Author Article by John Marriott: Uncovering the real history of East London
From Jewish clothing merchants to Bangladeshi curry houses, ancient docks to the 2012 Olympics, the area of East London has always played a crucial role in the city’s history. This fascinating area of London is now the subject of a new book, Beyond the Tower: A History of East London by John Marriott. Here the author discusses the … Read more
Author Article by Lyric Hale: Into the Eye of the Hurricane: Natural Disasters and Political Change
In last week’s installment of our weekly column from Lyric Hale, the What’s Next? author discussed the link between unemployment and social unrest. This week, following Hurricane Irene hitting the East Coast, the top economic commentator examines the effect of natural disasters on political stability. Article by Lyric Hughes Hale I am in northeastern Vermont, at a location without … Read more
The Medium is the Message: Books on poster art from the Soviet Union to the London Underground
Today we take a look at three Yale University Press books on poster art, each examining the medium from a different niche point of view. Whether advertising a product or promoting a political party, poster campaigns have always been one of the most effective and strikings ways to transmit a message. Even in the age … Read more
Infinite Jest: New Yale book examines the art of the caricature
Today we look at an entertaining and informative new Yale book which looks at some of the finest examples of caricatures and other satirical works, dating from c.1500 to the present day. Despite being around for hundreds of years, the caricature is still very much a part of British political satire, especially in newspapers, where … Read more
Ralph Tailor’s Summer: A new history of the plague in Newcastle provides an alternative summer read
As we enter the last few weeks of the great British summer, we take a look at a book that tells the moving story of a man who spent his summer in plague-ridden Newcastle. The plague outbreak of 1636 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne was one of the most devastating in English history. About 7,000 out of 20,000 … Read more
