LEIGH FORBES: Books of all Sorts

30th April 2019
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Translator: a tribesman’s memoir of Darfur

The Translator: a tribesman’s memoir of Darfur

by Daoud Hari. A chilling first-hand account of the Darfur genocide wreaked by the Sudanese government in 2003. But coincidence, Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, was finally ousted as I was reading this book in 2019, news which did much to … Continue reading

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

5th October 2018
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Histories of Nations: How Their Identities Were Forged

Histories of Nations: How Their Identities Were Forged

by Peter Furtado. A “History of the Political Revisionist Histories of Nations” would be a more accurate title for this book, which comprises a selection of essays, written by natives of each country, on some (necessarily limited) aspect of their … Continue reading

18th September 2018
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: How One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History

Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: How One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History

by Giles Milton. Nathaniel’s Nutmeg is essentially a history of the East India Company’s early years – including the lengthy prelude to its inception – and its part in the spice race. The first half of the seventeenth century saw the … Continue reading

27th December 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on The Swordfish and the Star: Life on Cornwall’s most treacherous stretch of coast

The Swordfish and the Star: Life on Cornwall’s most treacherous stretch of coast

by Gavin Knight. A fascinating account of life for those on Cornwall’s far-west peninsular, this book covers fishing, art, a bit about mining and smuggling, incomers, poverty, family, feuds, fighting, alcohol, and drugs. I enjoyed this book well enough, but … 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

13th August 2017
by Leigh Forbes
Comments Off on Caliban’s Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Strange Fate of Her Survivors

Caliban’s Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Strange Fate of Her Survivors

by Stephen Taylor. The Caliban Shore accompanies the survivors of the East India Company’s schooner, “Grosvenor”, after she was wrecked on the south-east African coast in August 1782. The story starts in India as passengers and crew make preparations to … Continue reading