History Book Club

By Oliver Webb-CarterNews Arts Books Politics History

History Book Club episodes

June 28 27. The Generals with Iain Dale
My guest today is the broadcaster and political commentator Iain Dale who has edited a new book, Generals, 69 commanders written by 69 different authors. So we find Montgomery; Napoleon; Patton; Gordon of Khartoum; Themistocles and plenty others.
We discuss the political situation in the wake of Kier Starmer’s resignation, the current British attitude to defence and plenty more.
Iain Dale Links
The Generals
Where Politics Meets History Podcast⁠
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Oliver Webb-Carter Links
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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45 min
June 26 Bonus: HBC @ Chalke History Festival
Bonus: History Book Club at Chalke
Chats with authors in 35 degree heat – we talk Cricket / Gout / U Boats and Espionage with:
Annie Chave – Cricket Changed My Life
Vic Marks – England Captains 1979-2025
Roland Butcher – Breaking Barriers
Simon Hughes – A Lot of Hard Yakka
Dorian Haskard – The Gout
Roger Moorhouse – The U Boat War
Charles Cumming – Icarus 17
Links to all these books at The ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Oliver Webb-Carter Links
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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45 min
June 23 Bonus: The British Defence Disaster with Robert Lyman
A quick bonus episode for my wonderful listeners, in the wake of the British Prime Minister resigning, I got Robert Lyman on to discuss the state of the country’s military. Robert is a former officer and now writes history books, and we chat the parlous state of our nation’s defences. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any comments, go ahead and let me know.
Links Discussed
The AJAX Saga
Mark Urban Substack
Robert Lyman Links
Victory to Defeat
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Oliver Webb-Carter Links
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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43 min
June 21 26. The Black Death with Thomas Asbridge
In 1347 Genoese merchants were holed up in Kaffa, in the Crimean peninsula as Mongols and Turks besieged the city. The invading army of Khan Djanibeg had been resisted for 2 years and so surely an end was in sight, especially as disease had ripped through the besiegers. But, in a final throw of the dice, the great King, using engines of war, hurled dead bodies, swollen from sickness and blackened from corruption, into Kaffa. A terrible plague ripped through the populace within, and the Genoese decided to leave by ship. They escaped, but so did the bacteria, and it would spread throughout the medieval world killing 100 million.
Joining today is Thomas Asbridge, author of The Black Death: A Global History as he discusses the terrible pestilence that had massive ramifications, and which still kills people today.
Thomas Asbridge Links
The Black Death: A Global History
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Oliver Webb-Carter Links
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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45 min
June 14 25. Film Club: Lawrence of Arabia
It’s Film Club time and this time it’s the longest movie ever made, Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O’Toole stares into space, and David Lean gets carried away so let’s get on with it as Roger, Tim and me give this so called classic a reappraisal.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Awards
Best Performance
Most Egregious Overracting
Biggest Plot Flaw
Historical Inaccuracy
What if Tarantino Made It?
Who won the film?
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Oliver Webb-Carter Links
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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1 hr 11 min
June 07 24. The History of English Poetry with Mark Forsythe
English poetry has a rich and glorious history, and who better than to write about it than Mark Forsyth who writes with great verve and humour. He joined me to discuss it from the early medieval period all the way to the First World War and beyond
Mark Forsythe Links
⁠Rhyme & Reason⁠
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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45 min
May 31 23. Killing Thatcher with Rory Carroll
At 2.52am on 12 October 1984 Margaret Thatcher returned to her desk from visiting the lavatory of her suite at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Two minutes later a bomb exploded on the upper floor bringing down the large chimney, which collapsed through the hotel and destroying Mrs. Thatcher’s bathroom. She had a lucky escape, but as the IRA stated publicly later, they only had to be lucky once. She had to be lucky every time.
Joining the pod today is the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll and author of Killing Thatcher, the thrilling account of the plot to kill the Iron Lady.
Rory Carroll Links
⁠Killing Thatcher⁠⁠
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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43 min
May 24 22. Ancient Sparta with Daniel Ogden
The Battle of Thermopylae left one Spartan survivor, Aristodemus, and so he fought suicidally at Plataea a year later in 479BC, giving his life, but as you heard failing to impress his fellow Spartans. The commander of the Greek troops against the Persians that day was Pausanias, Spartan Regent and a quite fascinating figure who, according to Daniel Ogden his biographer, was responsible more than any other Greek for the preservation of Western Civilisation as we know it. He joins me to discuss Ancient Sparta, the influential king Cleomenes and Pausanias himself.
Daniel Ogden Links
Pausanias of Sparta
Regulus
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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46 min
May 20 21. Film Club: The English Patient
The beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas, and the brooding Ralph Fiennes across the deserts of North Africa. Yep the English Patient is this month’s film club as Roger, Tim and myself discuss the 1996 movie directed by Anthony Minghella based on the Michael Ondaatje book of the same name.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Awards
Best Performance
Most Egregious Overracting
Biggest Plot Flaw
Historical Inaccuracy
What if Tarantino Made It?
Who won the film?
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Oliver Webb-Carter Links
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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1 hr 5 min
May 17 20. A Walk Around Britain with Harry Bucknall
Harry Bucknall is a travel writer who loves Britain and Northern Ireland, and during a difficult period of both his and the country’s recent past, he decided to embark on his own particular Odyssey, walking from Scotland to England, to Northern Ireland to Wales and then to England again. He encountered a rich and distinct group of inhabitants to write a hugely entertaining book and he joined me recently to discuss A Road for All Seasons.
Harry Bucknall Links
A Road for All Seasons
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Oliver Webb-Carter Links
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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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35 min

About History Book Club

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to the History Book Club - the club for all lovers of history, presented by writer and historian Oliver Webb-Carter. Oliver interviews authors of the best historical writing, to draw out the stories that you'll be interested in.