Gonzaga
On the 16th of August, 1328, the House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantua. Claire and I agreed that Mantua was our favourite city on our recent Interrail tour of fourteen European cities. Neither of us had heard of Mantua until I began my research for The...
Amazon Advertising
I posted recently about the leap in traffic that my website has enjoyed. It appears that the book marketing advice that Brian Feinblum gave me some years ago, about posting every day to boost SEO (search engine optimisation), has indeed finally translated into book...
Cologne Cathedral
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid on the 15th of August, 1248. The cathedral was completed in 1880. I’ve worked on some long construction projects in my time, but that takes the biscuit. Situated in Cologne, Germany, this majestic structure is not...
King Duncan I
On the 14th of August, 1040, King Duncan I was killed in battle by his cousin, Macbeth. King Duncan I of Scotland, also known as Donnchad mac Crain, reigned from 1034 until his death in 1040. Born around 1001, Duncan was the grandson of King Malcolm II through his...
Cardinal Richelieu
On the 13th of August, 1624, King Louis XIII appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his prime minister. I have written about Richelieu before, and he is a character in my work in progress, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. Armand Jean du Plessis, better...
Antiseptic
On the 12th of August, 1865, Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery. Since I introduced a doctor as an important character in Called to Account, the fourth book of the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I have had to research the history of medicine. Joseph...
Hedy Lamarr
On the 11th of August, 1942, the actress Hedy Lamarr and the composer George Antheil were granted a patent for a frequency hopping, spread-spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones, two-way radio...
Overcoming the Monster
I’m currently reading John Le Carré’s George Smiley series, in order. Writers are readers too, and although there’s little similarity between Elizabethan and Cold War tradecraft, at a human level the spies are essentially the same. There isn’t much more I can do with...
Treaty of Nonsuch
The Treaty of Nonsuch was signed on the 10th of August, 1583, by Queen Elizabeth I and the Dutch rebels fighting Spanish rule. Historical Context The treaty emerged amidst the backdrop of the Dutch Revolt, an uprising of the Seventeen Provinces against the Spanish...
Gonzaga
On the 16th of August, 1328, the House of Gonzaga seized power in the Duchy of Mantua. Claire and I agreed that Mantua was our favourite city on our recent Interrail tour of fourteen European cities. Neither of us had heard of Mantua until I began my research for The...
Amazon Advertising
I posted recently about the leap in traffic that my website has enjoyed. It appears that the book marketing advice that Brian Feinblum gave me some years ago, about posting every day to boost SEO (search engine optimisation), has indeed finally translated into book...
Cologne Cathedral
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral was laid on the 15th of August, 1248. The cathedral was completed in 1880. I’ve worked on some long construction projects in my time, but that takes the biscuit. Situated in Cologne, Germany, this majestic structure is not...
King Duncan I
On the 14th of August, 1040, King Duncan I was killed in battle by his cousin, Macbeth. King Duncan I of Scotland, also known as Donnchad mac Crain, reigned from 1034 until his death in 1040. Born around 1001, Duncan was the grandson of King Malcolm II through his...
Cardinal Richelieu
On the 13th of August, 1624, King Louis XIII appointed Cardinal Richelieu as his prime minister. I have written about Richelieu before, and he is a character in my work in progress, the fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. Armand Jean du Plessis, better...
Antiseptic
On the 12th of August, 1865, Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery. Since I introduced a doctor as an important character in Called to Account, the fourth book of the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, I have had to research the history of medicine. Joseph...
Hedy Lamarr
On the 11th of August, 1942, the actress Hedy Lamarr and the composer George Antheil were granted a patent for a frequency hopping, spread-spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones, two-way radio...
Overcoming the Monster
I’m currently reading John Le Carré’s George Smiley series, in order. Writers are readers too, and although there’s little similarity between Elizabethan and Cold War tradecraft, at a human level the spies are essentially the same. There isn’t much more I can do with...
Treaty of Nonsuch
The Treaty of Nonsuch was signed on the 10th of August, 1583, by Queen Elizabeth I and the Dutch rebels fighting Spanish rule. Historical Context The treaty emerged amidst the backdrop of the Dutch Revolt, an uprising of the Seventeen Provinces against the Spanish...