Blog
Category: History
My Favourite Book of 2011: Jamie (Marketing)
by Jamie
History + Politics / December 22, 2011
Fernand Braudel once said that the study of the Middle Ages is very difficult because the eighteenth century gets in the way. So much of what we take for granted today, our habits unspoken assumptions, our mentalités, were shaped by the profound change that the eighteenth century brought. As a result the period before the 18th century feels impossibly foreign to us.
David Frum does something similar for contemporary culture and politics by excavating the shift in mentalités brought about by the nineteen seventies. He argues in How We Got Here: The 70's: The Decade That Brought You Modern Life—For Better or Worse that our current attitudes about authority, equality, work, ambition, sex and politics were shaped in the crucible decade of the nineteen seventies and the backlash that came after. The sixties are the glamour decade, but really the influential decade on a mass level is the seventies.
As a right-wing thinker Frum has an obvious agenda; he pines for world before the tumult of the seventies, and sees the Age of Jimmy Carter as the time when the Keynesian consensus finally snapped to be replaced by the ascendancy of the Right. But the book is no less enjoyable book for his politics. His politics are not mine, but he put forwards his position with such clarity and eloquence, it can only help me to sharpen my own thinking. And as a child of the seventies it is good fun to see my own personal attitudes and foibles historicized.
How We Got Here is neither our book nor a new book, but I heard an interview with Frum on CBC's Ideas a few months back and was struck by (a) CBC interviewing at length someone who sits so far outside the moderate consensus of Canadian conventional wisdom and (b) how well Frum speaks. I popped into central branch of the Vancouver Public Library and picked up a copy.
Public libraries are a great thing. My New Year’s resolution is to find myself in a library at least once a week all year. And for what it is worth, public expenditure on libraries in Canada peaked in the nineteen seventies. So it was far from a lost decade.
Shakespearian conspiracy theories
by Natalia
Current Affairs + Film + History / October 31, 2011
I was pretty excited over the weekend to hear that Roland Emmerich's new movie Anonymous is out. I love me a good Elizabethan costume drama—the clothes, the language, the political intrigue! If you haven't heard of it, the film dramatizes the Oxfordian theory of authorship—the idea that Shakespeare's plays were written by Edward de Vere, the 17th earl of Oxford (who, as various people have pointed out, died several years before the publication of The Tempest).
The film has triggered a positively apoplectic response from the scholarly community; the New Yorker's David Denby calls it a story "so rotten that, as Shakespeare, or, rather, Oxford, might put it, the kites wheel and shriek rather than batten on so foul a carcass."
Personally, I find the authorship question rather silly—I prefer to read the plays for themselves rather than scan them Da Vinci Code-style for hidden clues to their composition. And why fabricate conspiracy theories when so much historically accurate skulduggery exists? If you like your Shakespeare spiced with criminal intrigue yet still backed up by rigorous scholarship, may I suggest:
The Shakespeare Thefts
Stealing the World's Most Famous Book
Click on the cover for more info!
Vancouver Then and Now Launch
by Danielle
Art & Photography + Events + History / August 10, 2010
Vancouver Then and Now juxtaposes seventy archival images of buildings and scenes with the same place as it is today, along with descriptive text for each photograph which includes historical and other details.
The archival images are from a variety of periods, but most date from 1890 to 1930. Most of the contemporary photographs are taken by Karl Mondon, often providing dramatic depictions of the changes that have taken place.
Kitsilano Beach
NOW THEN
PHOTO CREDIT:
Now: Karl Mondon
Then: City of Vancouver Archives
The book was published by Thunder Bay Press in California, and is part of
a series of books on the same theme.
Hope to see you there!!
Our Top 10 Picks for Father’s Day Gifts
by Siobhan
Art & Photography + Film + Food & Drink + Gift & Stationery + History + Humour + Music + Parenting / June 02, 2010
Sure, you could get him a tie.
But if you're looking for something a little more exciting, here are our top 10 picks for Father's Day gifts...
Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids
The Complete Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Man Skills
Dear Dad
Memento: An Autobiography Journal
2048: Humanity's Agreement to Live Together
Bee
Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline
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Moleskine Passions: Book Journal / Film Journal / Music Journal / Recipe Journal / Wellness Journal / Wine Journal
Old Man Drinks: Recipes, Advice, and Barstool Wisdom
Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings
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William Dalrymple at the ROM March 26th
by Dan
Events + History + News / March 18, 2008
William Dalrymple, author of THE LAST MUGHAL, speaks at the ROM on March 26th
Launches campaign to restore 15th century Tibetan painting
The Friends of South Asia (FSA) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) celebrates the re-opening of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery with its first event of the season: Who was the Last Mughal? Lecture & Book Signing with William Dalrymple. The reading takes place on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 6:30 pm in the Signy & Cl'�oph'�e Eaton Theatre at the ROM, followed by a book-signing. Copies of THE LAST MUGHAL will be on sale: this is the launch of the paperback edition in Canada.
Celebrated historian and author William Dalrymple will speak about his latest book, THE LAST MUGHAL: The Eclipse of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857. This is the tragic story of the poet-Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II, who found himself swept up by the largest anti-colonial uprising in the nineteenth century, the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The result was the catastrophic end to the dynasty that built the Taj Mahal, horrific casualties, and an ascendant British Raj. Within five years, the last Mughal was dead, buried in an unmarked grave far from his beloved Delhi.
“Dalrymple presents a brilliant, evocative exploration of a doomed world and its final emperor, Bahadur Shah II ... That the rebels fatefully raised the flag of jihad and dubbed themselves ‘mujahedin' only adds to the mutiny's contemporary relevance ” (Sunday Times).
William Dalrymple is the author of five books of history and travel, including Delhi: City of Djinns and White Mughals. He has recently written about the Pakistani political scene for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Hindu, The Guardian, and The Toronto Star. This event launches FSA's fundraising campaign to restore a rare and extremely fragile Tibetan Buddhist painting from the 15th century. This conservation project will allow the thangka to go on display for the first time in the Museum's history.
Tickets are now on sale: $35 Public; $30 ROM members; $25 ROM/FSA members. Register online at http://www.rom.on.ca/programs, click ROMLife lectures, Keyword Mughal or call 416.586.5797.
This event is generously supported by the Ancient Echoes * Modern Voices: South Asia Programs Fund.
FSA is a membership group which supports a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse and rich history of South Asian arts at the ROM through the Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery, special events and programs.
For more information, visit http://www.rom.on.ca/friends, e-mail (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or call 416.586.5700.
Brian Fagan in Vancouver
by Dan
Environment + Events + History / March 17, 2008
I'm pleased to announce that world-renowned author, anthropologist and archaeologist Brian Fagan will be presenting an illustrated public talk at the Vancouver Public Library on March 26th! “The Pleasure of Ruins” will explore the fascinating science of modern archaeology and highlight some of the important global issues of climate change and heritage conservation that we face today in our modern world.
Widely regarded as the leading authority on the interaction of climate and human society, Brian Fagan is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Anthropology, University of California, and a best-selling author. His latest book THE GREAT WARMING: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RISE AND FALL OF CIVILIZATIONS has received excellent reviews in The Winnipeg Free Press and Maclean's Magazine, and you can see Brian tonight on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart!
“The Pleasure of Ruins” is a free talk organised by the Archaeological Society of British Columbia and will be held at 8pm, March 26th in the Alice McKay Room at the Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, 350 West Georgia Street.
“The Pleasure of Ruins”
Archaeological Society of BC Special Public Event
8:00PM, Wednesday, March 26th, 2008
Alice Mckay Room, Vancouver Public Library Central Branch
350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C.
(For media types, if you'd like further information, or to arrange an interview with Brian Fagan, please email me: dan[at]raincoast.com - Thanks!)
Win Tickets to the Play Gonzo and a copy of the Novel Empress of Asia
by monique t
Contests + Fiction + History + News / October 27, 2006
UPDATE: Congratulations to the winner, Suanne of Richmond.
....................
Win two tickets to the Lyonesse Theatre's production of Gonzo and a copy of Adam Lewis Schroeder's novel Empress of Asia.
Gonzo runs from Nov 1 to 12 in Vancouver at Norman Rothstein Theatre (950 West 41st Ave, at Oak St.).
How to enter:
In the comments field tell me a story, preferably about why you'd like to attend the play Gonzo or read the book Empress of Asia. Perhaps you have a story about WWII?
Share your story for a chance to win two tickets and a book.
A winner will be drawn at random on October 31.
Gonzo is written by and directed by Gordon Pascoe and is based on his experience in a Japanese prison camp in Shanghai. (Find out more ...)
Empress of Asia by Adam Lewis Schroeder is about Harry who met his wife Lily during WWII, and the secret she's kept from him for 50 years. (Find out more ...)
See the original post on the Raincoast blog.
Win Theatre Tickets and a copy of Empress of Asia
by monique t
Contests + Fiction + History + News / October 26, 2006
Win two tickets to the Lyonesse Theatre's production of Gonzo and a copy of Adam Lewis Schroeder's novel Empress of Asia.
How to enter:
In the comments field tell me a story, preferably about why you'd like to attend the play Gonzo or read the book Empress of Asia. Perhaps you have a story about WWII?
Share your story for a chance to win two tickets and a book.
A winner will be drawn at random on October 31.
Other stipulations and hoo-hah:
The play is in Vancouver so you need to be here or get here on your own.
Word of mouth really helps local plays and books so if you attend Gonzo or read Empress of Asia, please post your review in the comments field.
About GONZO
Lyonesse Theatre presents the Vancouver Premiere of Gonzo, written by and directed by Gordon Pascoe. Gonzo is a heart-warming story of humour, compassion, and humanity in a Japanese prison camp in Shanghai, 1942-45. (Find out more ...)
Venue:
Norman Rothstein Theatre
950 West 41st Ave (at Oak St.)
Preview: Oct 31
Show runs: Nov 1 to 12
Tickets: Box Office at (604) 257-5111 or Lyonesse Theatre at (778) 230-7671, or book online at
www.bryher.ca.
About Empress of Asia by Adam Lewis Schroeder
Empress of Asia is a sweeping story that spans the years between the end of World War II and 1995. Harry, coping with the looming death of his wife, Lily, is shocked to discover that she has kept a secret from him for years. Before her death, Lily asks Harry to contact Michel Ney, the man who saved Harry's life in World War II before being killed by the Japanese--or so Harry had always believed. Harry journeys to Thailand, piecing together details of past years.