April 30, 2020 Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights by Helen Lewis Review by Liz Dexter First of all a caveat, in case any keen-eyed reader finds my name in the acknowledgements: I did work on…
April 21, 2020 Let’s Talk: How English Conversation Works by David Crystal Review by Liz Dexter “What makes a successful conversation?” is a question David Crystal considers asking people in his new book – and, well,…
April 7, 2020 A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen by Martin Gayford and David Hockney Reviewed by Liz Dexter This is a new ‘compact’ edition of this book, with a revised final chapter bringing it all up to date,…
February 5, 2020 Learning Languages in Early Modern England by John Gallagher Review by Liz Dexter Has it ever struck you that before England obtained its empire, no one else in the world bothered to speak…
January 28, 2020 Art Essentials: Impressionism by Ralph Skea Review by Liz Dexter Another volume in the excellently done Art Essentials series, this volume on Impressionism is written by Ralph Skea, an artist…
November 14, 2019 Interview with Jane Badger about Pony Books Interview by Liz Dexter Jane Badger started off as a dealer in horse and pony books, becoming known for her extremely extensive website on…
November 5, 2019 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo Review by Liz Dexter Amma is a playwright and director who’s moved from the fringes to the mainstream (or has it moved to her?)….
October 22, 2019 How to Read a Photograph: Understanding, Interpreting and Enjoying the Great Photographers by Ian Jeffrey Shiny New Books / Review by Liz Dexter Of course,…
October 8, 2019 Art Essentials: Street Art by Simon Armstrong Review by Liz Dexter The Art Essentials series aims to be engaging, accessible, authoritative, richly illustrated and expertly written and conceived, and with a…
September 26, 2019 The Pursuit of Art: Travels, Encounters and Revelations by Martin Gayford “The pursuit of art is a journey that never stops: the more you see, the more you want to see.” First of all much…
September 17, 2019 Rough Magic: Riding the World’s Wildest Horse Race by Lara Prior-Palmer Review by Liz Dexter Lara is by her own account a bit scatter-brained. She’s been described as away with the fairies, didn’t see the…
September 17, 2019 Futurekind: Design by and for the People by Robert Phillips Review by Liz Dexter Robert Phillips is a senior tutor on the Design Products course at the Royal College of Art, as well as…
August 6, 2019 The Seafarers: A Journey Among Birds by Stephen Rutt Review by Liz Dexter This charming and perceptive book opens with a gut-wrenching account of taking off in a Very Small Plane from Kirkwall…
July 23, 2019 The Dinosaurs Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution is Rewriting History by Michael J Benton Reviewed by Liz Dexter Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and head of the Palaeontology Research Group at the University of Bristol,…
June 18, 2019 Birds in the Ancient World by Jeremy Mynott Review by Liz Dexter Jeremy Mynott is both a classical scholar and a writer on birds, and his love and deep knowledge of both…
June 11, 2019 Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Colour by David Coles Review by Liz Dexter This truly spectacular book would grace any coffee table with ease, but it’s more than just a pretty face, with…
May 16, 2019 Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez Review by Liz Dexter I felt a little overwhelmed facing up to reviewing this book, as there have been many reviews published since it…
April 9, 2019 The Art of Life Admin: How to do Less, do it Better, and Live More, by Elizabeth Emens Review by Liz Dexter Emens is a professor of Law who made the discovery a while back that there was something invisible and other…
March 12, 2019 Let Her Fly: A Father’s Journey and the Fight for Equality by Ziauddin Yousafzai with Louise Carpenter Review by Liz Dexter I received a copy of this book by Malala Yousafzai’s father from NetGalley and then managed to find a copy…
December 11, 2018 The Women’s Atlas by Joni Seager Review by Liz Dexter On the front of the book there’s a quote from Catherine Mayer, Co-Founder of the Women’s Equality Party: “The most…
November 8, 2018 Bloody Brilliant Women: Pioneers, Revolutionaries and Geniuses your History Teacher Forgot to Mention by Cathy Newman Review by Liz Dexter Cathy Newman is one of Channel 4 News’ main studio presenters and specialises in investigative journalism, too. Here she brings…
October 2, 2018 Viking Britain: A History by Thomas Williams Review by Liz Dexter Williams opens this wonderful, absorbing book with a big statement about how the Vikings are not afforded the same respect…
August 16, 2018 King of the North Wind: The Life of Henry II in Five Acts by Claudia Gold Review by Liz Dexter Henry II, father of Richard Lionheart and King John, husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine and murderer by instruction of Thomas…
July 12, 2018 Sacred Britannia: The Gods and Rituals of Roman Britain by Miranda Aldhouse-Green Review by Liz Dexter Miranda Aldhouse-Green is a specialist in Romano-British studies and Iron Age archaeology and has written other books on myth and…
June 26, 2018 The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography Review by Liz Dexter “I hate autobiographies. They’re so fake”. That’s an astounding opening sentence but one that doesn’t really surprise, given that it’s…
