PinnedPublished inThe Bigger PictureA Portrait of America — By Someone Who Has Never BeenAmerica is a concept as much as a country, and its connotations are changing for the worse.Aug 5, 202052Aug 5, 202052
A Surgeon in Napoleon’s Grande Armée : Introduction (Part 1)Pierre-François Percy was Surgeon-in-Chief of Napoleon’s Grande Armée from 1804–1808. His Campaign Journal, published in 1904, was edited…Dec 30, 2023Dec 30, 2023
Published inAge of Awareness52 Easy Ways to Improve Your Life, Just a Little BitOne suggestion for each week of the New Year — but pick and choose the ones most helpful for you.Dec 27, 20221Dec 27, 20221
Still-Shot Souvenirs : A PoemYou handed them to me in an envelope, Which I opened under the soft glow of a hotel lamp, And once home tacked them on cork above the bed…Jul 26, 2022Jul 26, 2022
Mum Was Adamant: Short FictionDad died two years ago, so it fell to me to take Mum. I bought the tickets on the EasyJet website just a few weeks before we went. We got a…Jul 22, 20221Jul 22, 20221
Published inFarewell AlarmsThe Best of Modern French-Language MusicAs chosen by British translation students.Mar 4, 20223Mar 4, 20223
People I’ve Known: The AbuelaShe was remarkable — even more so for a grandmother.Feb 23, 20211Feb 23, 20211
People I’ve Known: The PorterA story of the extraordinary ordinariness of everyday acquaintances.Feb 9, 20212Feb 9, 20212
Published inSwap LanguageWhy Aren’t Our Languages Simpler?Languages are surprisingly hard-to-learn and stunningly irrational, so why have we never altered them for the better?Oct 23, 20203Oct 23, 20203
Published inFarewell Alarms10 of Europe’s Best Roman Sites Outside ItalyYou don’t have to travel to Rome or Pompeii to discover the legacy of Europe’s Roman ancestors.Sep 16, 20203Sep 16, 20203