You might remember my no-recipes policy from last week — no scones, no stews, no nonsense. Well, I can’t promise the same restraint from my newest recruit, Bert Whish-Willson, better known as Wish-Wash. The gnarly old man has appointed himself reviewer-in-residence for my books, and you can now find his ramblings under the My Books tab on my website,… Continue reading Meet Wish-Wash, my new (unreliable) reviewer
Welcome — but leave your mixing bowl at the door
You might think an author’s website is all about flogging books — a digital shopfront with flashing “Buy Now” buttons and not much else. Some are, I’ll admit. But the better ones (and I like to think mine’s one of them) are more like a comfy lounge where readers can wander in, have a stickybeak,… Continue reading Welcome — but leave your mixing bowl at the door
The evolution of funny, satirical books
Humour has been part of storytelling for as long as people have been telling stories. Ancient writers used comedy to puncture pomposity, while medieval satirists sharpened their pens on the powerful. In English literature, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) proved that a ridiculous adventure could carry biting political commentary, and Charles Dickens later filled his novels with… Continue reading The evolution of funny, satirical books
The evolution of book covers
Book covers have come a long way from their humble beginnings. In the earliest days of printing, books were precious objects, often bound in plain leather or cloth. Their value lay in the words inside, and covers were designed to protect rather than attract. Titles, if they appeared at all, were handwritten or stamped in… Continue reading The evolution of book covers
Cloning: From Dolly the Sheep to the Tasmanian Tiger
Back in 1996, the world met Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell. Born in Scotland, Dolly was a breakthrough that shifted cloning from science fiction into science fact. She wasn’t just a genetic curiosity—her birth proved it was possible to “copy” complex animals, sparking heated debates about ethics, medicine,… Continue reading Cloning: From Dolly the Sheep to the Tasmanian Tiger
JOHN MARTIN 