Shelf Life 24
Ian Mortimer
Hailed by The Times as “the most remarkable medieval historian of our time,” Dr Ian James Forrester Mortimer has produced some of the most illuminating books ever published on the great medieval monarchs of England. Not concerned with past reputations and having no political agenda he has produced volumes which light up the period afresh for the 21st century. His recent book The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England gives us a completely fresh look at a period beset with many myths. Using the nom de plume James Forrester he has recently made his mark in the already populous field of Elizabethan historical mystery fiction with a pair of best-selling novels.
The Sky at Night
In rural Powys we are able to look up on frosty nights and see the immensity of space above us. With little light pollution we able to see stars that are lost in the glare of urban streetlights. In our Autumn issue we feature some books which will help us to know more about just what we are seeing when we look up into the night sky.
Historical fiction online
Our featured websites and blogs this issue are all concerned with historical fiction. There are site which let you search for titles and recommendations by setting as well as author, and enjoyable blogs where you can read suggestions for reading and recommend books yourself. Historical fiction has never been more popular and sites like these can help you find more of the books you would like.
SF Gateway
This autumn sees the launch of the SF Gateway on line. We have mentioned before how changes in technology have challenged the way publishers work, and this new project sees a long-established science fiction publisher using internet technology and ebook technology to make available science fiction novels which have gone out of print. This could well provide a model for other areas of publishing.
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Shelf Life archive
Coming your way..
Despite the changes facing the publishing industry (print on demand, electronic books ets) we can expect the publishing schedule in the run up to Christmas to be as busy as ever. As usual we feature here some of the new books coming to Powys libraries over the period.
> forthcoming fiction titles
> forthcoming non-fiction titles
> new Welsh language titles
Local Studies
In our local studies section we look at a new book which updates current thinking on the Roman occupation of Wales and the place of local tribes in the Roman world. We also take a look at a website of use to family historians and the many talks and activities taking place around the county.
