Discovery of Piltdown Man announced
A great hoax was born on December 18th, 1912.
History Today
Mighty Lewd Books
As the erotic novel appears to be experiencing a renaissance Julie Peakman reflects on 18th-century appetites for pornography.
Patrick Leigh Fermor, Mythmaker
Artemis Cooper reflects on Patrick Leigh Fermor’s flexible approach to historical fact.
When is a Slave Not Really a Slave?
After bringing slavery in the West Indies to an end in 1834, Britons differed over how to treat other forms of oppression around the world, says Richard Huzzey.
Richard II: King of the White Hart
When Richard II succeeded his grandfather, Edward III, he turned to alchemy to create a more pious ideal of kingship. His reign left us one of medieval England’s most enduring and complex images.
Speaking Volumes
Geoffrey Best reflects on a lifetime collecting books and the difficulties – emotional and financial – of parting with them.
Maurice Ravel dies in Paris
The great composer died on December 28th, 1937.
The Russian Mrs Beeton
Helen Szamuely explores the unprecedented success of a household manual and cookery book produced by a Russian housewife, Yelena Molokhovets, following the Emancipation of the Serfs in 1861.
The Derryard Attack
Chris Darnell examines the political and military background to the IRA’s last major action against the British army.
The Publication of Grimm’s Fairy Tales
A landmark in folklore was published on December 20th, 1812.