Jeremy Black
Jeremy Black is Emeritus Professor of History at Exeter University. He is a prolific lecturer and writer, the author of over 100 books. Many concern aspects of eighteenth century British, European and American political, diplomatic and military history but he has also published on the history of the press, cartography, warfare, culture and on the nature and uses of history itself. His recent books include The Geographies of an Imperial Power: Britain 1688-1815, Fortifications and Siegecraft: Defense and Attack through the Ages, and Strategy and the Second World War: How the War was Won, and Lost
A good read but variable as history
A Short History of London is good on architecture but a more sophisticated analysis is needed
A flawed masterpiece that will dominate the field
Jeremy Black reviews David Abulafia’s The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Oceans
Might-have-been books
Do I ever regret the books I might have written? Only fleetingly.
How dark can humour be?
Laughter — even laughter about morbid things — is part of what makes us human
All smoke and no fire
An Impact Assessment on prohibiting cigarettes is unconvincing
War destroys everything
Alex Garland’s Civil War is filled with terror and horror
The Church of England is practicing a secular religion
Equality, diversity and inclusion can be prioritised over religious faith
Playing the ball
The Kookaburra experiment seems a confused diversion, not a ticket to high intensity
Therapy is making children ill
What would really help children’s mental health is talk about resilience
Good cops and bad spies
Intelligence services as portrayed on-screen are pretty ghastly places to work
Sleepwalking towards abolishing abortion law
How can a crime be a crime if it implies no consequences?
Light from darkness
Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family and Social Class by Rob Henderson