History
Hilary Mantel explains the difference between facts and truths
‘History is not the past,’ says the writer Hilary Mantel in the first of her Reith Lectures on Radio 4…
Is London’s Green Belt responsible for its housing crisis?
‘The area’s isolation has given it a strong sense of community and independence,’ runs the Wikipedia entry on New Addington.…
The post-truth is out there
In a political ‘post-truth’ world, currently the subject of a slew of books, emotions and personal belief are said to…
The Lost City of Z is a very long way from a true story — and I should know
A new Hollywood film portrays Percy Fawcett as our greatest explorer. It’s pernicious nonsense
March 1917: Russians are proving themselves worthy of self-government
From ‘The Russian revolution’, 24 March 1917: Even now, though the Revolution is young, the Russians have proved that they are fit…
The charms of old Paris – and the naughtiest girl of the 20th century
Paris used to be the most self-confident city in the world. Brash, assertive, boastful: Manhattan claimed to be the best.…
The first recorded woman golfer (clue: it wasn’t Mary Queen of Scots)
Mary Queen of Golf? The vote by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers to admit women as members has reawakened…
‘The worst fault any military plan can have’: on the Dardanelles debacle
From ‘The Dardanelles report’, 17 March 1917: The plan of the government in the case of the Dardanelles Expedition had…
A new Ripper mystery: Why Patricia Cornwell won't stop hunting him
Why has crime writer Patricia Cornwell spent two decades and $6 million hunting Victorian London’s most notorious killer?
Will the tide ever turn on Lawrence of Arabia?
The centenary of General Allenby’s capture of Jerusalem falls later this year. On 11 December 1917, the commander-in-chief of Britain’s…
Our island story
It used to be thought that emphasising British history in multi-ethnic schools was somehow wrong. But it is the best way to foster integration, says Robert Peal
How did we end up naming storms?
Naming the weather Former BBC weatherman Bill Giles has said he’s fed up with storms being named. — The practice…
1917: Saving the English village
From ‘Sir Thomas Acland’s example’, The Spectator, 3 March 1917: In 1912 we discussed the idea — a favourite dream…
1917: The Americans are coming!
From ‘What will the United States do?’, The Spectator, 24 February 1917: It may be that the congestion of American…
The Islamic world did liberalise – but then came the first world war
The Muslim world had an age of modernisation. It died in the first world war
Time to wake up to the benefits of the sleeper
As a child, I used to travel with my mother from London to Cannes, a journey that took slightly under…
1917: War is no excuse for theft
From ‘The confiscation of enemy property’, The Spectator, 17 February 1917: It is perfectly possible to remove German influences without…
An obituary for the Bullingdon Club, by one of its old boys
Cameron and Osborne made my old university club famous. Now it has died of overexposure
Speaker Bercow has split the House and dishonoured his office
As we have been reminded this week, the most famous words (apart from ‘Order, order’) ever uttered by a Speaker…
Bloody Marys and the funniest woman in the House of Lords
To the Western Isles, or at least to its embassy in Belgravia. Boisdale restaurant always claims to be extra-territorial. There…
Indians are getting post-truth history about Winston Churchill
Did Winston Churchill, like Donald Trump, also like to ‘grab them by the pussy?’ Last week at the Jaipur Literary…
The magic and strangeness of British placenames
British placenames are so good you can read the map for entertainment rather than navigation. Hardington Mande-ville, Bradford Peverell, Carlton…
Eating people is rare (and very unhealthy)
The subject has been popularised from Homer to the Brothers Grimm, but, mercifully, human cannibalism has always been rare, says Philip Hensher
It's crazy to give up on cash
Banknotes and coins are at the heart of British life. In these dreary contactless times, we’d be mad to lose them for ever
1917, and Britain doesn’t quite rule the waves
From ‘Raiders, submarines and some naval problems’, The Spectator, 20 January 1917: At the moment the enemy’s fleet is compelled to…
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