Biography

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Using advanced lidar technology, researchers have uncovered hundreds of monuments within the renowned prehistoric landscape of Baltinglass, Ireland. The Late Bronze Age stone circle at Boleycarrigeen, with Keadeen cursus near the summit of the mountain in the background. Credit: J. O’Driscoll This significant find sheds invaluable light on the ritual … Read more

After his inspection tour of the eastern frontier provinces (see here), Hadrian travelled through the Pontic mountains to the Black Sea port of Trapezus (present-day Trabzon), the northernmost end of the Cappadocian limes. Trapezus was one of the furthest points reached by Hadrian, and in the AD 130s, his friend Lucius Flavius Arrianus, as governor of … Read more

Outside Voices by Joan Gelfand is a candid memoir that delves into the author’s experiences during the vibrant and transformative 1970s in Berkeley. Gelfand navigates through her adventures, marked by involvement in the feminist movement, an exploration of her sexuality, and the pursuit of her artistic passions. Her narrative oscillates between her carefree social life, … Read more

  Title: William Shatner: A Transformed Man Author: Dennis William Hauck Genre: Biography   This quote-rich biography presents a balanced view of William Shatner as a person, an actor, a husband and father, and a visionary. It features his work with Star Trek and his various cast mates without neglecting his other facets and relationships, and it is designed to … Read more

Jackie: Public, Private, Secretby J. Randy Taraborrelli528 pagesSt. Martin’s PressPublished: July 2023 Released this past summer, J. Randy Taraborrelli’s biography of Jackie Kennedy is detailed, revealing and, in the end, utterly absorbing. Taraborrelli is a biographer and a former journalist whose best-known books include biographies of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Cher … Read more

Jackie: Public, Private, Secretby J. Randy Taraborrelli528 pagesSt. Martin’s PressPublished: July 2023 Released this past summer, J. Randy Taraborrelli’s biography of Jackie Kennedy is detailed, revealing and, in the end, utterly absorbing. Taraborrelli is a biographer and former journalist whose best-known books include biographies of Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe and the Kennedy family. … Read more

Watching Elon Musk unravel is not a pretty sight. And it seems to have become more common since he purchased Twitter last year. But that’s only because most of the time before then he erupted behind the scenes, reaming out employees at Tesla, SpaceX, or one of his several other companies. And it doesn’t seem … Read more

Homer’s Iliad is often considered as one of the greatest works of Western literature. For many centuries, Homer’s Troy, the city besieged by the Greeks, was considered to be a myth by scholars. During the 19th century, however, one man embarked on a quest to prove that this legendary city actually existed. This was the German archaeologist, Heinrich … Read more

  Happy 1948th birthday, Hadrian! This year, I decided to cook Cato the Elder’s recipe for Libum (sweet cheesecake) as Hadrian’s birthday cake. Libum (original recipe from LacusCurtius): Bray 2 pounds of cheese thoroughly in a mortar; when it is thoroughly macerated, add 1 pound of wheat flour, or, if you wish the cake to be more … Read more

  Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist by Larry Rohter 480 pages W.W. Norton & Company Published: May 2023 One of this year’s most intriguing new releases is Larry Rohter’s biography of Cândido Rondon, the Brazilian explorer who led the 1913-14 Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition. Rohter is a … Read more