In Episode 824, Jacke talks to novelist Emily Franklin about her new book Love & Other Monsters, which narrates the story of a circle of friends from the point of view of Claire Clairmont, Mary Shelley's stepsister. It's an often-told, momentous st…
Attention All History of Literature Enthusiasts and Great Detective! Readers: Earn money back on your purchase price by helping us spread the word! You can earn money back with a quick post to social media about Great Detective! Here's how the…
In Episode 823. United States President Abraham Lincoln and his assassin John Wilkes Booth were both deeply immersed in Shakespeare's works. And yet, the conclusions they reached about how best to end tyranny — a feature of both Macbeth and Julius C…
Henry David Thoreau was not a traditional Christian, and yet he was a deeply, profoundly religious man. In Episode 822, Jacke talks to Lydia Willsky-Ciollo about her book Wildness: Henry David Thoreau and the Making of an American Theology, which de…
Special Discount! For a limited time only, enter code SHIP26 at checkout for free shipping on your order of Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People, by Jacke Wilson. Visit press.historyofliterature.com today! In Great Detective! An Adventure f…
The kiss! What could be more romantic? And yet, as historian Katie Barclay discovered when writing her book The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power, she found non-romantic kisses to be even more fascinating. In Episode 821, Jacke talks to historian…
In Episode 820, Jacke talks to Sonja Tiernan about her book Eva Gore-Booth: Irish Radical Poet, Rebel, and Reformer, which tells the story of a young woman who cast aside her aristocratic origins to champion the causes of barmaids, circus performers…
In Episode 819, Jacke talks to biographer Glenda Norquay (Robert Louis Stevenson: A Critical Life) about the amazing life of Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author of classic works like Kidnapped and Treasure Island. His works are great reads,…
Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People by HOL host Jacke Wilson is now available at Wonderland Books in Bethesda, MD. In Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People, you and a friend race through the streets of foggy London, testing your cr…
In Episode 818, Jacke talks to author James Bailey about his critically acclaimed biography Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark. James and Jacke cover not only many of Spark's best known works, including The Prime of Miss Jean B…
In Episode 817, Jacke gets ready for the release of Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, the rare instance of a summer blockbuster based on a literary classic, with some help from classics scholars Daniel Mendelsohn (The Odyssey, An Odyssey: A Father, A Son…
In Episode 816, Jacke talks to David Womersley about Jonathan Swift, the nature of satire, and The Cambridge Anniversary Edition of Gulliver's Travels, which Womersley edited. David Womersley is the Thomas Warton Professor of Literature at the Unive…
On Sale Now! For more information and to order Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People [2-Book Boxed Set] by Jacke Wilson, visit press.historyofliterature.com. SPECIAL DISCOUNT! It's a month for celebrations! In honor of the birthdays of A…
In Episode 815, as America turns 250, Jacke takes a look at the career and major works of Paddy Chayefsky, whose 1976 film Network is often praised for predicting the demise of television (and, perhaps, America itself). Thanks in part to beloved fi…
In Episode 814, Jacke talks to writer, editor, and translator Daniel Hahn (If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation), about his encounters with writers and actors who've engaged with Shakespeare's work in more than a hundred …
In Episode 813 of the History of Literature Podcast, Jacke talks to award-winning poet and biographer Fiona Sampson about her book Becoming George, which examines George Sand's iconoclasm and rehabilitates her as an intellectual and artistic giant.…
Why are we so fascinated by the ancient world? What can we find in the distant past that is recognizably human — and how do we grapple with the complicated and controversial issues that the past forces us to address? In Episode 812, Jacke talks to…
The Harlem Renaissance, the great flowering of African American arts and culture in the early twentieth century, is hard to define but easy to admire. Coupled with the Great Migration, in which hundreds of thousands of Southern black workers moved t…
Buy the new book by Jacke Wilson! Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People [2-Book Boxed Set] Master Detective...or Master Criminal In Great Detective! An Adventure for Two People, you and a partner race through the streets of foggy Londo…
Pocket Casts has included The History of Literature on its World Book Day collection of podcast recommendations. The History of Literature is now available in Pocket Casts' Discover in-app and on its web player.
The HOL inaugural literary tour in England begins on May 6. We're excited as final plans take shape for our time in London, Oxford and Bath. Guests scheduled to join us on the tour include: Will Tosh, Director of Education at the Globe Theater…
The History of Literature Podcast's list of the 25 Greatest Books of All Time names #1 and #2 in Episode 789. In this episode, Jacke and Mike Palindrome discuss the imperfections of standard lists of great books and recommend other more compelling w…
The Great Gatsby ranks #3 on the History of Literature Podcast's list of the Greatest Books of All Time. Explore The Great Gatsby with HOL host Jacke Wilson who takes a look at the ancient underpinnings of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous creation…
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is ranked #4 on the History of Literature Podcast's list of the Greatest Books of All Time. In Episode 761, Jacke places the book in context, offering seven points about the time and circumstances that influen…
