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It's All Greek
by Caroline Lawrencereplica kylix or Greek drinking cup by ExekiasOpposite the British Museum, on the corner of Great Russell Street and Bury Place, is a fabulous shop called It’s All Greek where you...
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Befanissima - Michelle Lovric
In Italy, children put their stocking out not on Christmas Eve but the night before January 6th, the Christian Feast of the Epiphany. Here’s one version of the traditional Italian poem about the...
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There is Nothing Like a Dame, says Laurie Graham
By the time this post appears I’ll be in Italy preparing to direct Jack & the Beanstalk for the biennial Venice pantomime, so it seems an appropriate time to write about the man who shaped the...
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London's Buried Treasure, by H.M. Castor
Cheapside, London - 1890-1900by Detroit Publishing Co. (Library of Congress[1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsA hundred years ago this coming March, an astonishing find was put on public...
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Elizabeth I, Richard II and Dr Who
‘I am Richard II, know ye not that,’ is what Elizabeth I is recorded as saying in 1601, with reference to Shakespeare’s play of that name, demonstrating the extent to which such a drama, written in...
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12 Years A Slave Review Catherine Johnson
Chiwetel Ojiofor Director Steve McQueen deserves every accolade and more for his adaptation of musician Solomon Northrups' account of kidnap, slavery and brutality in mid 19th Century America.It is an...
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Democracy, Law Enforcement and Honour
by Marie-Louise JensenI'm currently writing a new Viking e-book for Fiction Express and it has set me thinking again about just how unusual a country Iceland was and is. When Iceland was claimed and...
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Stargazers: Sue Purkiss
Last week, I sat down happily to watch Stargazing Live, with Dara O’Briain and Professor Brian Cox. I’ve been a fan of this programme since it started, and it was lovely to see the lads again, along...
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WHEN IS A PICTURE WORTH A HUNDRED WORDS? by Penny Dolan
I was reminded, by the recent Cheapside Hoard post, of my visit to the Museum of London last year. I had a brilliant day all by myself, seeing things like these and more:Caesar AugustusDoor from...
View ArticleDecember Competition winners
The winners of the December competition are: Eden StokeyPippa GoodhartKS FarinaRuan PeatPlease send your land addresses to:prauthor@euk.egmont.comto claim your prizes. Congratulations!
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Serendipity - Celia Rees
On Wednesday, I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Don't worry, this blog is not about the film, I just like the poster. I went alone, because no-one wanted to come with me (not being...
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HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS
Theresa BreslinI’ve been searching in the attic trying to find research notebooks, photographs and primary source material relating specifically to World War One. Being a professional librarian it...
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'The History in the Words' by A L Berridge
All historical novelists know to avoid the ‘wrong words’ – the little anachronisms that boot us into the wrong century will the speed of a train crash. What I find much, much harder is learning when to...
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Lost Stories in the Land by Imogen Robertson
My mother rang me just before Christmas and offered to buy me an ipad. She is a very nice person, and had probably noticed that I kept nicking hers whenever my husband and I go to visit in Darlington....
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Breaking the Rules by Kate Lord Brown
Doha Jan 2014Browsing in the souq this morning, it struck me again how strange (particularly for someone who adores history), it is to live in a city that is so new. The oldest building dates from the...
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RAGS AND BONES AND OTHER TREASURES; INFORMAL RECYCLERS OF YESTERYEAR, BY...
Photograph of a chiffonnier by Eugene Atget, (1857-1927, Getty Archive'In Paris you only have to bend down to pick up money in the streets. Truly, the Parisians are such prodigies that they throw away...
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A BIT OF AN ORDEAL - some matters pertaining to trial by ordeal in 12th...
At the start of the 12th century, trial by ordeal was an accepted part of the judicial system and daily life. The idea was to allow the accused to undergo a test and that God would decide the outcome....
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DON'T GET UP by Eleanor Updale
I’m writing this in bed. My inspiration for doing this comes from Lady Diana Cooper – superstar, socialite and general wonderful woman.In his fabulous collection of her letters to him, Darling Monster,...
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A FRENCH AFFAIR – Dianne Hofmeyr
On New Years Day this year I embarked on a French affair. I drove into a small valley tucked between the mountains in an area known as Franschhoek… French Corner, situated not in France but in the Cape...
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What is that shoe doing there? by Louisa Young
This comes to you from North Norfolk, where the skies are wide and the sea turns gold at sunset, even in January. I am staying in the village where Nelson was born, where the pub - and indeed the...
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