?Two days after Notre Dame burned, I flew to Paris to appear on the TV programme La Grande Librairie for a discussion about cathedrals. The following morning I had breakfast at the Hotel Bristol with my French publisher and she asked me to write a short book about Notre Dame and what it means to all of us. She said she would donate the publisher?s profits to the rebuilding fund and, if I wished, I could do the same with my royalties. Yes, I said;...

Kenneth Clark's 1969 BBC series Civilisation (note the singular) is perhaps the most celebrated documentary series ever made, except that it was entirely of its time: patrician to the exclusion of women and western to the exclusion of all other cultures. Spring 2018 sees an ambitious 10-part BBC re-make, presented by Britain's foremost historians, embracing global civilisations and exploring different themes in the universal histories of art and culture....

'Portillo's Secret History of Britain' presents a compelling and wonderfully evocative history of Britain through the stories of its 'lost' or abandoned buildings. Using a combination of his own investigations and archive research, plus memories and quotations from the contributors he interviewed for the series, Michael will explain what the buildings were used for and by whom, why they were abandoned, and what they can tell us about our past.

As with the BBC television series, 'A House Through Time' offers readers not only the tools to explore the histories of their own homes, but also a vividly readable history of the British city, the forces of industry, disease, mass transportation, crime and class. The rises and falls, the shifts in the fortunes of neighbourhoods and whole cities are here, tracing the often surprising journey one single house can take from elegant dwelling in a fashionable...