The Pope’s Kidnapped Child
In 1858, a Jewish child was taken from his family. They said that because the boy had been secretly baptized, he was now a ward of the Papal States. And…
The Surprising Family History Charles Dance
Actor Charles Dance has made his name playing aristocrats, including Tywin Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones. But the upstairs world Charles inhabits on screen is nothing like his own…
The unification of Italy: everything you wanted to know
In 1861, the kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, unifying the various Italian states under one national banner. But what did it mean to be 'Italian' in the mid-19th century? How…
Dangerous delights: Victorian Britain’s cocaine habit
In the 19th century, a magic new drug took the medical community by storm, riding a wave of scientific endeavour. But, as this Long Read written by historian Douglas Small…
Behind Closed Doors
The Sicilian writer Maria Messina's captivating and brutal stories of the women of her home island are presented in an English translation by Elise Magistro. Messina, who died in 1944,…
Absolute History: Victorian Christmas
three installments of Christmas at the Victorian Farm
The Great Stink: everything you wanted to know
Why, in the 1850s, was the excrement of thousands of people being deposited straight into the Thames? How lethal were Victorian London's cholera outbreaks? And why is Joseph Bazalgette one…
Poison and Poisonability
When we think of serial killers, we tend to think of men—Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack the Ripper. But in the 1800s, the deadliest killers often wore corsets. In fact,…
Written in the Waters
Tara Roberts
Carnival Collection
Tulane university library catalog