Louis (1754 – 1793) was the last (Capet) King of France. He reigned, not well but to the best of his limited capabilities, from 1774 – 92. He…
The sexiest cars in history
What makes a motorcar ‘sexy’? The design of course, possibly its top speed, its comfort, sometimes the luxury of leather seats. It is the car itself which is…
Native American tribes
The original inhabitants of North America migrated from Asia around 30,000 years ago. Famine, constant wars and disease counted for many Indian settlers, and by the time the…
Seven years in Tibet
For seven long years the PSOE has occupied the position of government in Spain. The elections of the rapidly approaching November 20 will, in the view of the…
A Chronology of Shakespeare’s Plays
While there has always been loud debate about ‘the author of William Shakespeare’s plays’ – the concept is foolish – there is always a doubt in academe not…
The Wrath of don Arturo
Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Cartagena 1951) is a writer in the Hemingway mould whose books I wouldn’t and couldn’t miss for the world. His idea of the perfect holiday is…
Father and (illegitimate) son
Charles V (Carlos Quinto) was King of Spain (1516 – 1556) and Holy Roman Emperor (qv. 1519 – 1556). He was the son of Philip I (el Hermoso) and…
English language eccentricities
‘Nouns of assemblage’ as the earnest Mr Ben Schott has it, are words that indicate an ‘assembly’ of objects, animalspersons etc. They are also called ‘collective nouns’. Here…
Twentieth-century Georges
In a previous post, we examined four Hanoverian Georges, one of whom (the III) lost the American colonies for Britain, thus engendering the United States of immortal memory….
The Hanoverian Georges
The first George (1660 – 1727) was a German-speaking Elector (royal rank) of Hanover. How did a German come to be invited to be King of England? Not…