Recent Book Purchases

I have purchased some curious tomes over the past few days. Charlotte Higgins is the Guardian’s chief arts writer, and she’s recorded her investigations of ancient sites around Britain in Under Another Sky. Herodotus’ The Histories needs no introduction, but this edition has been translated by the fantastic historian Tom Holland. It’s a superb item, very well put together by Penguin, and comes with some splendid maps at the back. Finally, a River Cottage book on curing and smoking meat. Because why not? I’m a house move away from having somewhere proper to air dry my chorizo, but you never know when you need to have the skills. I really like these River Cottage handbooks because, as well as containing good advice on sourcing and creating your own food, they’re just really nicely made. Great graphics and layout within, and very tactile editions.