Some may have supposed that Thubron had done his last Big Journey (he is now 82), but this is arguably his biggest yet, and most arduous. Indomitable, venerable, he follows this immense river from its source in remote Mongolian bogs to where it emerges in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East. It is a complicated journey, much of it surrounded by poverty, desolation, wrecked environments, social collapse and historical contortions in spite of the natural wonders of the landscapes through which he passes. CT is always fascinating and compelling, and this introduction to a world scarcely known to the West is an astonishing feat.    We have a limited number of signed copies. Click here to order the book online, or get in touch by telephone or email to reserve a copy.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music, in order: Orkiestra Moskva, Na sopkach Mandzurii Maxim Troshin, The Hills of Manchuria Nikolai Nazarov, Separate Exemplary Ochestra of USSR Defense Ministry, On the Hills of Manchuria Alexander Zlatovski, On the Hills of Manchuria

John Sandoe (Books)

Colin Thubron: The Amur River

Craxton, that wonderful painter and funny, lovely man, could be in no better hands than Ian Collins’s… This biography is all that might be hoped for – thorough, loving, full of Craxton’s vitality and wit, with never a dull paragraph.    Music: Manos Hadjidakis, To Waltz Ton Hamenon Oneiron    Edited by Magnus Rena

John Craxton: A Life of Gifts

James Marriott and his co-author Terry Macalister have spent decades researching and writing about the oil industry. Their new book plunges us into the murky world of Britain's crude oil corporations. They frame the industry as a new kind of imperialism, with hidden pipelines as its polluting engine and anonymous firms as its operators. It has the pace and intrigue of a well-plotted thriller.   Edited by Magnus Rena.   Music: PJ Harvey, Last Living Rose

James Marriott: Crude Britannia

The former head of the National Gallery, NPG and Royal Academy talks openly about the art museum's place in society today.   Edited by Magnus Rena   Music: David Bowie, Andy Warhol

Charles Saumarez Smith: The Art Museum in Modern Times

OL talks to Magnus Rena about her new book, Everybody: A Book about Freedom. It's a sweeping, collective biography of a dozen glamorous but stifled figures: Susan Sontag, Christopher Isherwood, Nina Simone, Wilhelm Reich, Malcom X, Marquis de Sade, Ana Mendieta, etc. What they all share is an urge to break through various inherited constraints and seek out that strange and slippery thing called freedom.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Nina Simone, Mood Indigo    Cover image: Ana Mendieta, Imágen de Yágul, 1973

Olivia Laing: Everybody

The horsemen of the title are those of the Apocalypse, the terrifying outriders of war, pestilence, famine and death. Dr Mayhew considers developments in several fields to argue that we are pushing back successfully these dreadful tides. It's a gripping, lively narrative that is surprisingly uplifting. We wish we could take credit for the inspired choice of introductory music for this podcast but, in this case, those laurels must go to Emily herself.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Denis King, Black Beauty Theme (Galloping Home)

Emily Mayhew: The Four Horsemen

Helena's citrusy history of Italy, The Land Where Lemons Grow, sold by the armful when it came out in 2014. Her new book tells the story of one fragile instrument and its journey across Europe, from Wales to Cremona to Russia. We still have some signed copies (at the time of uploading); please get in touch by email or telephone to reserve a copy.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Broen Ensemble with Greg Lawson, Shaloka (trad. Armenian)

Helena Attlee: Lev's Violin

In European medieval cities, literacy rates among adult males was only 25%, dwindling to 1% in villages. At the same time in Florence it was 70%. So what made this city the literary hub of Renaissance Europe? After his bestselling Brunelleschi's Dome, Ross King returns to Florence to follow the life of Vespasiano da Bisticci, the first bookseller of modern Europe.   Edited by Magnus Rena

Ross King: The Bookseller of Florence

Not so much a sequel to ‘The Hare with Amber Eyes’, this short, superb and immensely powerful book is nevertheless complementary to his earlier book. Read it, give it, think about it; read it again.    Music: Claude Debussy, Deux Arabesques, performed by Alain Planès    Edited by Magnus Rena

Edmund de Waal: Letters to Camondo

Roland Philips' new book, Victoire, is a gripping story of espionage, seduction and double-crossing. It follows Mathilde Carré, a spy in the intelligence networks of Occupied France. To discuss the book, Roland is joined by Daniel Lee, author of The SS Officer's Armchair which came out last year.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Le Quartette Swing Émile Carrara, Le Charmeur des Serpents

Roland Philips: Victoire

... A Journey through Madness, Mania and Healing. Horatio talks to Arabella von Friesen about what he refers to as "one of the stranger journeys of a travelling life". Please email, telephone or order online to reserve a copy.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: John Martyn, Go Down Easy 

Horatio Clare: Heavy Light

Simon Heffer, distinguished historian and editor of the diaries (the first volume of which is published today), is joined by Tim Bouverie.    Edited by Magnus Rena    Music: Jack Hylton & His Orchestra, Why Can't You     

Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries

A short, powerful memoir of a Jewish family’s flight from the Gestapo in Italy, 1943. Read by Arabella von Friesen.   Music: Ernesto Bonino, Strolling About

A Cuckoo Press Publication: Gaia Servadio's A Wartime Childhood

The Frozen Winter of 1962 and How Britain Emerged a Different Country... with moving parallels to our current situation.  Music: Helen Shapiro, Walkin' Back to Happiness.

Juliet Nicolson: Frostquake

Episode two of Ben Schott's spiffing homage.Read by John de Falbe.Music: Cab Calloway, Minnie the Moocher

Wodehouse Wednesdays: Jeeves and the Leap of Faith 2

'Quite simply the best bookshop anyone could wish for' - Edna O'Brien. Independent bookshop (est. in 1957) Chelsea, London.

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John Sandoe (Books)

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