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The 2017 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction by Elizabeth Laird
The shortlist for this year's Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced. This brilliant prize rewards British, Irish and Commonwealth authors of historical fiction more generously...
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On Fairy Tales - by Gillian Polack
Last month I gave a speech on fairy tales to the Australian Fairy Tale Society. This is not that speech. Be very thankful! This is, however, some of the thoughts leading to it.Many writers and tellers...
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Transported by Debra Daley
Sometimes when you are wandering in the annals of history, an odd little coincidence jumps out of the thickets of research and makes your day. One of those incidental satisfactions happened to me...
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Pele the volcano goddess and her golden hair - Katherine Langrish
I’d heard of Pele’s Hair but never seen any until I came across some in the Geological section of the Museum of Natural History in Kensington, last year, and was fascinated. Before I show you what it...
View ArticleGetting Dressed as a Late Medieval Woman and Man - Joan Lennon
About a year ago, I posted on Getting Dressed as a Victorian Lady and today I'm sharing some videos about what lay beneath the luscious look of late medieval attire. First, women's clothing, a layer...
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A Letter to Lilian Bland Sheena Wilkinson
Dear LilianLast month I visited Glengormley, a northern suburb of Belfast, and walked in a park named after you. I was fascinated by the big model of an early plane, and even more fascinated when I...
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In praise of Henry Justice Ford by Adèle Geras
This below is the cover of my most precious book. It's TALES OF TROY by Andrew Lang, whom older readers may remember as the author of the coloured Fairy Books. It's a school text book, one of the...
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'Murdered Saints and Salmon' by Karen Maitland
Chapel of St Mary, Glastonbury Abbey.Photo c1865. Cornwell University LibraryToday is the feast day of St Indract or StIndracht, who is said to have been martyred in around 700. What I find fascinating...
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The Roman Kiss of Greeting by Caroline Lawrence
One of my ongoing obsessions is the idea of travelling back in time to imperial Rome see what it was really like. One of the things my Time Traveller would surely NOT have seen is the so-called Bogus...
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Rattlum Snakorum: ‘not too much fright, but just fright enough’ – Michelle...
Ophidiophobics, look away now. I warned you! I first came across the Rattlum Snakorum, a Victorian paper novelty, at the Wellcome Trust’s library, while browsing some books of Victorian advertising...
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At First Light by Vanessa Lafaye: Review by Katherine Clements
Vanessa Lafaye’s new book At First Light returns to the world captured so beautifully in her 2015 debut Summertime. Set in the Florida Keys in the early 20th century, it is a prequel of sorts, but the...
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SWORDS and SANDALS
The revival of European Martial Arts,by Antonia SeniorWe all struggle with authenticity. How can we best approach the past, weighed down as we are by our tech-heavy, sanitised modern lives?Last month,...
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THE HANDMAIDEN: Elizabeth Fremantle explores the problems of adaptation
Being a huge fan of Sarah Waters I was curious about The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook's adaptation of her novel Fingersmith, a particular favourite of mine. Had I needed further incentive to see Park's...
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Of Mighty Warriors by Lesley Downer
‘Hwær cwom mearg? Hwær cwom mago? Hwær cwom maþþumgyfa?’‘Where is the steed? Where is the rider? Where is the treasure-giver? ...How that time has passed away, grown dark under the shadow of night as...
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History versus Modern Development: The City of Bath
by Marie-Louise JensenI live in an historic city which makes every trip into town a visit to a byegone era. It is a privilege and a pleasure for me and for many of the thousands who live here and the...
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In search of the plant hunters: Sue Purkiss
At the end of September, I have a new book coming out. It's called Jack Fortune and the Search for the Hidden Valley, and it's about a boy and his uncle who go off plant hunting to the Himalayas at the...
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THE BRITISH LIBRARY AT BOSTON SPA by Penny Dolan
Research, as an idea, brings images of ancient bookshelves and peaceful reading. In my mind are places like the circular British Museum Library Reading Room (now an exhibition space) or studious...
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Legendary Heroes and Gothic Ruins - A Walk to Guy's Cliffe by Celia Rees
Guys Cliffe, WarwickLike many writers, I often go for a walk if I'm stuck, if I need to think my way through a knotty plot problem, map out the next part of the story, or simply to get away from my...
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The Old Droving Trade by Susan Price
Highland Cattle: Attribution: © Francis C. Franklin / CC-BY-SA-3.0Can you imagine spending two months of every year walking 150 miles (242 kilometres) over challenging terrain, scrambling up steep,...
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The “industrious” Meon Valley
At this time of year, my daily walk takes in three of the “industrial” features of this lovely part of Hampshire, the Meon Valley: the River Meon itself, the long defunct Meon Valley Railway and the...
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