In short, the book looks at the period of Central Asian history of greatest scientific and other enquiry, taking us on an amazing voyage across a huge breadth of time and geography. Continue reading
Category Archives: History
Book review: Difficult Women
It’s not a chronological history, but tells stories about particular fights in the UK to advance the rights of women. I even knew some of the stories as they intersected with my PhD (like Marie Stopes being…eccentric). Continue reading
Book review: The Five
The central premise rejects the claims that the women were all prostitutes, but more importantly it was to actually give space for their lives to be told. And they are just such heartbreaking stories: domestic abuse, infidelity, alcoholism, bereavement. Continue reading
Book review: The Silk Roads
The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan was a really fascinating read and I enjoyed so many aspects of the book. Continue reading
Book review: Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World
Oh hi. I’ve been kind of occupied by PhD land. But this book is part of PhD land so I’ve decided to review it. I first heard about Time Whitmarsh’s book last year, when I helped organise a history conference on atheism, secularism and humanism. It was the talk of the conference! But it took … Continue reading
Book review: Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures looks at the careers of three black women in NASA (all amazing mathematicians): Katherine G Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan. It mixes their history alongside that of events in the United States, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War. Continue reading
Fantasy / History / Podcast / Science Fiction
Episode 1: The Interminables
In the first episode of Science Fiction Double Feature, I talk to Paige Orwin about the amazing The Interminables and discuss the history of magic with Professor Frank Klaassen. Continue reading
Death-bed conversions
One of the things that I found fascinating when studying the Reformation was the discovery of reliquaries. These objects, containers holding all sorts of religious emblems of veneration (from the last breath of Christ to hands, ribs, feet, blood, pieces of the true cross and everything in between) were far outside my cultural framework. Having … Continue reading
Book review: Southern Emancipator
Wow. So, I should know a lot about Moncure Conway, but I don’t. I’m rectifying that knowledge gap this year, for multiple reasons (one being PhD reasons). So I picked up Southern Emancipator: Moncure Conway: The American Years, 1832-1865 from the delightful library at Conway Hall (Conway Hall named after him, of course). It’s hard … Continue reading
Book reviews / Comics / History / Non fiction
Book review: Supergods
I think I picked up this book by Grant Morrison at the comics exhibition at the British Museum. I have read a few comics by Morrison, like Joe the Barbarian and All Star Superman. I enjoyed both. So in the post-script to the paperback edition, he describes Supergods as a subjective history. Ah ha ha … Continue reading
