Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 postmodern novel by Dominican-British author Jean Rhys. Set in Jamaica in the 1830s–1840s, the novel is a postcolonial and feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë's…
The World’s First Museums Were Weird
Before museums, there were rooms of wonder filled with unicorn horns, automatons, coral, coins, and relics from around the world.
American Experience: Billy The Kid: The True Story of the Notorious Outlaw
Demonized by the lawman that killed him, the Kid was soon mythologized by a never-ending stream of dime store novels and big-screen dramas, portrayed by everyone from Paul Newman to…
Transforming a Colonial Library in Nairobi
Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise…
The Rosebud Podcast: Richard E Grant
Richard talks to Gyles about his extraordinary childhood. Born to good-looking parents in the ex-pat community in then-Swaziland, Richard's young life was full of Enid Blyton, barbecues and Pelham puppets…
Where the $ symbol actually comes from
Why is the $ sign an S? What does 'dollar' even mean? In this video, I answer both of those questions, while also explaining what the British pound is a…
In the Year of the Pig
In the Year of the Pig is an American documentary film directed by Emile de Antonio about American involvement in the Vietnam War. It was released in 1968 while the…
Cautionary Tales: The Lovestruck Explorer’s Deadly Guessing Game
In 1860, police officer Robert O’Hara Burke plans an expedition to map the mysterious blank in the centre of Australia. Joining him is scientist William Wills, and a ragtag team of…
Cloth and Complicity: Seth Rockman on Plantations, Textiles, and the Art of Weaving
Some people might think this book offers a smoking gun of complicity: Aha, those sanctimonious New Englanders were just as tied to slavery as the Southerners! But complicity seems too…