DYING TO KNOW - IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

My online research into booksellers tells me that Waterstones has more than ten copies still for sale; Amazon has one copy for sale and more are on the way; eBay has at least five copies ready to purchase, complete with Nectar points. Copies of which book? My latest book, published by Matador in February this year: 'Dying to Know - Running through a Pandemic'. 

Front and back covers, complete with two American reviews and one from The Netherlands

If you visit the Matador website, using this link - press here - you will find ten reviews, all positive, and a further link to buy your own copy. No pressure, but I see much more of the money from the sale this

WHY SHAKESPEARE AND DANTE AND BEETHOVEN AND REMBRANDT MATTER

 An intriguing title for a blogpost - or perhaps a turn off. Who has the time to read the English bard these days? Why focus on a medieval Italian poet? Why prioritize Beethoven when there are so many other composers of music? Why single out Rembrandt when other artists abound? Nevertheless, this blogpost focus will give me an opportunity to explore some threads that my recent reading has highlighted. I would like to try to unravel them. And you may find the outcomes interesting. 

Professor John Took

Let me start by referencing a book that I finished reading a week or so ago. It became clear to me almost at once that this volume was one of the most difficult-to-read volumes I had ever encountered. I could only manage twenty minutes at a time. But I persevered because I sensed that the author was communicating ideas that were profoundly important. The book is published by Bloomsbury at £20 and is called 'Why Dante Matters - An Intelligent Person's Guide' (2020). The author is John Took. Googling the title will show that I am not alone in finding the work heavy-going; indeed, there is little