A Tribute to Smell
13th July, 2026
In this blog, author Bjørn Berge dedicates his time to a fading sense: smell. Based on his new book, Smell: The Tale of a Fading Sense, he explains why smell is so important and why, despite that, it is dying out. *** I have been an architect for nea…
The Year: How the Zodiac Still Holds Relevance
8th June, 2026
In this blog, author Spike Bucklow talks about the inspiration behind his book, The Year: An Ecology of the Zodiac, and its importance in today’s world. *** The Year, An Ecology of the Zodiac is nature writing focussed on the nature of time rather th…
A History of Children and Food
21st May, 2026
In this blog, authors Deborah Albon and Amy Palmer talk about the subject of their new book, First Helpings: A History of Children and Food. *** It is our conviction that food matters – it is vital to consider it when we write the social history of a…
Desmond Morris (1928 – 2026)
21st April, 2026
All of us at Reaktion Books are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Desmond Morris (1928 – 2026). Desmond Morris was an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular writer in human sociobiology. He wrote a number o…
Senses, Languages and Lives of Bernard Palissy (1510-1590)
26th January, 2026
Wednesday 4 February 2026 5pm – 6pm CRITICAL BIOGRAPHIES History of Art Postgraduate Research Seminar Lent 2026 Senses, Languages and Lives of Bernard Palissy (1510-1590) Dr François Quiviger Lecture Room 1, Faculty of Architecture and History of Art…
Renaissance Lives – ‘Domenico Ghirlandaio: An Elite Artisan and his World’
26th January, 2026
Thursday 18 June 2026 5.30pm – 7pm Register to attend Jean K. Cadogan (Trinity College, Hartford) in conversation with Maria DePrano (University of California at Merced) Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448–94) was a master of Renaissance art, celebrated for h…
Renaissance Lives – ‘Francisco de Zurbarán and the Fabric of the World’
26th January, 2026
Thursday 28 May 2026 5.30pm – 7pm Register to attend eremy Robbins (University of Edinburgh) in conversation with Peter Cherry (Trinity College Dublin) Francisco de Zurbarán, master of Spain’s Golden Age, painted with unmatched stillness and intensit…
Renaissance Lives – ‘Francis I The Knight-King’
26th January, 2026
Thursday 19 March 2026 5.30pm – 7pm Register to attend Glenn Richardson (St Mary’s University Twickenham) in conversation with Penny Roberts (University of Warwick) Francis I of France led one of the most colourful and influential courts of the sixte…
Renaissance Lives – ‘Benvenuto Cellini and the Embodiment of the Modern Artist’
26th January, 2026
Thursday 19 February 2026 5.30pm – 7pm Register to attend Andreas Beyer (Basel) in conversation with Diletta Gamberini (Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Naples) and François Quiviger (Warburg). The art history public has long been both fascinated and re…
What the AI bubble means in 2026
22nd January, 2026
In this blog, Jason Whittaker (author of You Want What We’ve Got) ponders the meaning of AI on the economy and society in 2026. *** When I began writing You Want What We’ve Got: Big Tech v. Big Journalism, ChatGPT had not even launched. Automated jou…
On Writing About the English Soul
17th December, 2025
In this blog, Peter Ackroyd reflects on his inspiration to write The English Soul. *** From my early years Christianity has in part created the landscape of my imagination, and so it is no accident that it pervades the both the novels and biographies…
Caravaggio and the Language of Dress
9th October, 2025
In this blog, author Elizabeth Currie talks about the subject of her new book, Street Style, Caravaggio, and his works in relation to the language of dress. *** Caravaggio’s appeal goes from strength to strength. He was the subject of a blockbuster e…