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A collection of lever arch files stands along the bottom shelf of my bookcase. Although they contain a few photocopies made in the university library during my undergraduate years most contain print-outs of academic papers, sourced through a digital library … Continue reading
The scope of the historian is potentially everything which has gone before. If the scholar has any chance of recounting, or even understanding a fragment of the past, they must be selective in the remit of their research. Perhaps a … Continue reading
Now there are empty spaces on bookshelves which were once densely populated and over-flowing.But some books have escaped the cull for years, and probably always will. Their spines crowd the shelves with memories of years gone by, as evocative as … Continue reading
Manchester is enjoying a long hot summer but Lisa hasn’t noticed. She’s dreading being called as the chief witness in a murder trial. That’s after she has attended the funerals of the victims. In London her colleagues at Bergers advertising … Continue reading
Robert Eaglestone’s book Postmodernism and Holocaust Denial is the only reference to postmodernism on my bookshelves. It reminds me that there are no volumes by the French political philosophers who shaped the generations of arts, humanities and social science undergraduates … Continue reading
‘There were Africans in Britain before the English came here’ is certainly a great opening line, but for me there’s nothing like a good footnote. Peter Fryer’s Staying Power is packed with them, or I should say endnotes. One hundred and … Continue reading
Deluded, the gripping psycholigical thriller Continue reading
I often use Wikipedia, but a search for its entry on “history” reminds me how dangerous that lazy habit can be. History is “the study of the past as it is described in written documents”. Really? Even a check of … Continue reading
My academic books were purged shortly after my finals and the losers traded at the university book mart. The survivors, including those which have never been opened in the intervening years, have not been threatened since. They are pillars of … Continue reading
Inevitably, only a skeleton collection of books read during my teens, twenties and thirties remains. They have survived many removal boxes and stiff competition from newcomers for space. I remember savouring Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance during a … Continue reading
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