Rome
From Octavian To Augustus
Jochen Bleichen’s biography of the Emperor is monumental but highly readable
Cento Ground
The cento is a sophisticated and demanding poetic form — and best suited to schoolboyish ends
Overrated: Marcus Brutus
How much truth is there in the myth of the “noblest Roman”?
The Decline and Fall Industry
Could anxiety over the future of the West be behind the publication of so many books on the fall of the Roman Empire?
How Top Boys topple down crime’s ladder
Too many prisoners rejoin society with no education, stable housing or job prospects. No surprise that more than half reoffend within a year
In the bleak midwinter
Christmas can be a bleak time of year. While some feel isolated, others are overwhelmed by the need for a perfect family Yuletide when their reality is different
My warnings to our spy watchdogs
Britain is under attack from Russia. And the government is blocking a Parliamentary report that details it