Hampton has been on the podcast before and if you haven't yet found his books of narrative history I urge... more

I am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes.... more

Most people know Ed West for his journalism and in particular for his substack The Wrong Side of History. If... more

I am a huge fan of John McWhorter and have come to have great respect for Scott Sumner's knowledge and... more

Frank Dikötter returns to the show to talk about dictators and in particular how they use the cult of personality... more

If, like me, your idea of East Germany is dominated by spy movies and and you think that perhaps it... more

Giles Milton is one of my favourite authors producing narrative history today. The stories he tells are just jaw dropping.... more

David Parnell and I wrap up the story of Belisarius and Antonina. We are now on to the liberation of... more

David Parnell has a wonderful new book out called Belisarius and Antonina. This is the story of a real husband... more

Frank Dikötter is the author of a series of brilliant and harrowing books about communist China. He is not only... more