In 1885, H. Rider Haggard’s brother offered him a wager: five shillings if he could write a book half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”.
By the end of the year, Haggard had penned a novel that would become the foundational text of the lost world literary genre. “King Solomon’s Mines” was one of the first English adventure novels set in Af ... Show More
Yesterday
648. The Fall of the Incas: Battle for the Sacred City (Part 5)
Three years into the conquest of the Incas, how did the Spaniards respond to the Incan uprising, lead by their puppet emperor Manco? How did the despicable behaviour of Pizarro and his men spark the rebellion? And, how would the terrifying assault of Manco and his Incan warriors, ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 26
647. The Fall of the Incas: The King in the North (Part 4)
How did the Spanish conquistadors under Francisco Pizarro take advantage of the Incan civil War? Were they able to discover the glorious city of Cusco, with all of its riches? And, what terrible brutalities did they commit along the way…? Join Dominic and Tom, as they discuss the ... Show More
1h 10m
May 2024
Allan's Wife and other Tales by H. Rider Haggard ~ Full Audiobook [adventure]
Allan's Wife and other Tales by H. Rider Haggard audiobook. Genre: adventure In 1885, H. Rider Haggard introduced Allan Quatermain, elephant hunter extraordinaire, in his best-selling African adventure novel 'King Solomon's Mines'. Haggard went on to publish twelve Quatermain nov ... Show More
8h 25m
Feb 2024
Love: a weird & wonderful history
From prehistoric carvings and medieval spell books to grand romantic gestures and tokens of affection, throughout history there has been no shortage of ways to say those three little words. Speaking to Charlotte Hodgman, Edward Brooke-Hitching shares some incredible, and curious, ... Show More
26m 17s
Mar 2024
132. Journey to Nalanda and the Library of Jewels
In late autumn, 629 AD, Xuanzang set out for the great university of Nalanda from Chang’an. Across the desert, over the Pamirs, and through multiple robberies, it was an epic journey. As he neared the Buddhist heartlands, he saw Buddhism in decline with its monasteries increasing ... Show More
46m 38s
Jun 2023
Mary, Queen of Scots: Part Four: The Jewelled Tortoise
This week, Mary, Queen of Scots hosts an eventful dinner party.
Content warning: murder
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References:
Daughters of the North: Jean Gordon and Mary Queen of Scots by Jennifer Morag Henderson
David Rizzio and Mary Queen of Scots: Murder at Holyrood by David Tweedie
Embroidering He ... Show More
1h 51m
May 2023
514 Southern Gothic (with David van den Berg) | My Last Book with Jason Feifer
In the aftermath of a Civil War loss that shattered the region and exposed the moral and cultural fault lines in the populace, writers in the American South responded with stories filled with grotesque, macabre, and shockingly violent elements, developing a genre that came to be ... Show More
1h 7m