Jonathan Swift: His Life and His World
Jonathan Swift is best remembered today as the author of Gulliver’s Travels, the satiric fantasy that quickly became…
Extracts
The Philosophy of Friendship
A central bond, a cherished value, a unique relationship, a profound human need, a type of love. What…
The Catholic Church and World Development
With 1.3 billion members, the Catholic Church is the world’s largest organization and perhaps its most controversial. The…
What is Literature?
John Sutherland’s ‘Little History’ tackles a very big subject: the glorious span of literature from Greek myth to…
Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe
In Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe, John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great…
Butterfly’s Sisters: The Geisha in Western Culture
The figure of a geisha can be troubling to Westernised eyes. Yoko Kawaguchi, the author of Butterfly’s Sisters: The…
The Victorian with whom you would most want to have dinner
Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) was a prominent Victorian lawyer, businessman, essayist and journalist. For 17 years he was editor…
Antoine–Laurent Lavoisier and the myth of phlogiston
Yale University Press’ Little Histories collection is a family of books that take a closer look at some…
Measuring pressure is tricky, just ask Stephen Hales’ horse!
Robert Boyle was fascinated by the world and he spent his life trying to explain why things are…
‘This diary must never be printed!’: Playwright August Strindberg and The Occult
The Swedish playwright August Strindberg was, amongst other things, a mercurial talent, artist, occultist, husband and father. He…
The Decorative History of the Basilica of San Francesco
For a brief moment at the close of the 13th century, the town of Assisi was the focus…
‘No use being sentimental’: Strindberg & The Modern World
Sue Prideaux is the author of Strindberg: A Life. Playwright, poet, photographer, painter, alchemist and hellraiser, August Strindberg (1849–1912) is principally…
Introduction to The Anglo-Saxon World
The Anglo-Saxon period, stretching from the fifth century to the late eleventh, begins with the Roman retreat from…
On the performance and legacy of Strindberg
The Swedish playwright August Strindberg was, amongst other things, a mercurial talent, artist, occultist, husband and father. He…
In the Olden Time: Victorians and the British Past
‘When the painter Henry Wallis first exhibited his Chatterton at the Royal Academy in 1856 the painting was…