The Death of the Library?
Throughout the centuries countless libraries and carefully curated book collections have been dispersed, destroyed or lost.
Literature
A Philosophy of Falcons
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, was obsessed with falconry. This led him to write a truly revolutionary book on the subject.
Think of the Children!
Britain’s obscenity trials and censorship laws.
The Road less Travelled
Female explorers of the 19th century demolished Victorian notions of stay-at home women. But why were they so vehemently anti-feminist? The case of Mary Wollstonecraft may hold the answer.
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
What sort of society produced Shakespeare?
The Moral of the Story
Illustrated picture books in Victorian England reached new aesthetic heights. But was it always for the benefit of the children?
The Romantic Reputation of John Keats
On his death two centuries ago, Keats and his work looked sure to be forgotten. Why is he now so well loved?
What’s in a Name?
Erasing women writers in the name of uplifting them.
Angels Ever Bright and Fair
A short story written in the earliest days of the First World War became an enduring symbol of British providence.
Frankenstein: Between Two Worlds
Mary Shelley’s great novel is not a commentary on the Industrial Revolution, nor is it a simple retelling of the myth of Prometheus. It is far more original than that.