Notebooks

notebook

Painting by numbers

The fortunes and friendships of Maurice Princet – mathematician and 'godfather' of Cubism – testify to the enduring link between art and abstraction.

Harry Cluff December 23, 2020

notebook

The enduring spirit of Christmas

From pagan rituals to paper hats, the tradition of the festive season has always evolved with the times.

Clive Aslet December 22, 2020

notebook

John le Carré: the timeless allure of a true literary great

The master storyteller - who has died aged 89 - chronicled the Cold War and revealed powerful truths about the human condition

Harry Cluff December 14, 2020

notebook

The lost allure of alchemy

Alchemy embraces a sophisticated set of beliefs and a high-minded cosmology, much to the chagrin of the pure rationalist.

Philip Marsden December 12, 2020

notebook

Grey matters

Beneath the stiff upper lip of Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary in 1914, lay a passion for politics and for love.

Richard Bassett December 11, 2020

notebook

Dunwich’s very English apocalypse

Dunwich, once a bustling medieval city, was swept under the waves in a series of storms. Little now remains of this English Atlantis.

Fergus Butler-Gallie December 9, 2020

notebook

Investigating Heraclitean fire

The mystery of the role of fire in Heraclitus's aphorisms has beguiled and delighted generations of readers.

Harry Cluff December 4, 2020

notebook

City-states are back

With globalism disrupted by Covid, cities offer a tried and tested way of binding people together.

Tobias Jones December 1, 2020

notebook

Missing the theatre of everyday life

While celebrity has ruined many a talent, the rest of us miss those small public performances in the pub or theatre, which make life that little bit more exciting.

Jenny McCartney November 27, 2020