Category Archives: History

Arts & Literature, Books, History, Reviews, Society, Technology, Views

September 2022 Reviews: ‘WSJ 12 Books To Read’

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The Car: The Rise and Fall of the Machine That Made the Modern World

By Bryan Appleyard | Pegasus

In their brief ascendancy, cars have dominated every aspect of public and private life and changed our understanding of space, time and nature. Review by Mark Yost.

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PHOTO: AVID READER

One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World

By Michael Frank | Avid Reader

A chance meeting with a Holocaust survivor blossomed into weekly conversations—and a journey into a vanished world. Review by Heller McAlpin.

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PHOTO: CROWN

Prisoners of the Castle: An Epic Story of Survival and Escape from Colditz, the Nazis’ Fortress Prison

By Ben Macintyre | Crown

Built on a rock outcrop, the grim German castle once housed the incurably insane. Then it became a prison for unruly Allied POWs. Review by Alex Kershaw.

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PHOTO: VIKING

Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921

By Antony Beevor | Viking

If the American Civil War ended slavery, and the English Civil War restrained the monarchy, what did the Russian Civil War achieve? Review by Douglas Smith.

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PHOTO: MIT PRESS

Working With AI: Real Stories of Human-Machine Collaboration

By Thomas H. Davenport and Steven M. Miller | MIT Press

A compendium of case studies in which corporations stopped worrying and introduced artificial intelligence into their workflow. Review by Matthew Hutson.

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Art, Arts & Literature, Cities, Culture, History, Profiles, Travel, Videos

Cultural Traditions: The Artists Of Taipei, Taiwan

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Taipei is a very modern city with a rich history. Many of the artists who live here are finding ways to keep Taiwan’s unique cultural traditions alive.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:54 Dadaocheng, meeting Zo Lin, foraging artist 02:14 Grassland’s Private Garden with foraging artist Tiffany Lai 06:41 Ximending, meeting comic artist Yeh Yu Tung 07:21 Wan Nan Building 08:11 Yeh Yu Tung’s Studio 10:23 Dadocheng Wharf 11:00 Taipei Main Station, Meeting Hsu Yenting, sound artist 12:35 Shing-Chen Street 14:04 Exhibition Hall Ever Burning 15:46 Jian-Guo Traditional Market, meeting contemporary artist Paco Uong 20:24 Taipei Tien-Hou Temple with collage artist Ni Jui Hung 22:13 Yat-Sen Park 22:53 Jui Hung’s Studio 24:50 Xiangshan

The host of this episode Allison Lin is an actress and photographer in Taipei, Taiwan. She studied interactive multimedia design at the Houston College of Art in the US. Allison meets the artists Zo Lin & Tiffany, Yeh Yu Tung (comic artist), Hsu YenTing (sound artist), Paco Uong (contemporary artist) and Ni Rui-Jung (collage artist).

Arts & Literature, Culture, History, Magazines, Previews, Science

Previews: The American Scholar – Autumn 2022

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Autumn 2022

The Root Problem

Harvesting wild ginseng has sustained Appalachian communities for generations—so what will happen when there are no more plants to be found?

The Degradation Drug

A medication prescribed for Parkinson’s and other diseases can transform a patient’s personality, unleashing heroic bouts of creativity or a torrent of shocking, even criminal behavior

Why We Are Failing to Make the Grade

Covid-19 has contributed to a crisis in America’s classrooms, but the problems predate the pandemic and are likely to outlast it

Art, Arts & Literature, History, Museums, Profiles, Stories, Videos

Arts & History: ‘Winslow Homer – Force Of Nature’

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Why is Winslow Homer a household name in the USA? And what makes his art so important? Follow Homer’s journey, at a time of great upheaval in American history, from magazine illustrator to sought-after artist in oil and watercolour.

Winslow Homer: Force of Nature Ground Floor Galleries Until 8 January 2023

History, Homes, Magazines, Previews, Reviews, Society, Stories, Travel

Preview: Country Life Magazine – Sept 28, 2022

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Country Life Magazine – September 28, 2022:

Walk this way

Katy Birchall consults trainer Ben Randall about how to get your dog to focus on you and stop disappearing on walks

Shooting pains

As a difficult shooting season begins, Simon Lester considers the state of the sport amid its many modern challenges

If I only had a brain

Confusing to dogs and a star of horror films, scarecrows still fulfil their traditional bird-scaring role, discovers Jeremy Hobson

Mary-Ann Dunkley’s favourite painting

The design director of Liberty Fabrics picks a bright patchwork

Masterpiece

Jack Watkins is diverted by the story of Shaw’s Pygmalion

Arts & Literature, History, Magazines, Previews, Travel

Previews: Smithsonian Magazine – October 2022

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Cover for October 2022

Smithsonian Magazine October 2022 Issue:

Founding Force

How America’s “first politician” galvanized a colony—and helped set a revolution in motion. BY STACY SCHIFF

Glen Canyon Reveals Its Secrets

Water woes threaten America’s second largest reservoir—but leave new vistas in their wake. PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT BY PETE MCBRIDE

Tolkien’s World

Haunted by the approach of another world war, the beloved fantasy author created a new story of Middle-earth that few people even knew about—until now. BY JOHN GARTH, PHOTOGRAPHS BY KIERAN DODDS

Ray of Hope

The giant fish faces threats from poachers, boat strikes and climate change. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEX MUSTARD, TEXT BY TERENCE MONMANEY

 

Scents and Sensibility

From the lab to the art gallery, the latest efforts to understand the fragrant, musky, stinky and utterly baffling world of your nose

BY ABIGAIL TUCKER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CAROLINE TOMPKINS

History, Magazines, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Stories

Previews: History Today Magazine – October 2022

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Oct 22


A Century of Fascism

Fascism would plague the 20th century, but when Benito Mussolini seized power in October 1922 few could agree on exactly what it was.

Cuban Missile Crisis: the View from Havana

For 13 days in October 1962 the world watched Cuba with bated breath. What was the view like from the epicentre of the missile crisis?

Archaeology, Culture, History, Magazines, Previews, Reviews, Stories

Cover Previews: World Archaeology – Sept 2022

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The World Archaeology October 2022 issue explores the secrets of Japan’s stone circles, the lost prehistoric cities of Bolivia, women’s everyday lives in the Ice Age, an idyllic alpine region that saw fierce fighting during the First World War, and much more.

The stone circles of Japan are enigmatic monuments. These structures were created by Jomon hunter-gatherers, mostly from roughly 2500-300 BC, and can be associated with burials, seasonal ceremonies, and solar alignments. Such preoccupations are far from being restricted to Jomon Japan, with study of these circles proving influential when it came to early 20th-century attempts to understand Stonehenge. In our cover feature, we take a detailed look at some of the Jomon stone circles, examining both the monuments themselves, and wider activity in the period.

Culture, History, Homes, Magazines, Previews, Stories, Travel

Preview: Country Life Magazine – Sept 21, 2022

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Country Life’s 21 September 2022 issue is a Cotswolds special, looking at gardens, homes and Oxford’s brief stint as the British capital.

Our great good fortune

Long live the Kings and Queens, says Carla Carlisle as she marvels at the balancing act of our enduring monarchy

A Cotswold capital

Simon Thurley explains how Oxford was fortified during its brief spell as Charles I’s capital city during the Civil War

A concentrated Arcadia

Tilly Ware lauds the dedicated restoration of the many buildings and features of a historic Cotswolds landscape garden

Stella Ioannou’s favourite painting

The artistic director of Sculpture in the City chooses a vivid and compelling British work

Culture, History, Stories, Travel, Videos, Views

Travel & Culture: North In The Mountains Of Iran

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Iran’s mountainous terrain has always been an important part of people’s lives. Years ago, these mountains were populated by legendary horsemen. Today, they are the subject of scientific investigation. This film provides the viewer with stunning arial views of these mountains. It unfurls the rich tapestry of Iran’s history, from the legendary Order of the Assassins to the Mongol invasions. We also get to know Iran by meeting some of the fascinating people who live there. Take Ali, a world champion of mounted archery. Despite its waning popularity, the sport has endured in Iran due the importance of horses throughout Iranian history. We get to explore the historic Tabiz bazaar, which is still a bustling market and kaleidoscope of cultures today. There, we meet Dschebrael, a stall owner who speaks Azeri, the official language of Azerbaijan. In fact, Azeri can be heard throughout the market, which serves as a meeting place for Iran’s many ethnic groups, and thus as a microcosm of the country’s cultural diversity. The film introduces us to beekeepers and violinmakers, as well as young people living in Iran who want to travel and express themselves freely on social media — even though it is forbidden.