Book Review: “Latro in the Mist” by Gene Wolfe
"Latro in the Mist" by Gene Wolfe I occasionally run across a book that challenges me; that makes me work for the story and enjoy the labor; that awes me with the craft of the writing. Usually these are considered “literary novels.” I also find a lot of literary...
Special History in the News Update: What’s Happening to Egyptian Treasures?
Special History in the News Update: What's Happening to Egyptian Treasures? The boards were buzzing. “What’s happening in Egypt? Are there riots? Are the museums being looted? Is the Library at Alexandria burning...again? Are the archaeological teams okay? WHAT’S...
Book Review – “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda
"Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France" by Leonie Frieda Long, long ago in a youth far, far away, I read a biography of Catherine de Medici, so I was already familiar with her story. I have to admit, the details were hazy: I remembered something about...
History in the News: Cleopatra’s Needle, New Human Cousins and Bog Bodies
History in the News: Cleopatra’s Needle, New Human Cousins and Bog Bodies One of the delights of living in NYC is Central Park. It’s not only a green space and refuge for weary urbanites, it’s the site of many monuments; some are gifts from other countries. One of the...
Book Review – “Khan: Empire of Silver” by Conn Iggulden
"Khan: Empire of Silver" by Conn Iggulden From the Synopsis: “Genghis Khan is dead, but his legend and his legacy live on. His son Ogedai has built a white city on a great plain and made a capital for the new nation. Now the armies have gathered to see which of...
History in the News: Italy’s Woes, Roman Recycling and Forensic Genetics
History in the News: Italy’s Woes, Roman Recycling and Forensic Genetics The recession is hitting our historical heritage hard. Governments all over the world are cutting back on staff, delaying maintenance on existing sites, allowing sites to "disappear" in the name...
Book Review: “Little Dorrit” by Charles Dickens
"Little Dorrit" by Charles Dickens Every now and then, I turn back to the classics and remind myself why they are “classic.” Charles Dickens has always been a favorite of mine, but I had never read Little Dorrit. I picked up a Wordsworth edition (over 800 pages with...
History in the News: Turkey’s Troubles, Looted Artifacts, and Climate Change
History in the News: Turkey’s Troubles, Looted Artifacts, and Climate Change It’s another month and another History in the News Round-up. And yes, you read right--climate change is part of the picture, revealing artifacts frozen in glaciers and historical sites in...
Book Review-“Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome” by Steven Saylor
"Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome" by Steven Saylor Over three thousand years ago, a murder takes place on an island in a river flowing through the hilly region of Italy later known as the ruma. This bloody act presages the rise of one of the ancient world's most...
Book Review – “Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome” by Steven Saylor
"Empire: The Novel of Imperial Rome" by Steven Saylor Empire:The Novel of Imperial Rome continues the story of the Pinarius family chronicled in Steven Saylor's earlier novel Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome. In the earlier book, we followed the aristocratic family...
History in the News: Pyroclastic Clouds, Dead Dogs, and Ads on the Coliseum
History in the News: Pyroclastic Clouds, Dead Dogs, and Ads on the Coliseum As I've said on my About page, I'm a history junkie and science geek. I love the intersection of these two disciplines: DNA markers that trace humankind's exodus from Africa, isotope analysis...
Book Review – “Imperium: a Novel of Ancient Rome” by Robert Harris
"Imperium: a Novel of Ancient Rome" by Robert Harris From the opening pages: "Imperium—the power of life and death as vested by the state in an individual. Many hundreds of men have sought this power, but Cicero was unique in the history of the republic in that he...