[thebantammenace]

Anyone notice the ironic article placement in this months mag? Dominic Sandbrook spent a page bemoaning the lack of literature and teaching of history that occured prior to the 20th century, and the heavy emphasis on the Nazis and the 2nd World War, and over the page was an 8 page article on DUNKIRK!!!!

[Dave Musgrove]

I've had an email from another reader who was amused by the placement. It's a fair point to highlight the juxtaposition - ironic perhaps, but sadly not intentionally so. However, the Dunkirk anniversary is undoubtedly going to be a major news story this month so it would have been very remiss of us not to have covered it (I think - do tell me if you disagree). Because it's our lead story we put it at the front of the magazine, and I like to keep Dominic's column in the same place each month so it's easy for readers to find.

Of course, look further into the magazine and you'll see that we offer exactly what Dominic is arguing for - a journey into the rich world of the past. With features on the Battle of Marathon, Georgian courtiers, a French spy in London at the close of the 18th century, a history of maps, films about the British empire, the evacuee experience, the historical background to Nigeria's current troubles, and a whole lot more.

[thebantammenace]

I've had an email from another reader who was amused by the placement. It's a fair point to highlight the juxtaposition - ironic perhaps, but sadly not intentionally so. However, the Dunkirk anniversary is undoubtedly going to be a major news story this month so it would have been very remiss of us not to have covered it (I think - do tell me if you disagree). Because it's our lead story we put it at the front of the magazine, and I like to keep Dominic's column in the same place each month so it's easy for readers to find.

Of course, look further into the magazine and you'll see that we offer exactly what Dominic is arguing for - a journey into the rich world of the past. With features on the Battle of Marathon, Georgian courtiers, a French spy in London at the close of the 18th century, a history of maps, films about the British empire, the evacuee experience, the historical background to Nigeria's current troubles, and a whole lot more.

That email was probably from me. It just made me giggle over my lunch at work, and that's always welcome.
I've always been upset by the lack of knowledge from my friends and colleagues over the Civil War, they all seem to know more about the American Civil War than our own. The main response being "Roundheads and Cavaliers", which always makes me wince, that arguably the most influential era in our history on how we're governed today is summed up by those two words. Ho hum!