LEIGH FORBES: Books of all Sorts

15th April 2019
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Riddle and the Knight: In search of Sir John Mandeville

The Riddle and the Knight: In search of Sir John Mandeville

by Giles Milton. I loved this book! I’ve previously read the author’s Nathaniel’s Nutmeg, so had a pretty good idea of what to expect from his writing, and he didn’t disappoint. The story of Sir John Mandeville’s book The Travels, … Continue reading

26th February 2019
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone Lighthouse

Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone Lighthouse

by Adam Hart Davis and Emily Troscianko This book is about Henry Winstanley the man whose life (and death) became intractably linked with the first Eddystone Lighthouse. The Eddystone rocks – an outcrop of slippery, sloping gneiss that barely pokes … Continue reading

17th September 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Dr Johnson’s Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story Of The Book That Defined The World

Dr Johnson’s Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story Of The Book That Defined The World

by Henry Hitchings. This is a story of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary – the first comprehensive dictionary of English, which was published in 1755. We start with a brief history of Johnson’s early life: his very modest upbringing in Litchfield; his education – and … Continue reading

24th May 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Surgeon of Crowthorne: a Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Surgeon of Crowthorne: a Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

by Simon Winchester. Simon Winchester introduces us to two of the most important characters in the making of the Oxford English Dictionary: the then editor, James Murray, and one of his most prolific volunteer contributors, a retired US army surgeon … Continue reading

21st March 2016
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Shakespeare

Shakespeare

by Bill Bryson. Bryson admits straight away that he’s not a Shakespeare scholar, but he brings to the collective history a wholly objective voice. The one thing he knows about Shakespeare, he says, is that no one knows very much … Continue reading