The Browser | FiveBooks

Julia Lovell on the Opium War

FiveBooks — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:02:01 +0000

The 19th century opium war marked the clash of the world’s great empires of the age – Britain and China. The historian says its legacy of Chinese humiliation is still felt keenly in Beijing

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Robert Lacey on the Queen

FiveBooks — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:23:02 +0000

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As the Diamond Jubilee approaches, royal biographer Robert Lacey considers the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, her family history, and her ambivalent relationship with Princess Diana

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Mary King on the Equestrian Life

FiveBooks — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:34:17 +0000

JDB Photos on Flickr

The world championship winning horse rider, who will represent Great Britain in the Olympics, tells us what it takes to succeed in her sport

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Simon Johnson on Why Economic History Matters

FiveBooks — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:55:35 +0000

History contains useful warnings and lessons. And, says the former IMF chief economist, today's economic policymakers would do well to heed them

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Stuart Clark on Astronomers

FiveBooks — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:15:41 +0000

Xanadu Observatory. The Veil Nebula

Can’t tell your nebula from your black hole? The New Scientist writer introduces us to some of the wonders of the universe and tells the stories of astronomers who discovered them

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Edmund de Waal on Inspiration for Writing and Art

FiveBooks — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:12:07 +0000

edenandjosh on Flickr

The author of The Hare with Amber Eyes, who is also a ceramic artist, tells us about books that have influenced both his careers, from the life of a celebrated potter to a collection of Japanese haiku

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Bruce Dowbiggin on Ice Hockey

FiveBooks — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:56:11 +0000

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Fast, violent and with a passionately political history, hockey is the sport that defines Canada. The sports columnist tells us how this came to be, and why hockey, still a thrilling spectacle, has also become more dangerous to play

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Ma Jian on Chinese Dissident Literature

FiveBooks — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:16:22 +0000

Writers in China are afraid to criticise their state and society, says the London-based author. He picks five works of Chinese literature, from the 3rd century BC to 2008, which show how it’s done

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Roland Chambers on Revolutionary Russia

FiveBooks — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:44:49 +0000

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The Russian revolution was the beginning of the modern age, says the award-winning author. He tells us what Solzhenitsyn imagined Lenin was like, and about the children’s author who led a double life as a spy in Bolshevik Russia

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Ahmede Hussain on South Asian literature

FiveBooks — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:33:46 +0000

The acclaimed author recommends the most exciting new writing out of India and South Asia, from a Pakistani perspective of 9/11 to an emigré's return to an unfamiliar Bangladesh

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