion
What Is History? - review
Posted on: 31 July 2021
There is something about the theory of history or historiography – ie how and why the study of history is conducted – that can inflame passions among professional historians. Seemingly mild mannered...
★★★★★ (1961)
review
Ten Caesars - review
Posted on: 24 July 2021
A week ago I went to see a blockbuster exhibition about an accused arsonist who murdered his wife and his mum. The star of the show (running until October 2021 at the British Museum in London) is of...
★★★☆☆ (2019)
review
The Last Embassy - review
Posted on: 16 July 2021
The Dutch present ships have arrived at the Tiger’s Mouth, like tall inns on the oyster-shell mirror of the water, a joyful noise ringing out. They’re filled with precious offerings, but first they...
★★★★☆ (2021)
review
Slavery After Rome, 500-1100 - review
Posted on: 11 July 2021
Health warning: the reviewer got a bit carried away and has written a rather long review – you may want to make yourself a cup of tea before starting it. What is it about? Professor of Medieval...
★★★★☆ (2017)
review
The Horde - review
Posted on: 4 July 2021
I first learned to fear the power of the Mongols while playing the computer game Medieval II Total War. Playing as king of the English I was pretty pleased with my thuggish army of knights and...
★★★★☆ (2021)
review
Empire of Silver - review
Posted on: 17 June 2021
Silver mining is not an easy job – when you dig the raw ore out of the ground it typically contains less than 0.1% silver – 1 part in a thousand. You then have to go through a laborious process of...
★★☆☆☆ (2021)
review