BOOKS & PODCASTS
THIS MONTH’S BEST HISTORICAL READS AND LISTENS
BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Library: A Fragile History
By Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen
Profile Books, £25, hardback, 528 pages
Libraries have had a long and varied history, taking in both the elite repositories first created in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece and the public institutions that emerged in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. This globetrotting book charts their stories and profiles the key figures who preserved knowledge for future generations, including scholars, churchmen and librarians. It also considers the challenges that libraries have faced across the past century, from changing technologies and political agendas to the spectres of warfare and pandemic.
The Tudor Socialite: A Social Calendar of Tudor Life
By Jan-Marie Knights Amberley
Publishing, £20, hardback, 288 pages
Not, as you might expect, an account of the customs and holidays of your average 16th-century person, this is instead a chronological tour through the engagements of members of Tudor high society. Spanning a century and interwoven with cameos from royal figures, it also chronicles the pastimes enjoyed by those who existed within their orbit: fireworks and feasts, tournaments and trips. Yet life could still be hard, even within this rarefied world, and the ripples created by personal tragedy and political instability are fascinating.
Smashing the Liquor Machine
By Mark Lawrence Schrad
Oxford University Press, £25, hardback, 736 pages
The term ‘Prohibition’ immediately brings to mind the speakeasies and moonshine of the United States during the 1920s – but, as this new book stresses, the US was far from alone in banning alcohol. Travelling from eastern Europe to south Asia, Mark Lawrence Schrad instead puts the era’s temperance movement into the context of wider political and social agendas around the globe. It’s sometimes a little academic in tone, but this is a vivid exploration of how interconnected the world was even a century ago.
National Treasures: Saving the Nation’s Art in World War II
By Caroline Shenton
John Murray, £16.99, hardback, 336 pages
As war became an increasingly likely prospect in the summer of 1939, thoughts turned to how best to protect some of Britain’s most treasured assets: the contents of its museums and galleries. Over the coming months, a band of officials, curators and archivists set out to ensure the safety of these artefacts, turning to unlikely resources and strategies in the process. Both a retelling of this extraordinary historical moment and a celebration of British eccentricity, this is richly drawn, uplifting stuff.
The Shape of Battle: A Study of Six Campaigns, from Hastings to Helmand
By Allan Mallinson
Bantam Press, £25, hardback, 416 pages
What factors govern the outcome of a military encounter? at’s the question at the heart of this history of six major conflagrations, including the battle of Hastings in 1066, the 1815 clash at Waterloo and the Normandy landings of June 1944. As author and retired professional soldier Allan Mallinson puts it, war is the most complex human interaction ever known – and he’s a fascinating and knowledgeable guide to the wider context and turning points of these key battles.
On Tyranny, Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
By Timothy Snyder and Nora Krug
The Bodley Head, £16.99, hardback, 128 pages
Timothy Snyder has frequently written about authoritarianism, and his 2017 book On Tyranny considered how understanding its history could help explain today’s politics. This new graphic-novel adaptation sees Snyder team up with illustrator Nora Krug to offer an accessible guide to the past century’s most extreme regimes. It’s framed as a series of lessons, and its present-day political focus won’t be for everyone, but this is an intriguing take on the link between history and current affairs.
WHAT TO LISTEN TO…
Each month we bring you three of our favourite podcasts from the BBC and HistoryExtra…
Aberfan: Tip Number 7
The lives of a Welsh mining community were changed forever when, on 21 October 1966, a coal tip collapsed and sent slurry cascading into the neighbouring village of Aberfan.
More than a hundred children, and 28 adults, died. This emotional series tells the story through first-hand testimony, contemporary reporting and historical context.
Kyle Harper: Plagues Upon the Earth
More than 18 months on, the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact our lives. In this podcast episode first broadcast in October, classicist Kyle Harper looks back at the ways in which infectious disease also shaped the stories of our forebears, and traces its connections to wider social forces including wealth, travel and trade.
You’re Dead to Me: Owain Glyndŵr
Although his name may not be familiar to all, 15th-century rebel Owain Glyndŵr is one of the most important figures in Welsh history. This instalment of podcast series You’re Dead to Me sees Greg Jenner team up with historian Kathryn Hurlock and comedian Elis James to tell Glyndŵr’s story, and examine his fascinating legacy today.