Wolves, Quills, and History

Edward Rothstein takes another look at A Little History of the World for the New York Times today. E.H. Gombrich wrote A Little History of the World in six weeks when he was 26 years old and it was published (in Germany) after Gombrich left Austria for England. Rothstein writes of the history, "It is a remarkable book, written in an amiable, conversational style, effortlessly explaining, without condescension, difficult matters like the achievements of Charlemagne, the monetary system of medieval Europe and the ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet nowhere - at least before the last chapter added in the 1980's - is there an explicit sign of the troubled world in which it was written. An unwavering faith helps give the book its voice; the problem is that it is not fully warranted. " Indeed.

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Michelle Pauli talks to Michelle Paver about her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books, Spirit Walker and Wolf Brother, in an excellent interview/profile for the Guardian. Paver discusses her research in great detail and says she lives her books: "For me it's not fantasy, it's reality," says Paver, "and it's incredibly important to me to make the reader feel that they're right there in the forest with Torak." Really interesting article.

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The Literary Saloon discusses the failure of the Quills awards this morning. I wonder if Rowling will win? I wonder if she will turn up for the televised awards ceremony?