Equipment for Victorian climbers: puttees
Regular readers will be aware that, during my time in Glencoe, I did a bit of practical research into 19th century climbing equipment. It’s a subject that has…
Regular readers will be aware that, during my time in Glencoe, I did a bit of practical research into 19th century climbing equipment. It’s a subject that has…
Fact or fiction? The historical novelist has a very important responsibility. Most people stop formally learning about history at school, which means that as an adult, the bulk…
Notebooks are about feel, mood, and introspection–not utility. Before I begin this post celebrating notebooks, I have a confession to make: I hardly ever use them. I write…
The Strand in 1891 a key setting for my work Image credit: http://goo.gl/7J1CP Although I have never lived in London and only visited on rare occasions, the sprawling…
Just when I thought I was coming to the end of the research I have to do on my new project, something else has turned up to demonstrate…
I’m gradually coming to the end of the research I originally planned for my new book. Since this project is set in a period of time that was…
Part of my research for 1848 has involved a study of the cartography and glaciology of that decade. The Alps were only partially explored, despite Chamouni (modern-day Chamonix) being…
Professor James Forbes (1809 – 1868) was, in many ways, the first British explorer of the European Alps. Many other British climbers had scaled Mont Blanc, or journeyed throughout…