Pootering About
Peter Morton reminds us that, a century before Adrian Mole, there was Charles Pooter.
History Today
The Morrill Majority
In the twenty-eighth and final essay in this series, Daniel Snowman meets John Morrill, historian of the Civil War, Oliver Cromwell and the recurrent political instability of the ‘Atlantic Archipelago’.
The Search for Dido
Sarah Minney, a genealogist-researcher, solves the mystery of the later life of a famous black beauty of the late 18th century.
Lawrence in Arabia
Diplomat and traveller Hugh Leach draws on his experience of working with Arab tribes to examine T.E. Lawrence’s strategy in the Arab revolt, in anticipation of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.
Childhood in the Roman Empire
Ray Laurence considers how children were seen in ancient Rome and looks at some of the harsher aspects of childhood – sickness, violence and endless work.
Why Did Charles I Fight at Naseby?
Richard Cust reassesses the thinking behind the biggest military blunder of the English Civil War, Charles I’s decision to fight the New Model Army at Naseby in June 1645.
Black Victorians
Patrick Vernon discusses depictions of Blacks in Victorian art and popular culture, and introduces a new exhibition on the subject, opening in Manchester.
The Sea Speaks Arabic
Umej Bhatia discusses Muslim memories of the Crusades and their resonances in Middle Eastern politics today.
Between Bushido and Black Humour
Stewart Lone looks beyond the idea of the impassive, self-sacrificing citizen to discover how ordinary Japanese people really reacted to the war with Russia in 1904-05.
Gone to the Docks
David Carpenter recalls the vanished world of the London docks in the 1950s.