It is a proud and correct claim that we can make in these islands that much of the foundational science which underpins the modern world took place in the C17 here. The Royal Society (founded in 1660, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society ) was full of brilliant men whose invention, genius and tenacity guided us out of ignorance and superstition. One […]
London’s Leonardo by Jim Bennett et al Read More »
Andrew Grant (http://www.andrewgrantbooks.com/) , the younger brother of bestselling thriller writer Lee Child, has scorched onto the crime fiction scene with 4 novels since 2009. In False Positive, Alabama detective Cooper Devereaux makes no apologies for his luxury lifestyle or the way he does his job. Most cops haven’t lived the kind of life he has
Atheism didn’t start with Charles Darwin, Bertrand Russell or Richard Dawkins in the modern era. Neither can any of Baruch Spinoza, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Voltaire, Arthur Schopenhauer, or Friedrich Nietzsche take full credit for exposing the delusion of theism. Atheism began way back in antiquity, and has a long and distinguished pedigree. This superb book by Cambridge Professor of Greek Culture Tim Whitmarsh (http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/directory/professor-tim-whitmarsh) traces these
Battling the Gods by Tim Whitmarsh Read More »
Helen Dunmore (http://www.helendunmore.com/) is a prolific and well loved writer across a range of categories – novels, young adult fiction, children’s fiction, poetry, short stories and essays. Her latest novel, Exposure (2016), is ideal as a winter read. With the world closed down outside, let Dunmore and your imagination transport you fully to a different world. That
Robert Crais (http://www.robertcrais.com/) is an American author of detective fiction who has been influenced by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. For those of a certain age who remember and loved Hill Street Blues (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues), Crais was the scriptwriter for that TV series. Now a highly successful writer of crime and thriller fiction, his latest publication is The Promise
It is in line with the perversity of my nature that one of my favourite places in Scotland is Dundee. Aside from its many qualities, one aspect of understanding the city is to know about its history of whaling. (http://www.fdca.org.uk/Whaling_Industry.html) The McManus Galleries (http://www.mcmanus.co.uk/) has excellent displays on the subject, and it was here first in
Thomas Perry (http://www.thomasperryauthor.com/Thomas_Perry/Welcome_1.html) has offered a variety of suspense fiction starting with The Butcher’s Boy, which received a 1983 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel. This was followed by Metzger’s Dog, Big Fish, Island, and Sleeping Dogs. He then launched the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series. To date he has published
The Bible (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible) is the most widely distributed collection of literary texts in human culture. The Greek word βιβλία (biblía) means ‘books’. Its two parts, The Old and New Testaments between them comprise 66 books. This number itself is contentious because there is no one ‘Bible’. Different faith traditions have fixed their ‘canon’ of Scripture in different ways. It is nevertheless the
The Unauthorized Version by Robin Lane Fox Read More »
David Baldacci (http://davidbaldacci.com/) began writing stories as a child, when his mother gave him a notebook in which to record them. He wrote for more than two decades, penning short stories and later screenplays without much success. While practicing law, he turned to novel writing, taking three years to write Absolute Power. Published in 1996,
