Is Thomas the Tank Engine Stalinist propaganda, or free-market pornography, or a series of books about trains with gray faces?
This year marks the seventieth anniversary of The Railway Series, which was, as far as I know, the first series of books to bring anthropomorphic trains to an English-speaking audience.… Read more »
Hilary Mantel vs Margaret Thatcher
In the past few years Hilary Mantel has become a literary superstar, winning a second Booker for her Thomas Cromwell series and being made a Dame in 2014 for her… Read more »
French booksellers refuse to sell Valérie Trierweiler’s memoir
Valérie Trierweiler has made headlines recently with the publication of her tell-all memoir about her relationship and very public breakup with French President François Hollande, Merci pour ce moment (Thank… Read more »
Winnie The Pooh creator A.A. Milne wrote British propaganda during WWI
Well, this might make you look at Winnie the Pooh a little bit differently. A.A. Milne, the creator of the beloved children’s character, was recently discovered to have been recruited… Read more »
Is newspaper web traffic smaller than we thought?
Has the Internet increased readership of newspapers and magazines? Until now that’s been the case made by media planners, and they seem to have had the figures to back it… Read more »