David Blackburn

The art of writing: A.J.P. Taylor

This column is supposed to be about fiction, but it ought to be about good writing in general. Paul Lay, editor of History Today, has picked out his top five narrative histories, mixing ancient and modern classics. I can’t dissent from his judgment that Edward Gibbon is the master of the genre. Nor can I challenge his admiration for Diarmaid MucCulloch’s Reformation, a book that merits the title ‘seminal’. But I will say a word for the historian who inspired my love of history: A.J.P. Taylor.

The summer holidays of my childhood and teens were largely spent in the cricket net, bowling at a lone stump or the occasional visiting friend. This vigil was broken every year for two weeks by a trip to rural France. The house was remote, perched on a wooded cliff in the foothills of the Alps.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in