An Indonesian Pompeii?

Popular Archaeology magazine reports on the discovery of whole communities on Sumbawa (Indonesia) that were buried by the infamous eruption of the Tambora volcano in 1815

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Book review: Presenting history

Presenting history: past and present by Peter Beck has recently arrived in the Library.

 A907.2 / 735803

Read the review by the Institute of Historical Research's Dr Ian Phillpott on the IHR's Reviews in History, followed by the author's response

This book takes a look at how "popular" presentations of history in the media "influence our understanding of and interest in the past and whether academic history (both in the teaching of and research in) fails to ignite interest in its subject matter due to practices and standardisations of presentations in the field" 

There are chapters on "popular" historians such as A.J.P. Taylor, Eric Hobsbawn and Simon Schama and on the "Hollywoodisation" of history through the glossy inaccuracies of TV series such as The Tudors and films such as Mel Gibson's take on the medieval Scottish rebel William Wallace in Braveheart. Beck also looks at the surge in popularity for historical fiction through the work of Philippa Gregory (The other Boleyn girl, The white Queen etc) and how Terry Deary has fired children s' interest in the past through his Horrible Histories series

CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

Book review: The Amritsar Massacre: the untold story of one fateful day

Nicholas Lloyd's "revisionist" account of The Amritsar Massacre: the untold story of one fateful day has provoked a heated discussion between the reviewer, Dr Kim Wagner of Queen Mary College (University of London), and the author in the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History


CLICK HERE TO READ DR. WAGNER'S REVIEW AND FOLLOW THE LINK TO SEE NICHOLAS LLOYD'S RESPONSE

If this has whetted your curiosity, we have the book in SOAS Library at JFC954.0357 / 735269 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE TO CHECK AVAILABILITY 

Nomadic cultures of the steppes: new light on the Scythians

The Scythians, or Saka, as they were known to outsiders, were nomads who traversed the Eurasian steppes from the Black Sea to the borders of China. Regarded as "barbarians" by the ancient Greeks, archaeological investigations have thrown new light on their culture, their way of life and interactions with neighbours such as the Persians and Chinese.

An article from the New York Times, published in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, looks at the artifacts recovered from Scythian burial mounds and what this tells us about their culture

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SLIDE-SHOW OF SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY

Two views of the British Empire: book reviews

Dr. William Jackson (University of Leeds) reviews two recent books on the British Empire in the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History 


The books are

• Britain's Empire: resistance, repression and revolt, by Richard Gott
• Empire: what ruling the world did to the British, by Jeremy Paxman

You can read Richard Gott's response to the article and check out Britain's Empire yourself  at A325.341 / 735278

CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

Jeremy Paxman's book is on order by the Library, but meanwhile you can also read the Guardian's opinion on his accompanying TV series 

Book review: Sovereignty and social reform in India

Dr Andrea Major's "Sovereignty and social reform in India : British colonialism and the campaign against sati, 1830-1860" is reviewed by Daniel Grey in the Institute of Historical Research's Reviews in History 

Andrea Major lecturers in the School of History at the University of Leeds
Dr Daniel Grey is a Junior Research Fellow in World History at Wolfson College (Oxford)

Read the book in SOAS Library at JA954.03 / 736856


CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE RECORD

North China Herald: new online resource

Now available! Brill have made all issues of The North-China herald and Supreme Court and consular gazette (to give it its full title!) from 1850 to 1940 available in a digitized format.

The newspaper was published in Shanghai, which was "at the heart of China’s dealing with the Euro-American world and a city at the forefront of developments in Chinese politics, culture, education and the economy. As the official journal for British consular notifications, and announcements of the Shanghai Municipal Council, it is the first – and sometimes only – point of reference for information and comment on a range of foreign and Chinese activities." Brill website

It "is universally acclaimed as the prime printed source in any language for the history of the foreign presence in China from around 1850 to the 1940s" Brill website


 LINK TO LIBRARY CATALOGUE PAGE

INTRODUCTORY VIDEO FROM BRILL (YouTube)