Archive for the ‘My journalism’ Category

July 1st, 2010

'His cursed concubine'

Click here to read my review of GW Bernard’s new biography of Anne Boleyn, published a couple of weeks ago in The Spectator.

July 1st, 2010

…and then there was silence

All quiet on the blogging front, alas, as I prepare the manuscript of my new book, THE PLANTAGENETS, due for publication by Harper Press next year. However, I continue to contribute columns on the sporting world to the London Evening Standard - you can read an archive here.

April 8th, 2010

Moonlighting

Not at all medieval alert: One for those medievalists who also enjoy the fine world of sport. I am now writing a regular column for the London Evening Standard. You can read it online or pick up a copy of the paper outside any London Tube station of an afternoon.

March 18th, 2010

Churchilliana

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill

Here’s a link to my lead review from this week’s Spectator. I discuss three recent books about Sir Winston Churchill, attempting to get to grips with his views on Empire (’I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire’) and race (’I hate people with slit eyes and pig-tails’), as well as his attitudes towards standing up (best avoided) and his mother’s predilection for ‘dinner or tea or sex’ with members of the royal family.

Enjoy.

February 26th, 2010

'Back From The Brink' by Peter Snowdon

Back From The Brink

Click here to read my review of this splendid new history of the Conservative party since the fall of Thatcher.

And click here to buy it.

February 12th, 2010

Give a clown a gun and whaddya got?

Colonel Gaddafi, that’s what. Read my review of “Seeking Gaddafi”, Daniel Kawczynski’s new book about the Libyan leader, at GQ.com.

February 10th, 2010

Vampires: Why They Bite

Fangs

If you want to have another look at tonight’s BBC3 show, ‘Vampires: Why They Bite’, which was presented by the brilliant Lisa Hilton, then jog on over to BBC iPlayer. You will spot me banging on about the historical significance of the vampire myth at several points.

February 6th, 2010

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

When you read the Millennium books it’s both easy and difficult to see why they have been so successful. Difficult, because Larsson is not a good writer. His plots are long, flabby and tenuous. Some of his action scenes are risible. Larsson’s descriptions of violence against women - his favourite hobby horse - are mawkish and distastefully graphic. Easy because Larsson invented a truly original character…

Do wander over to GQ.com to read my latest books piece. This week I reconsidered Stieg Larsson and his ‘Millennium’ trilogy, in advance of the UK release of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ in UK cinemas on March 10th.

The piece is here.

And this is the Swedish film trailer:

January 26th, 2010

Inside Out, by Peter Watt

This week’s GQ.com review is of ‘Inside Out: My Story of Betrayal and Cowardice at the Heart of New Labour’ by Peter Watt. Read it here.

January 20th, 2010

GQ column

Do please trot on over to GQ.com to read my review of Antonia Fraser’s Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter (W&N, £20).

The Author

Dan Jones

Dan Jones was born in 1981 and graduated from Cambridge with a First in History in 2002.

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The Book

Summer of Blood

Summer of Blood:
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 Available to buy now from Amazon.co uk