How could I omit Sir Thomas North?
When I wrote my post on renaissance writers, I failed to mention Sir Thomas North. I realised my error when I read, or heard, some quotations of Plutarch. In 1557 Sir Thomas North wrote the first translation of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives in English. Shakespeare based...
To Split or Not to Split, That is the Infinitive Question
I know, bear with me. Yesterday I posted about the words circled, and margin notes in Louis XIII: The Making of a King. The critical reader has underlined the phrase “To further placate the prince”, and put an exclamation mark in the margin. Clearly he or she is not a...
The Pursuit of Perfection
Is the pursuit of perfection worthwhile? I’m enjoying reading Louis XIII: The Making of a King, but every few pages there are letters or words circled, and notes in the margin. The one I found today was correcting advisor to adviser. There, my spell checker didn’t...
A ruler’s contract with the ruled
Humans are pack animals. We achieve most when we work together as a team. Teamwork can work very well with decisions debated and mutually agreed upon. However it remains the norm that teams have a leader. Ships have captains and countries have rulers. A ruler’s...
An Enema for Toothache?
f you’ve read previous posts, you will know that I’m reading Louis XIII: The Making of a King. The author, Elizabeth Marvick, draws extensively on the journal of Louis’s physician, Jean Héroard. As the fly leaf says, it is probably the most extensive record of the...
Amazon and Editorial Reviews
I want to talk to you today about reviews, specifically book reviews. There are two main types of book reviews: editorial reviews and customer reviews. Organisations like Kirkus write editorial reviews. The author, or publisher, submits the book to them for a review. ...
Interview
I wrote in my last post about my interview on NBC House of Mystery. It is streaming now, click on House of Mystery. I didn’t realise how much I sound like Brains from Thunderbirds. Well, I was a little nervous. Maybe I’ll be more confident in the next interview. Sorry...
Otherwise Engaged
I’m sorry that I haven’t posted for a few days, I’ve been otherwise engaged, listening to the audio files for Called to Account. I emailed my producer, Simon de Deney, a few minor corrections. Meanwhile, this morning, I listened to his corrections of The Suggested...
Whippings
I promised that I’d tell you about the whippings today. Louis was weaned when he was twenty-five months old. That was also when he first experienced a whipping. His father, Henri IV commanded Louis’s governess to, “…whip him every time he is stubborn, or does...
How could I omit Sir Thomas North?
When I wrote my post on renaissance writers, I failed to mention Sir Thomas North. I realised my error when I read, or heard, some quotations of Plutarch. In 1557 Sir Thomas North wrote the first translation of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives in English. Shakespeare based...
To Split or Not to Split, That is the Infinitive Question
I know, bear with me. Yesterday I posted about the words circled, and margin notes in Louis XIII: The Making of a King. The critical reader has underlined the phrase “To further placate the prince”, and put an exclamation mark in the margin. Clearly he or she is not a...
The Pursuit of Perfection
Is the pursuit of perfection worthwhile? I’m enjoying reading Louis XIII: The Making of a King, but every few pages there are letters or words circled, and notes in the margin. The one I found today was correcting advisor to adviser. There, my spell checker didn’t...
A ruler’s contract with the ruled
Humans are pack animals. We achieve most when we work together as a team. Teamwork can work very well with decisions debated and mutually agreed upon. However it remains the norm that teams have a leader. Ships have captains and countries have rulers. A ruler’s...
An Enema for Toothache?
f you’ve read previous posts, you will know that I’m reading Louis XIII: The Making of a King. The author, Elizabeth Marvick, draws extensively on the journal of Louis’s physician, Jean Héroard. As the fly leaf says, it is probably the most extensive record of the...
Amazon and Editorial Reviews
I want to talk to you today about reviews, specifically book reviews. There are two main types of book reviews: editorial reviews and customer reviews. Organisations like Kirkus write editorial reviews. The author, or publisher, submits the book to them for a review. ...
Interview
I wrote in my last post about my interview on NBC House of Mystery. It is streaming now, click on House of Mystery. I didn’t realise how much I sound like Brains from Thunderbirds. Well, I was a little nervous. Maybe I’ll be more confident in the next interview. Sorry...
Otherwise Engaged
I’m sorry that I haven’t posted for a few days, I’ve been otherwise engaged, listening to the audio files for Called to Account. I emailed my producer, Simon de Deney, a few minor corrections. Meanwhile, this morning, I listened to his corrections of The Suggested...
Whippings
I promised that I’d tell you about the whippings today. Louis was weaned when he was twenty-five months old. That was also when he first experienced a whipping. His father, Henri IV commanded Louis’s governess to, “…whip him every time he is stubborn, or does...