Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog

Laura Cumming, The Vanishing Velazquez (Scribner) Art history detective story: looking forward….

John Man, Saladin: The Sultan Who Vanquished the Crusaders and Built an Islamic Empire A new biography of the great Kurdish leader of the Arab world.  

William Geroux, The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler’s Uboats Always up for Battle of the Atlantic books…

Horowitz, Kosher USA (Columbia University Press) Food history is always good and some of the manipulations described in the blurb got my curiosity going.

Rick Antonson has just brought out Full Moon with Skyhorse. Always intrigued by the Noah’s Ark legend…  

Andrew J. Bacevich, America’s War for the Greater Middle East A long military perspective. Greatly looking forward to this one.

Michael F. Robinson, The Lost White Tribe (Oxford University Press) Really intrigued by this one: a bit of pleasant Victorian madness. They’ll be talking about Welsh Indians in Iowa next.  

Chanan Tigay, The Lost Book of Moses (Ecco) Biblical shenanigans and antiquarians. It doesn’t get any better… Reading this now and definitely worth the price of entrance.

One of the twentieth century’s bigger mistakes. Axworthy, Revolutionary Iran.

The single book I’m most excited about this month: Caroline Grigson, Menagerie

Sceptical but intrigued about this one: Schrad: Vodka Politics

Schmuhl, Ireland’s Exiled Children, the American connections and the Easter Rising…

Love Maps, love Japan? Wigen, Cartographic Japan.

New edition of a simply fabulous book, the great Oriana Fallaci interviews the famous of the world: Interviews with History and Power.

Beach is witch mad and the lack of a cover makes things even more exciting: though the price dampens that enthusiasm somewhat… Johannes Dillinger, The Routledge History of Witchcraft.