The Conqueror’s Gift
It is typical for an author to summarise the chapters of a book in the Introduction. Sort of like a film teaser, where you get a glimpse of the best…
The Book of Genesis Lay in Ruins
When I first saw the title of this book, Impossible Monsters, I thought it was about members of a certain state legislature whose prime purpose for existence appears to be…
SHOW WINDOW OF THE KINGDOM: The Islands of Orkney
Peter Marshall won the 2018 Wolfson history prize for Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation. He is also Professor of History at the University of Warwick. Thus,…
Hidden Art Gem in Dallas
My headline should actually say “Gems” as there are two here in east Dallas. The first is historic building itself; the second is the art it displays on a rotating…
Maxims for a Fulfilling Life
A combination of adages, maxims, aphorisms and plain old common sense, this book embodies a host of life-long truisms. And while value of the quote depends on each individual person…
Shakespeare in Hollywood
Even though William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays from 1589 to 1613, it is now all the rage to recast his works in the 1930s. Two years ago, the…
THE EYES OF TEXAS: The Shocking truth
“I knew that the song was strangely creepy,” said University of Texas Austin Professor Alberto Martinez in his book talk at Livra Books this week. He was referring to the…
The Artistic Moon of Tor Falcon
The British artist Tor Falcon has given us a unique diary of her encounters with the Moon, one that will forever change your perception of that globe in the sky.…
SIGNS OF VIRILE MASCULINITY: Peacocks and the Pope’s Beard
This fascinating historical study of representations of masculinity is edited by Konrad Eisenbichler, a professor in the department of Italian Studies at the University of Toronto. He has received numerous…
Before Our Time
Special Editorial Note: This article will appear in the 10th anniversary edition of The Covent Gardener, a superlative magazine published in London. It was written by David Rooney, and is…