All Books

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The episode opens with a passage from the Aeneid translated by Robert Fagles, describing the fall of Troy as recounted by Aeneas to Dido, and later discusses Dido's curse as the mythological origin of the enmity between Rome and Carthage.

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Tom Holland identifies the passage Laura Cumming read aloud as the opening to her book, 'The Vanishing Man, a study of Velázquez.'

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Jamie Holmes is the guest on the podcast promoting his third book, which releases February 3rd. The host praises it for both validating and upending preconceived notions about the Indian Wars.

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Jamie Holmes mentions this as his second book, about a group of WWII scientists who invented a new weapon to shoot down airplanes. He describes it as the bridge from his first book to his archive-heavy historical narrative nonfiction work.

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Listed as one of Jamie Holmes' previous books when introducing him as a guest on the podcast.

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Jamie Holmes references 'a book by this guy Cialdini' when explaining behavioral economics and how salespeople and product makers use psychological insights to manipulate people.

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Jamie Holmes discusses this book by scholar David Lowenthal, noting it explores history and heritage as mythologized history, and uses the concept of exploring the past like traveling to a foreign place.

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Jamie Holmes mentions this Bill Bryson book as inspiration for a potential next project, saying he thought it could be fun to do something similar with a cool twist.

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Described by the hosts as 'a brilliant dual biography of Hannibal and Scipio,' with Hornblower quoted as describing Hannibal as 'an energetic left-wing innovator' in his post-war civilian role in Carthage.

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Tom quotes from this book when describing the famous story of Archimedes in the bathtub discovering the principle of water displacement, noting it has 'just come out.'

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Mentioned as a book published in 2024 that argues there was a secret deal between Reagan's campaign and Iran to delay the hostage release, though Dominic expressed skepticism about the author's tendency to see conspiracies everywhere.

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Kevin Murphy mentioned he has this book from 1960 and wanted to share it with Steven, though Steven expressed concern that it might lack modern collaring data despite containing valuable historical information about bobcats from when people 'just lived in the woods'.

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Dominic recommended this book to listeners, describing it as 'a brilliant book' about the siege and the hostage experience at the US Embassy in Tehran.

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Dominic referenced this as Ambassador Sullivan's memoir, noting 'This is all from Sullivan's memoir Mission to Iran I think it's called,' when discussing how Sullivan handled the February 1979 attack on the embassy.

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Referenced when discussing whether the Shah could have changed the outcome by cracking down, with the host noting Axworthy's point that 'even if the Shah had not been ill, what would he have done? Where is the magic wand that would have sorted things out?'

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Mentioned as the foundational text of post-colonial theory, noting that Khomeini's Quranic phrase 'the disinherited of the earth' echoed Fanon's famous title and resonated with left-wing supporters.

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Mentioned as one of Updike's Rabbit novels set in 1979, where the everyman character Harry Angstrom is always complaining about inflation and puts his money into South African Krugerrands.

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Tom referenced this paper published in 2001 that takes a deep dive into collecting specimens, radiocarbon dating them, and examining oral history about wood bison in Alaska, including accounts from native elders about historical bison encounters.

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Tom Holland quoted from this book when discussing the Shia belief in the Mahdi and the apocalyptic battle that precedes the end of time, describing it as a 'brilliant book.'

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Described as Khomeini's biographer, with 'really, really good sections' about the importance of local Shia clergy in Iranian society.

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Described as having written 'a brilliant book on the Iranian Revolution,' cited regarding the likely exaggerated death toll reports from the January 1978 Qom protests.

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Mentioned as the great epic of Iran, literally 'the book of kings,' to illustrate how fundamental the concept of monarchy is to Iranian historical identity.

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Tom Holland references Daniel Hobbins' translation of documents relating to Joan's trial, quoting from his introduction about how Cochon believed his role in the trial would bear examination from even hostile observers.

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Tom Holland cites Marina Warner's book multiple times, noting she is 'brilliant on this' regarding Joan's social mobility and self-presentation as a knight, and later quoting her observation that 'the English side believed in Joan the Maid more than the French.'

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Tom Holland quotes Helen Castor's book on Joan regarding the fall of Troyes, noting that 'after four days of fear and deepening uncertainty, the sight of these preparations for an assault led by the miraculous maid finally shattered the town's resistance.'

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Dominic referenced Marina Warner's 'wonderful book on Joan of Arc' when discussing Joan's ability to compel credence, quoting Warner's description of Joan having 'an astonishing ability to compel credence.'

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Dominic quoted Helen Castor, described as 'friend of the show, author of a wonderful book on Joan of Arc,' regarding how Joan differed from other female visionaries who typically appeared under the care of a spiritual advisor.

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Tom Holland mentioned reading this book at a very impressionable age, noting it came out in the early 80s. He quoted Warner's introduction describing Joan as not being a queen, courtesan, beauty, mother, or artist, and also cited Warner's analysis of Joan's attraction to clear-cut situations with identifiable centres of authority.

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Tom Holland discussed how this great Dutch historian, published in 1919, pointedly omitted Joan of Arc from his study of 15th century Burgundy and Northern France, not because she was unimportant but because 'she would have torn the book I visualized in my mind completely out of balance.'

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Discussed extensively in comparison to Wagner's Ring Cycle, noting the parallels of a broken sword being reforged and a magic ring, and debating how much Tolkien was influenced by Wagner despite Tolkien's denials.

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Speaker 7 recommends this book about beavers, mentioning 'He wrote that book called Eager' when discussing the beaver photography assignment and suggesting the host should have Ben Goldfarb on the show.

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Speaker 7 references 'a book called Catching Fire' by Richard Wrangham, describing it as being about 'how cooking made us' - discussing human evolution and how cooking affected human development. Speaker 6 confirms familiarity with the book.

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Speaker 7 mentions 'it was a good book, Sex at Dawn' when discussing human sexual relationships and monogamy from a species/evolutionary perspective.

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Speaker 7 references 'the book braiding sweetgrass speaks to that' when discussing animism and the relationship between humans and the natural world that indigenous communities have maintained.

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Speaker 7 mentions this as one of the 'ethnographic interviews with elders in the 1930s' that document pre-contact life of Plains peoples. He brought copies as gifts for the hosts.

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Speaker 7 mentions this alongside Pretty Shield as ethnographic interviews with elders from the 1930s documenting stories of pre-contact life among Plains peoples.

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Speaker 7 mentions Ben Goldfarb 'got a new book that was about crossroads' dealing with road ecology. The exact title isn't stated but it's described as being about roads/crossroads.

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Mark Kenyon recommended this as number five on his top five books for whitetail hunters, describing it as a foundational text for understanding topography and terrain for deer hunting, teaching how to use maps to predict deer movement.

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Mark Kenyon listed this as number four for whitetail hunters, praising it as a collection of essays that explores the philosophical 'why we hunt' rather than tactical advice, specifically highlighting Thomas McGuane's essay 'The Heart of the Game' as one of the best hunting essays of all time.

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Mark Kenyon called this his number one book that all whitetail hunters and every hunter should read, describing it as 'the equivalent of the Bible' for people into hunting, fishing, wildlife and conservation, and a foundational text on being a steward and wildlife manager.

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Phil mentioned this as the modern day Bible of Tiki stuff when describing his Kuhiko mug that appears on the book's cover.

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Mark Kenyon called this his number three pick, describing it as an under-the-radar book that documents one hunter's journey from everyday deer hunter to pursuing his first big buck, while also exploring the culture and history of deer hunting across the country.

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Mark Kenyon ranked this as his number two favorite how-to book, explaining it tells the story of Chris Eberhardt's season living out of a minivan while hunting deer DIY across the country, with detailed tactical notes and diagrams throughout.

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Speaker 4 mentions getting into 'the Escoffier, the old French cookbooks' when discussing the history of ketchup and how tomato ketchup was originally just one of many types of ketchups listed in classic French cooking references.

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Mentioned as a nature classic by Henry Williamson, the soldier who wrote about the Christmas Truce, published about a decade after the First World War and never out of print since.

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Described as probably the most famous First World War memoir, mentioned when discussing that the famous 3-2 football match story actually comes from a short story by Robert Graves, not a real account.

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A poem published in 2011 that was also released as an illustrated children's book, read aloud in the episode to illustrate the sentimentality surrounding the Christmas Truce story.

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Mentioned as an excellent book on the Christmas Truce, written for the 70th anniversary in 1984 by Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton.

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Mentioned as another excellent book on the Christmas Truce by an American historian, published in 2001.

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Rob Sand mentions he wrote a book about the lottery rigging scheme he prosecuted, which he describes as 'the largest lottery rigging scheme in American history' involving Eddie Tipton and Bigfoot hunters. He says 'I wrote a book about it' and references 'the winning ticket' as the title, mentioning he'd prefer people buy his book over watching the documentary about the case.

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Referred to throughout the series as 'really the definitive survey of the case,' with multiple direct quotes from Sugden about the quest for the identity of Jack the Ripper and the assumption that the killer was a local man.

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Described as 'perhaps the single most notorious book ever written about Jack the Ripper,' presenting a conspiracy theory involving Prince Albert Victor, Walter Sickert, and the Freemasons. Compared to Graham Hancock or Eric von Daniken in terms of disproportionate impact relative to plausibility.

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Mentioned as the comic book (animated novel) by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell that was adapted into the 2001 Johnny Depp film, and was inspired by Stephen Knight's conspiracy theory about Jack the Ripper.

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Referenced for its detailed, expertly sourced accounts of the lives of the Ripper's victims, with the hosts noting that Rubenhold says of Mary Jane Kelly that 'not a single statement made by her about her life prior to her arrival in London has ever been verified.'

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Tom Holland quotes Walkowitz's observation that Hutchinson's description of the suspect 'carefully replicated the costume and stance of the classic stage villain,' recommending it highly.

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Cited for Rumbelow's theory that George Hutchinson's detailed description of the suspect may have been an act of spiteful resentment or jealousy rather than a genuine sighting.

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Discussed extensively as the great literary sensation of the 1880s that shaped how people understood the Ripper murders, with W.T. Stead directly comparing the Ripper to Mr. Hyde in his editorial.

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Mentioned as a brilliant book in which Sherlock Holmes is more closely associated with the Ripper's crimes, with a massive twist the hosts hint at but don't reveal.

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Referenced as the 1887 debut of Sherlock Holmes, with the hosts quoting its famous line about 'a scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life.'

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Mentioned as the source of Holmes's famous maxim about eliminating the impossible, published in 1890, the year after Mary Jane Kelly's murder.

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Discussed as the 1886 compendium of sexual deviancy that introduced terms like sadism and masochism to the English language, and in which Krafft-Ebing eventually included Jack the Ripper as 'case 17' under lust murder.

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Briefly referenced as a comparison for Mary Jane Kelly's stories about her life as a high-class courtesan, noting it was a novel about a Parisian courtesan that people at the time would have been familiar with.

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During a discussion about the phrase 'I'll be your Huckleberry' from the movie Tombstone, it's mentioned that the screenwriter Kevin Jarre took the phrase directly from this 1927 book. Burns wrote the scene: 'I'm your huckleberry, Ringo,' replied the cheerful doctor. 'That's just my game.' Wyatt Earp expert Jeff Morey recommended Jarre include the phrase in the screenplay.

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Referred to as 'The Definitive History' of the Jack the Ripper case, cited multiple times for details about the timeline of the murders and analysis of witness accounts.

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Described as 'brilliant on the lives of the victims,' mentioned in the context of her thesis that the victims were killed as they slept, which the hosts debated.

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Described as a 'mad' book proposing a conspiracy theory involving the royal family and Masons, with the hosts noting they would discuss it further in a later episode.

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Mentioned as an 'enormous graphic novel' inspired by the famous 'From Hell' letter sent to George Lusk, which the hosts noted they might discuss in their final episode.

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Described as the definitive and most scholarly book on the Ripper case. The hosts reference it multiple times, including Sugden's analysis of witnesses, the killer's profile, and the Jack the Ripper letter, noting that Sugden believes the man seen by Elizabeth Long was the murderer.

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Mentioned in relation to her theory that all the Ripper victims were killed as they slept, contrasted with Philip Sugden's view. The hosts note that Rubenhold does not mention Mrs. Long's witness testimony in her book.

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Described as Harrison's 'final book of essays' containing hunting and fishing writing combined with food writing and literature essays. Steve specifically mentions it as a collection of Harrison's Sports Illustrated writing from the seventies.

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Described as 'a false memoir' about a guy wandering around Michigan's Upper Peninsula trying to catch a glimpse of a wolf. Steve mentions it as one of his favorites and discusses its abrupt, sad ending.

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Mentioned as one of Harrison's Michigan-focused works that Steve and his friends were 'way into' when young.

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Referenced as the greatest point of contact for people unfamiliar with Jim Harrison, and later mentioned as where many readers begin with Harrison and what made him wealthy.

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Mentioned as one of Harrison's 'more complex works' and later praised as an example of Harrison writing sensitively in a woman's voice.

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Briefly mentioned as one of Harrison's more complex later works.

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Described as a children's book by Harrison that serves as an origin story about his experience with eye injury and retreating into nature.

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Todd mentions doing a deep dive into Harrison's work including going back to Wolf, Warlock, and Farmer.

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Mentioned alongside Warlock as one of Harrison's early novels that Todd read when getting into Harrison's work.

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Mentioned as Harrison's memoir, titled in reference to his feeling of always being 'off to the side' due to his eye disfigurement.

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A collection of poetry where Harrison wrote letters to dead Russian poet Sergey Yesenin. Todd explains this book helped pull Harrison out of a deep depression in his thirties.

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Steve mentions trying to read this when going to writing school, thinking he should 'figure out what people actually write about,' but gave up on it.

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Steve discusses this book, noting it's 'not about trout fishing in America' but contains 'one of the greatest fishing lines ever' about a stream being so narrow you'd 'have to be a plumber to fish that creek.'

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Mentioned in discussion of Larry Brown, a Mississippi fireman who became a novelist. Steve describes Brown as someone who taught himself to write between calls at a fire barn.

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An unfinished novella Harrison began before his death, described as being about his wife Linda.

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Mentioned alongside Dolva as an example of Harrison writing novels in women's voices in a sympathetic way.

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A collection of poems published right before Harrison died. The softcover edition includes the last poem Harrison was writing when he died.

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Described as a prize-winning book from 2019 that was a group biography of the five murdered women, which the hosts praised as revelatory for showing the victims as human beings rather than just prostitutes.

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Quoted regarding the Victorian categorization of prostitution: 'any female who was kept by a man for however long or short a period of her life without benefit of a marriage ceremony was categorized as a prostitute.'

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Dominic mentions his brother's book, which he has been quoting a lot in the series, noting it has an account of German girls and their misery at the only clothes available being brown.

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William Shirer is referenced as the American correspondent in Berlin who reported on Hitler's speeches and the reactions of German officers, though the specific book is not named directly, his well-known correspondent work is cited.

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Kershaw's biography of Hitler is cited regarding Hitler's misunderstanding of British public opinion after Munich, and later regarding Hitler's strategic reasoning for attacking the Soviet Union.

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Richard Evans' book on the Third Reich is mentioned in relation to how Nazi propaganda led ordinary Germans and officials to genuinely believe the British were warmongers rejecting generous peace offers.

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Conan O'Brien called it 'the best Beatles book that's been written in quite a while,' highlighting its insight about early Beatles music being influenced by doo-wop groups.

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Steve Rinella mentions reading this book and discusses the author's perspective that the Battle of Little Bighorn was a 'non-event' that didn't actually matter in the larger historical context.

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Steve discusses this book about the Vietnam War, explaining that Michael Herr was sent to cover the war for Esquire magazine and spent years talking to soldiers. Steve notes that Stanley Kubrick used quotes verbatim from this book in Full Metal Jacket.

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Mark Gardner mentions that Pat Garrett wrote this book after killing Billy the Kid, defending his actions and explaining why he didn't give Billy a chance.

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Mark Gardner references this book from the 1830s about the Santa Fe Trail, discussing how Josiah Gregg recovered from an illness (possibly through the 'Prairie cure') and documented his experiences.

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Steve and Mark discuss this book extensively, particularly a detail about the shotgun used to kill Robert Ford. Mark mentions that Ron Hansen is a friend who wrote a blurb for his book, and they debate whether certain details in the novel are historically accurate.

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Mark Gardner references this book to make a point about how war can numb people to violence and killing, drawing a parallel to how the Civil War affected Frank and Jesse James.

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The episode opens with a reading from Speer's memoir describing Hitler's three-hour sightseeing tour of Paris after the fall of France in June 1940.

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Referenced when discussing the counterfactual of what would have happened if the 230,000 British troops at Dunkirk had been captured rather than evacuated, and how that might have forced Churchill to negotiate with Hitler.

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Mentioned as containing a quote from officer John Horsfall about sensing 'the national mood of defiance which brought down Napoleon and would destroy Hitler too' when troops returned from Dunkirk.

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Described as one of the longest diaries in history and 'quite a big publishing sensation a few years ago,' cited for her moving entry about feeling part of something undying after reading about the Dunkirk rescue.

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Mentioned as capturing the scene of total chaos and terror during the French refugee crisis, with carts in the streets, families rushing to find sanctuary, and being pounded from the air by the Luftwaffe.

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Described as a 'brilliant book on the fall of France' that argues France lost on the battlefield due to bad intelligence and bad tactics rather than a fundamental sickness in French society, and quotes a young sergeant named François Mitterrand.

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Referenced for pointing out that French conservatives had admired Hitler and Mussolini, and for citing the diary of Louisa Solmitz, a schoolteacher with a Jewish husband who felt exhilarated by the German victory in France.

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Briefly referenced when discussing tank commander Heinz Guderian, who was 'speechless' at the halt order and considered it 'the biggest blunder of the war.'

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Steve references Duncan Gilchrist's book 'All about Bears' as a 'true classic' while discussing bears being so big that hunters cut them at the waist to haul them out in two pieces. This comes up during a conversation about Cal's grizzly bear hunt.

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Speaker 4 mentions having 'just finished reading the right stuff' when discussing space topics with Tony Peterson during a fishing trip. This is referenced in a conversation about Tony Peterson's interest in outer space.

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Dominic cites iron ore statistics from his brother James Holland's book, and later references his brother's observation about the 'Potemkin quality' of Nazi militarism and the simultaneous Allied and German offensives in Norway.

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Described as 'the most German army titled book of all time,' written by panzer commander Heinz Guderian two years before the invasion of France, outlining his ideas about speed and separating panzers from slower infantry divisions.

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Steve Rinella introduces guest James Campbell and mentions this as one of his books, describing it as a book listeners would be interested in.

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Steve mentions he just finished reading this book by James Campbell nights ago. The book is about the WWII campaign in Papua New Guinea.

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Steve mentions reading this academic book about the Battle of Manila in the Pacific Theater during WWII, which got him interested in the topic.

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James Campbell discusses reading this book (published around 1986) which was Alan Rabinowitz's first book about his experience in Belize collaring jaguars in the rainforest.

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James Campbell lists this as one of Alan Rabinowitz's books about Burma.

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James Campbell mentions this as another of Alan Rabinowitz's books about Burma.

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James Campbell quotes from this book, saying James Bradley wrote that WWII veterans 'came home and they got on with living' without talking about their experiences.

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James Campbell mentions this book written by whistleblower Janey Brunn about the controversial Macho B jaguar capture incident, noting it was 'actually a pretty good book.'

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James Campbell references this book by Dan Floris (whom Steve has had on the podcast) about what was done to predators in Colonial America, including jaguars.

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Steve concludes the interview by promoting James Campbell's latest book with the full title 'A Heart of the Jaguar: the extraordinary conservation effort to save the America's legendary cat.'

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Steve references this book about influential trail cam photos, mentioning it contains a photo of a jaguar in snow in the Wachuka Mountains of Arizona.

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James Campbell mentions this book by Alan Rabinowitz about trying to find the elusive clouded leopard in Formosa.

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Tom Holland quoted from his brother James Holland's book describing how a French advance was held up by a single automatic weapon at the Siegfried Line, illustrating the contrast with French soldiers' bravery in World War I.

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Referenced as the source of Hitler's 1925 statement that 'the life of man is a dreadful struggle for existence,' illustrating his warlike worldview.

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Mentioned as a valuable primary source on the Third Reich in the early war years, noting that Shirer, an American correspondent present in Germany, genuinely thought the Beer Hall bomb was a Nazi false flag operation.

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Referenced multiple times throughout the episode as the source for characterizing Brauchitsch as 'spineless,' for the concept of 'working towards the Führer,' and for analysis of Hitler's popularity and the army's failure to oppose him.

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Tom quotes Helen Castor's 'brilliant short biography of Elizabeth' regarding Elizabeth's speech outside the Tower of London, describing it as 'rhetoric and reality fused into a performance that was at once immediately legible and utterly unreadable.'

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Tom quotes Lucy Wooding's book stating 'it could be argued that Elizabeth wanted stability as much as she wanted Protestantism' when discussing Elizabeth's motivations for her religious settlement.

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Described as 'the definitive biography of Cecil,' Tom quotes Alford saying Cecil 'was everywhere and everything in Elizabethan government' and also references Alford's analysis of Cecil's emergency succession plans as anticipating the Glorious Revolution.

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Solomon David references this book by Matt Miller (director of Science Communications for the Nature Conservancy) when discussing conservation efforts and the concept of 'gar wars.' He describes it as being about fishing and conservation, and notes that Miller brought up the 'gar wars' idea in the book, using it broadly to discuss not just gars but other non-game native fish.

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Described as the Tudor number one bestseller, also known as Fox's Book of Martyrs, and called one of the foundational texts of English national identity. Published in 1563, it shaped the Protestant narrative of Mary Tudor's reign and Elizabeth's survival.

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Tom Holland quotes from Lucy Wooding's 'wonderful introduction to Tudor England,' calling it 'the best single volume on Tudor England that there is,' citing her observation that Mary believed she was ruling an essentially Catholic country.

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Referenced for her observation that the Wyatt conspiracy plotters were all well-connected and had contacts within Elizabeth's household.

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Described as a 'brilliant book' on William Cecil, cited for the account of Cecil's secret meeting with Elizabeth at Somerset House, calling Cecil 'the cleverest young man in Tudor politics.'

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Quoted regarding how the shower of lovely clothes Anne Boleyn had lavished on Elizabeth suddenly dried up after Anne's execution, and also quoted on Mary being 'tenderhearted to excess when issues of principle were not involved.'

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Quoted on Mary's submission to Henry VIII, noting 'she would never forgive herself for what she believed to be the ultimate portrayal of her mother's memory,' and also cited as the source for the fact that Catherine Parr is the only English queen to be buried on a private estate.

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Recommended by the hosts as 'really, really good' for people interested in exploring the nuances of Elizabeth's relationship with the memory of her mother Anne Boleyn.

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This is the main book being discussed in the podcast interview. It's about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and was released for the 50th anniversary of the wreck.

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Hampton Sides compared 'The Gales of November' to this book in his blurb, describing it as one of the great shipwreck narratives. Sebastian Junger is noted as having been on the podcast previously.

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Another book mentioned in Hampton Sides' blurb comparing it to 'The Gales of November.' The hosts mention they should try to get Erik Larson on the show.

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Third book mentioned in Hampton Sides' blurb as comparable to 'The Gales of November' in terms of being a great shipwreck narrative.

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John Bacon's previous book from 2017 about a World War I disaster in Halifax harbor when a ship carrying explosives collided with another ship and exploded. Bacon mentions this was his first foray into deep history before writing about the Edmund Fitzgerald.

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John Bacon's book about coaching his old high school hockey team in Ann Arbor. He describes himself as 'the worst player in school history' who played 86 games without scoring a goal. The book is in its fifth printing and is being developed as a potential project with Disney Plus.

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Tom Holland references David Starkey's 'great book on the young Elizabeth' when describing the luxuriously appointed birthing chamber at Greenwich Palace as 'a cross between a chapel and a luxuriously padded cell.'

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Described as 'a brilliant book on Anne Boleyn and her relationship to Elizabeth,' cited when discussing Anne's 'irresistible je ne sais quoi' and later when noting that 'enigma' was Tudor slang.

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Referred to as 'another great book' when quoting Tallis's observation that 'little wonder Mary spent much of her time weeping in her chamber' after being stripped of her servants and forced to serve baby Elizabeth.

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Referred to multiple times as 'the great biography by Neil Gabler' and 'Gabler's biography' - cited for insights on Disney losing interest in animated films in the 1940s-50s, his craving for total control, the opening day TV audience estimate of 70 million, and the design symbolism of Main Street USA.

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Mentioned as 'a whole book called Suburban Warriors by a historian called Lisa McGurr, all about Orange County, as the sort of Petri dish in which modern American conservatism was made.'

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Mentioned as a book published in 1990 by Michael Crichton on the theme of what happens when a theme park goes wrong, later made into a film by Steven Spielberg.

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Jordan discusses a book by journalist Darren Worcester that compiled stories from Maine game wardens, including the story of Ludger Belanger's disappearance in 1975. The book was based on accounts from various game wardens, including Worcester's father-in-law who was a game warden. Jordan interviewed Worcester about this book and the case details it contained.

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Described as the definitive biography of Disney, drawing on previously untapped sources. Quoted multiple times throughout the episode, including his description of 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf' as the nation's new anthem and his analysis of Snow White as a fully fabricated world.

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Described as the most venomous attack on Walt Disney as an individual, published in 1968. Schickel accused Disney of shattering childhood's secrets and silences and becoming a rallying point for the sub-literates of society.

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Described as a new book coming out next week that brilliantly explicates the history behind the making of the Mary Poppins film and P.L. Travers' conflicts with Disney over the script.

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Discussed as the novel that Walt Disney's daughters adored and that Disney had been trying to buy the film rights to since 1943. Travers resisted because she feared Disney would replace her dark, fantastical story with saccharine sentimentality.

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Mentioned as the source material for the animated film Disney was immersed in when he died in 1966, described as his most committed animation project since Bambi.

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Referenced in comparison to Walt Disney as a tinkerer figure, noting Smiles was fascinated by people who started tinkering like James Watt and Matthew Boulton.

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Described as an 'extraordinary biography' that sifts all the evidence regarding Nelson's final hours and the different accounts of what was said.

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Southey is mentioned as the poet laureate who 'wrote the first great biography of Nelson,' and is quoted saying the news of Nelson's death 'was felt in England as something more than a public calamity.'

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Yanni mentions reading 'a couple of his books' by Val Geist (also spelled 'Valgeist' or 'valarious guys' in the transcript). The discussion centers around Val Geist's observations of mule deer behavior, specifically the concept of 'shirker bucks' - bucks that allegedly avoid breeding for multiple seasons to conserve resources before becoming dominant later in life.

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Steve Rinella references this book while discussing examples of wildlife affected by lunar cycles. He describes it as 'a book of like science writing' and discusses a story from the book about clams in an aquarium in Tucson that maintained tidal rhythms despite being far from the ocean. The author's name appears to be 'Barbara King Salver' in the transcript, but this is likely Barbara Kingsolver.

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Described as a 'brilliant biography of Nelson' and quoted for his lines about Nelson being in the centre of a huge unfolding drama inexorably gathering pace towards some historic climax.

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Described as Adam Nicholson's 'brilliant book on Trafalgar' which characterizes Nelson's battle plan as 'the introduction of chaos as a tool of battle.'

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The hosts quoted John Sugden's assessment of Nelson's defense of the channel: 'despite Boulogne, the end had been creditable. During his watch as the guardian, no hostile foot had stepped on English soil.'

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Roger Knight's biography of Nelson is referenced multiple times, including his observation that Collingwood pointedly didn't visit Nelson at Merton, and his assessment that Nelson felt guilty about his relationship with his father Edmund.

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Andrew Lambert's biography is quoted on Nelson's charisma ('to work with Nelson was to love him') and the remarkable fact that when Nelson returned ashore in October 1801, it was the first time he had ever slept in his own house.

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The historian Ben Wilson's book is cited for making the point that the Battle of Copenhagen was different from previous Nelson battles because the Danes were defending their own capital city in front of their friends and families.

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John Sugden is referenced as having spent an enormous amount of ink analyzing the famous telescope story at Copenhagen, examining the provenance and different accounts, concluding that the story is entirely in Nelson's character.

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Referenced as having a plot directly inspired by Captain Ryu's real-life adventure of using convicts as crew after his ship was damaged by an iceberg while transporting prisoners to Botany Bay.

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Mentioned in the sources section at the end of the transcript. The speaker acknowledges this ambitious encyclopedia project, describing it as 'two initial volumes A through D and E through K.' It's identified as the most comprehensive resource for researchers tracking down names of hide hunters and archival materials. The speaker credits this work for providing choice details and incredible anecdotes that enriched their telling of the hide hunter story.

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The speaker discusses how some hide hunters recorded their experiences later in life. John Cook published this memoir in 1907 about his experiences as a hide hunter. During the Civil War, Cook fought for the Union along the Missouri-Kansas border, and from fall 1874 to spring 1878, he hunted buffalo in the Texas Panhandle. The speaker notes that Cook's descriptions of the day-to-day business of hunting and skinning are vividly detailed.

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Described by the hosts as 'the great Nelson biographer' whose books are compared to 'War and Peace' as a gigantic epic. Multiple quotes from Sugden's work are used throughout the episode to discuss Nelson's behavior in Palermo and his treatment of Fanny.

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Referenced as part of Sugden's comprehensive biographical work on Nelson, with the hosts describing his two-volume biography as the definitive account.

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Tom Holland draws a parallel between the novel's characters and Nelson's personal life, suggesting Fanny Price may have been inspired by Nelson's wife Fanny, with the quieter woman counterpointed against a more glamorous rival like Mary Crawford.

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Steve recommends this book as 'phenomenal' and describes it as being about Sydney Huntington, a Koyukuk man, and his story of growing up on the Koyukuk River in Alaska. A listener wrote in asking about a passage from this book regarding whitefish and the death of Huntington's mother.

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Steve mentions that some buffalo hide hunters lived long enough to see the publication of Sand County Almanac (transcribed as 'San County Almanac'), illustrating how these hunters witnessed the rise of the modern conservation movement that condemned their activities.

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Steve references this book while discussing Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. He mentions they recently had author Brian Burroughs on their show, and the book tells the story of the night Billy the Kid died, noting that both John Poe and Pat Garrett were former buffalo hide hunters.

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Discussed as a comprehensive analysis of sources regarding Nelson's actions at Naples, with the conclusion that Nelson committed a crime and was guilty of betraying the prisoners. Published around 2018.

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Mentioned as a novel about a scholar of Nelson who is driven mad by the possibility that Nelson might have behaved poorly at Naples.

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Referenced as the first celebrated biography of Nelson, written by the poet laureate, which despite being very laudatory says the Naples episode is 'a stain on the memory of Nelson and upon the honour of England.'

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Described as a 'titanic Nelson biography, probably the definitive one,' which argues Nelson was in an impossible situation at Naples given his orders to support the king and queen.

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Cited as offering a critical take on Nelson at Naples, arguing this was the one moment Nelson didn't measure up due to his 'naive attachment to the point of sycophancy to the Hamiltons and to Maria Carolina.'

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Referenced as defending Nelson's actions at Naples, arguing the death toll was 'trifling' and that the penalty for a failed rebellion in wartime was well understood.

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Quoted describing Emma Hamilton's composure during the storm fleeing Naples, noting she 'refused to let the experience of being sick defeat her' and tried to comfort panicking courtiers.

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Cited extensively throughout the episode as a key biographical source on Emma Hamilton, with multiple quotes drawn from the book describing Emma's early life, her childhood in Ness, and various episodes in her career.

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Dominic recommended it as a great book on Enoch Powell, saying Heffer 'really gets under Powell's skin' despite being a man of robust opinions himself.

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Dominic mentioned this book as a brilliant resource for understanding grassroots opinion, noting the author interviewed people in Blackburn's working men's clubs in the late 60s and early 70s where Powell's name came up repeatedly.

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Tom Holland references Peter Green's book on the Hellenistic period, noting that Dominic had previously chosen it as one of his favorite history books. They describe it as brilliantly and entertainingly written, and quote from it regarding the ibis and Callimachus' nickname for Apollonius.

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Described as an absolute bestseller in the Hellenistic period, in which Euhemerus claimed that Zeus and the other Olympians had originally been mortal kings who came to be worshipped as gods after death.

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Tom Holland discusses how Nietzsche published this book at age 28, contrasting Dionysus with Apollo and arguing that Greek civilization cannot be understood by emphasizing only light and beauty without recognizing its Dionysian qualities.

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Described as a seminal study of the Bacchae published in 1947, in which Winnington-Ingram, who had witnessed the Nuremberg rallies, wrote in the introduction: 'We have lived through events which have demonstrated tragically the dangers of group emotion.'

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Tom Holland mentions this as a famous book when discussing how the irrational and the dark, strange, and ecstatic are crucially part of Greek mythology.

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Described as an excellent book on Dionysus, quoted to support the argument that the drama festival was deeply connected to Dionysus: 'the drama festival was performed in a sanctuary of Dionysus along with rituals for Dionysus during a festival of Dionysus.'

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Quoted to illustrate the Athenian view that their gods were not faceless superhuman contractors but 'something closer to benevolent governors or caring parents' who took a personal interest in their chosen people.

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Quoted to emphasize Plato's enormous influence on theology: 'since Plato, there has been no theology which has not stood in his shadow.'

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Discussed as Freud's most groundbreaking book, in which the story of Oedipus featured very prominently as Freud used it to articulate his theories about the subconscious and what became the Oedipus complex.

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Described as 'a wonderful book on Oedipus,' cited for its comparison of Antigone's marginal role in earlier myths to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, before Sophocles made her central to his tragedy.

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Referenced in comparison to how Sophocles elevated Antigone from a peripheral figure to the center of his tragedy, much as Stoppard's play made peripheral Hamlet characters the focus.

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At the end of the conversation, Steve is looking at this professional field guide. Mark Ruter explains it's intended for field biologists and agency personnel in the Southeast, though any hunter would enjoy it. The book contains information about wildlife diseases with detailed photographs.

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Tom quotes Walter Burkert's book to explain how the poetry of Hesiod and Homer created order among the confused traditions of Greek religion, stating 'only an authority could create order amidst such a confusion of tradition.'

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Dominic reads a passage from Calasso's book about the Twelve Gods of Olympus appearing as entirely human, and Tom describes it as 'a fantastically odd book, brilliant book, brilliantly original' that gives you the Greek myths in a way you've never read them before.

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Referenced multiple times as a comparison to the Maria Halpin scandal, noting parallels with the plot involving a woman locked in a lunatic asylum and a grotesquely fat villain (Count Fosco), similar to the allegations against Cleveland.

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Mentioned alongside The Woman in White as an example of Victorian sensation fiction that the Maria Halpin scandal resembles.

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Dominic recommends this book for listeners who want to check out the details of the Maria Halpin story, noting 'You can tell which side he's on' and that it goes into the scandal in great detail.

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Described as the most recent biography of Cleveland, published in 2022, which argues that Cleveland was framed by partisan Republicans and that the scandal allegations were unreliable. The hosts note Senik is a fan of their podcast.

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Steve Rinella introduces Wright Thompson's previous works, mentioning this book about bourbon and family.

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Steve Rinella mentions this book by Wright Thompson, described as 'sports stories and other serious business.'

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Steve mentions reading this book about the 1927 Mississippi River flood right before reading Wright's book. They discuss how it provides context about labor issues and agriculture in the Delta region.

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Wright Thompson quotes from this book about the Mississippi Delta, discussing poor whites from the hills bringing violence and racism to the Delta towns as cotton prices collapsed.

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Wright Thompson discusses reading Faulkner's works and how they should be understood through the lens of bewilderment at the rapid transformation of the Mississippi Delta wilderness.

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This is the main book being discussed in the interview. It tells the story of Emmett Till's murder through the lens of the physical location where it occurred.

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Mentioned alongside other Faulkner works as examples of literature that deals with civilization versus nature in the Mississippi Delta.

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Discussed as one of Faulkner's works that explores the existential loss and trauma of wilderness being erased in the Mississippi Delta.

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Quoted extensively throughout the episode as the hosts read passages from Defoe's descriptions of Rochester and Chatham, noting it was published in 1724 and was his best-selling book after Robinson Crusoe.

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Mentioned briefly as the only Defoe book that outsold his Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain.

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Discussed in connection with Restoration House in Rochester, which Dickens reportedly used as the inspiration for Miss Havisham's Satis House. Dominic also mentioned winning a school reading competition four years in a row with its opening passage.

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Mentioned as Dickens' last novel, which he never completed, noting that Rochester is the setting (called 'Cloisterham' in the book) and that the character John Jasper lived on one of the gates below Rochester Castle.

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Dominic gives a massive shout out to this book, saying 'so much of what follows is dependent upon it' when discussing the siege of Przemyśl, calling it a brilliant book that captures the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

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Referenced as the book in which Timothy Snyder calls the eastern borderlands of Poland and Ukraine 'Europe's bloodlands in the 20th century,' mentioned in the context of the devastation these regions experienced.

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Described as Nick Lloyd's new book on the Eastern Front, from which the opening passage about the Tyrolean Kaiser Jäger was quoted, and later quoted regarding the horrors of the Carpathian campaign.

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Max Hastings' book is cited for telling the story of a woman who fights her way into a train carriage with her three children during the evacuation of Przemyśl, only to see her youngest child left behind on the platform.

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This is the main subject of the interview - Nathalia Holt's new book about the Roosevelt brothers' quest to find the giant panda in the 1930s.

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Listed as one of Nathalia Holt's past books when introducing her credentials as a New York Times bestselling author.

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Listed as one of Nathalia Holt's past books when introducing her credentials as a New York Times bestselling author.

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Listed as one of Nathalia Holt's past books when introducing her credentials as a New York Times bestselling author.

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Speaker 3 (Nathalia Holt) references this book when discussing Teddy Roosevelt and Kermit's perilous 1913 expedition after Roosevelt lost the 1912 election, describing it as told 'so beautifully in Candice Millard's book River of Doubt.'

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Dominic read an excerpt from this memoir at the opening of the episode, describing it as 'one of the most haunting and lyrical of all memoirs' about the Eastern Front in World War I, published by the New York Review of Books in their classics range.

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Quoted multiple times throughout the episode, including a line about the Austro-Hungarian army's 'principal strength lay in exotic parade uniforms and splendid bands' and descriptions of General Potjorek and the Shuka family's deportation story.

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Described as 'a brilliant book on the Eastern Front,' cited for its descriptions of the Serbian soldier and the battle scenes during the Serbian counterattack in December 1914.

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Referenced when discussing East Prussia and the surrounding region as 'the bloodlands, then, of Timothy Snyder's book' — described as 'probably the worst place to be born in the 20th century.'

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Mentioned as one of the books that will be discussed in the Rest is History Club's new book discussion series.

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Mentioned as an upcoming book to be discussed in the Rest is History Club's new book discussion series.

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Mentioned as the next book to be discussed in the Rest is History Club's new book discussion series, described as a 'dystopian fable.'

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Extensively discussed in a bonus clip at the end of the episode, exploring how the book reflects Tolkien's First World War experiences and the sensibility of the 1920s and 1930s.

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The hosts read a passage from Mein Kampf describing Hitler's first experience of battle in Flanders in 1914, noting that listeners might be surprised to learn the moving passage was written by 'literally the worst man in history.'

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Described as 'a brilliant book about 1914' by an Australian writer, quoted for his description of the Flanders landscape as 'the bleak rain-drenched land of gentle hills and ridges, fields of tobacco and beetroot interspersed with hedgerows and barns.'

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Book about John Hornby and two companions (including his nephew) who starved to death in the Canadian Arctic east of Great Slave Lake near the Thelon River. The youngest kept a detailed journal chronicling their deaths, which was found in the stove of their cabin. Speaker 1 gave this book to Randy Brown and mentions having difficulty finding it.

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A novel set in the 1780s about the first families moving into the mountains of Appalachia. Speaker 1 mentions being obsessed with this book and sending it to his friend Bobby Doug. The book discusses details like using groundhog hide for bootlaces. It's about 'land breakers' who cleared ground to grow corn.

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Referenced multiple times throughout the conversation. First mentioned when discussing a dog named 'Strider' (a character from the book). Speaker 1 discusses his high school teacher Bob Heaton who taught a class called 'Modern Mythology' where students only read Lord of the Rings. The characters Tom Bombadil and the Fellowship are also referenced. Speaker 2 mentions that he and his circle of friends in Alaska were all Tolkien fans.

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Mentioned briefly when discussing the number of installments in the Lord of the Rings series. Speaker 1 says 'I don't count the Silmarillion' when counting the books in the series.

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Referenced when discussing the Lord of the Rings series installments. Mentioned as separate from the main trilogy, with Speaker 1 noting they could 'go back in time and hit the Hobbit later.'

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Speaker 1 proposes a sociological comparison between 'Lord of the Rings people' and 'Harry Potter people' in terms of their moral perspective and work ethic. Speaker 2 mentions his younger son read and loved Harry Potter.

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Quoted extensively throughout the episode for details about the Battle of the Marne, including Max Hastings' observation that if Joffre had died on September 1st he would be remembered only as 'a bungler and a butcher,' and his description of Joffre's transformation from 'abattoir superintendent to allied saviour.'

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Mentioned as the book that turbocharged the legend of the taxis of the Marne in the 1950s, in which Dutour claimed the taxi episode was 'the single greatest event of the 20th century.'

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Dominic mentions it was the first book he read about the First World War as a child and still holds a candle for it, though he acknowledges that historians of the First World War despise it and Tom describes it as 'basically a brilliant work of fiction.' Tuchman's pen portraits of figures like Sir John French are quoted.

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Referenced multiple times for accounts of battles and characterizations, including the Battle of the Frontiers at Vieton and descriptions of Asquith's wartime management. Hastings calls Sir John French 'a poltroon' and Joffre 'slovenly.'

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Mentioned in the context of the terrible suffering of horses during the First World War, noting that the book (and its drama adaptation) is based on the horrendous cruelty to horses in the conflict.

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Described as 'a brilliant book on Germany and Austria in the Central Powers in the First War,' cited multiple times for its analysis of German strategic weakness, civilian atrocities, and comparisons to previous European wars.

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Referred to as Max Hastings's 'brilliant book' that describes scenes of German infantry being cut down at Liège and lists numerous examples of German reprisals against Belgian civilians.

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Described as 'a brilliant study' by two Irish historians that emphasizes how the Germans carried institutional memory of franc-tireur attacks from 1870-71 into their invasion of Belgium.

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The guest Professor Robert Colls is the author of this book, which contains a whole chapter on the Sayers-Heenan fight. The hosts recommend it highly as 'a wonderful, wonderful read.'

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Referenced in discussion of schoolboy fighting, with Tom Holland mentioning the fight scene with 'Slugger Williams.' Rob Colls notes that Thomas Hughes 'knew exactly what he was writing about when he did that.'

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Mentioned in an ad spot as Stephen King's very first book, written in 1967 during the Vietnam War and published in 1979, now adapted into a film.

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Described as a brilliant book by an upcoming guest, Robert Coles, who makes the point that historians tend to neglect sport or condescend to it when they write about it.

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Tom quotes from Derek Martin's book when describing Richard Manx's pedestrianism feats in Sheffield, calling it 'a great book on this.'

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Described as 'an actually brilliant book on John Wilkes Booth' that provides detailed accounts of the assassination, including evidence about the peephole in the presidential box and Booth's final moments. Kaufman's thesis is that Booth was fundamentally an actor who lived in make-believe and constructed a dramatic persona for himself.

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Discussion about an anti-capitalist song that Steve's child is learning at a song and dance program. Phil mentions 'The Lorax' and explicitly states 'The Lorax was a book written decades ago' while discussing the themes in the song about cutting down trees and corporate greed. Though they're discussing a song possibly from a movie adaptation, the book is explicitly referenced as the original source material.

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Described as Lincoln's biographer who wrote a genuinely 10,000-page biography, so long that much of it was cut and put online. Referenced multiple times for details about Lincoln's life, Mary Todd Lincoln, and the Caesar assassination analogy popular at the time.

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Tom Holland mentions knowing about Mary Todd Lincoln from reading George Saunders's novel, saying it made him more sympathetic toward her.

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Quoted at the opening of the episode regarding Mary's prospects after Darnley's murder; described as a biography that 'hates Mary, Queen of Scots' and is referenced throughout the episode for its critical assessment of Mary's reign.

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Quoted extensively throughout the episode as a key source on Mary's life, including his analysis of Bothwell's ambitions, the abduction and possible rape at Dunbar, and his 'comprehensive takedown' of the casket letters as likely faked.

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Described as a 'wonderful book' about Mary, Queen of Scots, in which Fraser describes the murder of Lord Darnley as 'the most debatable, as well as surely the most worked over murder in history.' Fraser's view is that Mary was a tender-hearted person who would never have been involved in the murder.

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Discussed as presenting the opposite view to Antonia Fraser's book, with Wormald despising Mary Queen of Scots and arguing that if Mary didn't murder Darnley, she was 'almost the only member of Edinburgh's political society who knew nothing about it.'

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Described as providing what the hosts consider the most definitive solution to Darnley's murder. Published in 2004, Guy went back to original documents that had been miscatalogued by Victorian archivists, and his work was the inspiration for the Saoirse Ronan film. The hosts draw heavily on Guy's work for their account of the murder.

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John Guy is quoted describing the aftermath of Rizzio's murder and Morton as 'the most villainous of the Scottish lords.'

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Alec Ryrie is quoted describing Darnley as having 'proved to be more arrogant, inconstant, short-sighted, petulant, and incompetent than any other British politician of the 16th century, excepting only those who were actually insane.'

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Steve Rinella is listing Bryan Burrough's published works at the beginning of the interview, mentioning this as one of his eight books and four New York Times bestsellers.

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Steve asks who wrote this book, and after some discussion, they confirm the author is Ron Hansen (not Robert Hansen). Steve describes it as 'the hell of a book' and discusses details from it about Bob Ford's death.

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Steve Rinella continues listing Bryan Burrough's published works, describing this book about crime during the 1930s.

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Steve Rinella lists another of Bryan Burrough's books about Texas oil families.

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Steve Rinella mentions this book and later discusses it with Burrough, asking about its main argument regarding slavery's role in Texas independence.

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This is the main book being discussed in the interview, about gunfighters in the American West and Texas's role in that history. Steve mentions he's halfway through reading it and loves it.

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Steve mentions seeing 'Tom Horn's book' on a shelf while visiting a rancher also named Tom Horn. This appears to be a memoir or autobiography by the historical figure Tom Horn.

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Tom Holland read a passage from Knox's account of his first meeting with Mary Queen of Scots. Dominic noted that historian Alec Ryrie describes this book as 'gossipy, cantankerous, and enthralling.'

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Described as a 'very negative book about Mary Queen of Scots,' Wormald argues Mary was 'a ruler whose life was marked by irresponsibility and failure on a scale unparalleled in her own day.' Referenced extensively throughout the episode for her critical interpretation of Mary's political choices.

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John Guy's biography is quoted as saying 'not everybody wanted joyosity' regarding reactions to Mary's court, and later that Darnley's 'character was tainted by recklessness, sexual excess, pride and stupidity.'

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Antonia Fraser's 'very famous biography' is cited for character sketches of figures like the Earl of Morton and for describing how Mary 'fell violently, recklessly, and totally in love' with Darnley.

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Lady Antonia Fraser's celebrated biography of Mary, Queen of Scots was quoted at the opening describing Mary's arrival in France, and praised throughout for brilliantly evoking 'the dreamlike quality of Mary's upbringing in France.'

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Described by Tom Holland as 'brilliant' and 'definitive,' John Guy's biography was cited for its account of Mary's education being 'the equivalent for a prospective ruler of a degree in business administration' and for details about Mary making marmalade.

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Alec Ryrie's book was cited for describing the two years of Scottish transformation as 'not just one of the most extraordinary national transformations in European history' but 'arguably the first modern revolution.'

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Described as 'probably the most famous' pamphlet ever written by a Scot, Knox's work was discussed as targeting Mary Tudor and Mary of Guise's Catholic rule, though it backfired when Protestant Elizabeth succeeded to the English throne.

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The opening passage about Mary Queen of Scots' execution was read from this book, which frames her execution as the first chapter leading to Philip II's launch of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

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Described as a 'brilliant, groundbreaking book' by the historian who condemned Mary as 'a monarch of little wit and no judgment, a woman who absolutely brought about her own downfall.'

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Tom Holland held up this 'titanic definitive biography of Mary' which came out about 20 years ago, noting it had been retitled for the 2018 film with Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie on the cover.

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The hosts read from and extensively discuss Ronald Blythe's book, which covers Britain in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly praising the chapter on Harold Davidson as brilliantly funny and witty. Dominic mentions he wrote an introduction for the Folio Society edition about 10 years ago.

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Described as one of several excellent biographies of Harold Davidson, written by an author from Norfolk who argues that Davidson has been much maligned.

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Mentioned in passing that Freud loved Blackpool so much that memories of paddling in its waters were included in his book on the interpretation of dreams.

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Steve Rinella recommends this novel to Doug, describing it as 'one of the best I've read in a long time.' He explains it's about the first farmers moving into Appalachian valleys after the long hunters, establishing corn patches and hunting bears. He praises it as a 'phenomenal novel' and notes the author's extensive knowledge about trees and wood purposes.

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This medieval manuscript is the central text discussed in the episode, edited and published by M.R. James in 1896. Tom Holland describes it as 'one of the most sinister, poisonous, and influential texts ever published in England' for its role in originating the blood libel against Jews.

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Described by Tom Holland as 'a brilliant study of this case,' E.M. Rose's book is cited multiple times for its research into William's background and the historical context, including the observation that 'the hard-headed Norwich merchants, artisans, and aristocracy were not persuaded of William's sanctity.'

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Ronan McGreevy is introduced as the author of this book on the assassination of Sir Henry Wilson.

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Erskine Childers is described as 'a very famous author, the author of The Riddle of the Sands' in the context of his execution by the provisional government during the Civil War.

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Tom Holland reads a passage from the end of this book about the emergent Irish state becoming a remarkably stable democracy despite its tyrannical appearance to Republican victims.

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The book is the central focus of the episode, with the author Ronan McGreevy appearing as a guest. Tom Holland describes the assassination as being called 'Ireland's Sarajevo' in the book, and Dominic Sandbrook calls it a 'wonderfully gripping book' that is 'brilliantly handled.'

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Described as a brilliant book on the treaty negotiations by Ronan Fanning, professor of history at University College Dublin. The hosts quote his scathing assessment of the Irish negotiating team and their 'primitive and one-dimensional politics.'

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Mentioned as the spy novel written by Erskine Childers, who served as secretary of the Irish delegation, described as predicting the kind of First World War.

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Steve mentions reading this book about Cape Buffalo by the late writer Thomas McIntyre (referred to as 'Thomas Mack'). He notes it came out posthumously about a year ago and discusses how the book tangentially relates to Cape Buffalo, often going off-topic similar to Brautigan's style.

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Steve compares Thomas McIntyre's book structure to this book by Brautigan, noting that 'Trout Fishing in America isn't about trout fishing in America' - using it as an example of books that digress from their stated subject matter.

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Steve mentions the controversy that Harper Lee didn't write To Kill a Mockingbird and that it was allegedly written by Truman Capote, in the context of discussing authorship controversies surrounding women writers.

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Morgan asks Steve about this book he recommended, but Steve admits he's struggling to get into it and doesn't like the author's writing style. They discuss the controversy about whether Beryl Markham actually wrote it herself.

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Morgan mentions that Karen Blixen wrote under the pseudonym Isaac Dinesen when she first published Out of Africa, in the context of discussing women writers using male pseudonyms.

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Steve mentions a forthcoming book by Ben Wallace about the mysterious person who invented Bitcoin. The specific title is not provided in the transcript.

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Steve asks if anyone has heard of this book by writer Ben Wallace, bringing up the author in the context of discussing Wallace's other work.

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Paul Rouse references Anne Dolan's article/work on the impact on the killers and their victims, noting her line that 'killing a spy may have been an order or a duty, but there was much to reconcile when all you saw was a man in his pajamas clinging to his wife.'

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Paul Rouse describes it as 'a brilliantly told story' about what happened within British politics regarding how the truce and then the treaty were constructed, extending back to 1910.

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Paul Rouse mentioned that Dan Breen's violent actions were glorified in his book, noting that Breen was 'a hard, violent man who was utterly unrepentant about killing people.'

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Paul Rouse cited a brilliant description from this book about Michael Collins being 'a finance minister with the unusual advantage of running a death squad.'

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Described as 'probably the most contentious book ever written about Irish history,' it was discussed extensively regarding its controversial claims about sectarian violence in Cork during the War of Independence, including criticisms of Hart's footnoting and use of language around ethnic cleansing.

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Paul Rouse recommended the most recent biography of Mary MacSwiney written by Leanne Lane, saying it 'does this brilliantly' in covering her fundraising campaign across 300 meetings in 58 American cities.

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Steve Rinella references this as 'the great famous Turkey book' and describes it as 'a masterpiece' that no one will ever write a better turkey hunting book than. He discusses specific content from the book where Tom Kelly describes watching gobblers interact with a real hen. Will Primos agrees about the book's significance and comments on Tom Kelly's unique perspective, saying 'nobody's got Tom Kelly's brain.'

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Paul Roush mentioned Dan Jackson's previous appearance on the podcast and praised his book as 'wonderful on the nature of those divides' between Irish communities in places like Liverpool and London.

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Paul Roush recommended David McCullough's biography of Eamon de Valera as 'really good,' noting it throws question marks over exactly what de Valera's parentage was.

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Weinstein's biography of Savonarola is cited multiple times throughout the episode, including his analysis that it was clear from about 1490 onwards that the French were coming, and his interpretation that Savonarola genuinely believed he was guilty during his confessions under torture.

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Dominic mentions that Simon Sebag Montefiore wrote this book and quotes his strong opinion that Savonarola was 'one of the most evil men who ever lived' who 'presided over an intolerant, sanctimonious, and murderous reign of terror.'

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Dominic references Christopher Hibbert's popular history of this period multiple times, citing his pen portraits including descriptions of Maddalena and Franceschetto, and quoting him on how most Florentines had 'food, exciting public holidays and justice.'

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Dominic cites Mary Hollingsworth's 'very caustic take on the Medici' in which she argues Lorenzo probably embezzled hundreds of thousands of florins in public money, calling it 'a sorry tale of greed.'

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Dominic describes this as 'an absolutely brilliant book by an American scholar, the late Donald Weinstein' that 'digs behind all the myths that you see in the popular histories' and says he depended very much on it, recommending it to listeners.

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Dominic mentions that Lorenzo's close friend Pico della Mirandola wrote this book, which is 'often described as the kind of great Renaissance manifesto.'

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Dominic references Mary Hollingsworth's book about the Medici, noting that she paints Lorenzo as an arrogant, spoiled rich kid who blew his inheritance, calling it 'a depressing tale of greed and inexperience from which the Medici brand never really recovered.'

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Steve Rinella mentions reading 'San County Almanac' (A Sand County Almanac) as part of his journey in his twenties when he started putting together his understanding of conservation. He discusses how he and others weren't exposed to conservation concepts as kids, but later through reading this book and meeting people, he developed a conservation ethic.

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Described as a 'brilliant book on the Medici' by a 'great popular historian of the 60s and 70s,' quoted for his description of Medici Florence's government being 'carried on mainly by the rich and almost exclusively in their own interests.'

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Described as 'a great book and actually quite a caustic book about the Medici,' cited for pointing out the inventory of Cosimo's library in his late 20s and for her observations about the Medici's network of newcomer families.

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Referenced for Vasari's account of how Cosimo had to lock the painter Filippo Lippi in his room to get him to finish his paintings, as Lippi was constantly overcome by lust.

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Tom Holland cited this as one of two excellent studies of the battle, quoting Daly's striking comparison that more Romans and Italians were killed in one day at Cannae than Americans killed in combat during the whole Vietnam War.

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Described by Tom Holland as an excellent book on Cannae, noting Goldsworthy is 'the goat' on the Roman army. The book includes an introduction by Richard Holmes comparing Roman losses to British casualties on the first day of the Somme.

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Mentioned as a posthumous collection of essays by the German chief of general staff, published after World War I, reflecting his obsession with replicating Hannibal's battle of annihilation.

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Tom Holland described this as a book he has been obsessed with since he was very young, written and illustrated by Connolly, which shaped his understanding of the battlefield layout at Cannae.

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Steve Rinella explicitly states 'Gomora was a book, was a nonfiction book about the Italian mafiosa.' He mentions he watched the Gomorra series because he was 'liking Gomore of the book, Gamore of the movie.' The book is about the Italian mafia, and it was adapted into both a film and a TV series. No author is mentioned in the transcript.

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While primarily discussing the TV show, Matt James mentions 'the books are just so the books kept it going for them,' referring to how the Game of Thrones books provided source material for the television series. The discussion acknowledges the books as the original source material, though no author name is mentioned and the books are not discussed in detail.

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The episode opens with a reading from this epic poem, described as the longest surviving Roman poem, written almost 300 years after Hannibal's invasion of Italy during the reign of Emperor Domitian.

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Tom quotes Eve MacDonald, saying she 'wrote a wonderful book about Hellenistic life,' citing her observation that Hannibal's approach must have seemed like the coming of a supernatural force to the Roman population.

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Tom Holland quotes from this book: 'modern analysis suggests that the cause of the changed attitude towards Carthage was that the Roman officer class needed fresh outlets and theatres for aggression.'

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Steve mentions Sebastian's huge international bestseller about a commercial sword fishing boat that never returned, which was later made into a film with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.

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Listed among Sebastian Junger's other works during the introduction.

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Listed among Sebastian Junger's other works during the introduction.

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Sebastian mentions writing his book 'War' about soldiers in Afghanistan, discussing how he wanted to make work that made people understand what it was like to be an American soldier.

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Sebastian's latest book that came out last year, which contemplates death and the afterlife after a near death experience.

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Sebastian mentions this book as 'a great book' that was 'an oral history of work' when discussing his focus on dangerous work, noting it wasn't specifically focused on dangerous work.

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Sebastian describes this book about a murder case involving Al DeSalvo (the Boston Strangler) who was working at his parents' house when he was six months old. It's described as 'a cold case who done it.'

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Sebastian describes this book as an examination of successful underdog groups and how they defeat greater powers, discussing why smaller groups can win against larger adversaries.

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Speaker 4 mentions reading this book about 15 years ago, describing it as having a very similar story to Sebastian's experiences, with scenes in hotel rooms. Sebastian responds that he met the author in Bosnia in 1993.

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Tom Holland references Dexter Hoyos's estimation in this book that Hamilcar sailed to Spain with about 20,000 men, calling it 'his very good book on this.'

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Massie's biography of Peter the Great was heavily relied upon throughout the series. The host describes it as 'one of the most capacious and incredibly readable, swashbuckling story' and quotes its final lines about Peter being 'a force of nature.'

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Described as 'a brilliant book' about Peter the Great and his times, where she discusses Peter's reforms and his collection of curiosities including deformed specimens. The host also quotes her citing a 19th-century historian's assessment of Peter's enduring legacy.

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Dominic references 'a lovely description of this in Robert K. Mass's book on Peter the Great' when describing Charles XII's appearance after the battle at Bender against the Turks.

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Jefferson Fisher's newly published first book is discussed as the main topic of the podcast interview. Steve Rinella mentions asking about when the book comes out, and it's referenced throughout the conversation as Fisher discusses communication techniques from the book.

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Tom Holland opens the episode by reading a passage from this poem, published in 1749, which describes Swedish Charles XII as a classical hero figure.

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Referred to as Peter's great biographer, Massie is quoted as saying that while Narva was Charles's first great victory, it was also the first step towards his doom.

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Referred to multiple times as a key biography of Peter the Great, including a quote about Peter's companions at Lefort's house and discussion of Massie's view on Peter's elimination of the Streltsy.

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Dan Flores references this book while discussing how hunter-gatherer societies evolved into agricultural civilizations and cities in the American Southwest. He relies on Stewart's treatment to analyze the transition from Paleolithic hunters to the development of places like Chaco Canyon.

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Dan Flores mentions this book (though Steve mispronounces it as 'God Has Read Custarded for Your Sins') when discussing Vine Deloria, a famous Native American author who contacted him about an article on buffalo. Deloria was described as famous for this book among others.

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Dan Flores references his own book when discussing the long-term story of humans and animals in North America. He mentions it again at 01:48:29 when talking about Native American animistic beliefs and the idea that humans are kin to other animals.

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Steve Rinella brings up this book when discussing why Spanish conquistadors like Pizarro conquered the Incans rather than the reverse. The book examines why Western European civilization came to dominate other civilizations, which Dan Flores then elaborates on, explaining Diamond's argument about Eurasia's advantages.

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Dominic describes it as 'a wonderful book about Peter the Great' and quotes from it multiple times, including vivid passages about the Streltsy massacre on the red staircase.

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The hosts discuss this extensively as one of the most remarkable and original masterpieces of Japanese literature, written in the early 11th century. They read passages from it and describe it as a compilation of diary entries, lists, anecdotes, and observations about court life, translated by Meredith McKinney in the Penguin Classics edition.

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Discussed as the great Japanese classic written around the same time as The Pillow Book, with extensive passages read aloud including the famous episode of the Hitachi Princess's nose and Genji's poems. The hosts note its author knew and disliked Sei Shōnagon.

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Referenced for the point that the Western concept of fashion does not map onto Japan in the Heian period, as clothing choices were central to personality and perception rather than an optional hobby.

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Quoted for his description of the emperor's role: 'the pole star does not do anything. It simply sits. And by virtue of what it is, everything else rotates around it.'

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Senator Sheehy mentions that he wrote a book about the history of aerial firefighting called 'Mudslingers,' with all profits going to benefit fallen wildland firefighters. He references this while explaining the history of how the government decided in the 1960s to contract out firefighting aircraft rather than operate them directly.

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The hosts discuss this as the supreme canonical classic of Japanese literature, with Tom describing reading it while in Japan as 'one of the great reading experiences of my life.' They use the Royal Tyler translation extensively throughout the episode.

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Tom quotes Ivan Morris's book, noting his observation that 'rarely in the history of the world has a country entirely free from external pressure as Japan was during this time so avidly acquired the fruits of an alien culture.'

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Tom mentions receiving a preview of this upcoming book by 'friend of the show' Chris Harding, and Dominic says he was reading it the previous night, calling it 'a very good book.' They quote Harding's description of Genji as 'irrepressibly amorous.'

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Dominic mentions that if you read Harriet Vyner's biography of Robert Fraser, there are lovely letters from Jagger and Richards to Fraser while he was in prison.

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Dominic references Anna Wohlin's book as containing allegations that builder Frank Thorogood killed Brian Jones, noting the murder conspiracy theories surrounding Jones's death.

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Dominic recommends this book for its brilliant discussion of how the cleavage between pop and rock music was contrived and artificial, essentially a marketing strategy to sell more records to older listeners.

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Steve Rinella discusses reading this book, which is described as a history of the Cape Buffalo. He mentions it contains extensive information about human history, plant poisons used in hunting, and includes discussion of toxins used by indigenous peoples. The book came out in 2023, after the author's death in 2022.

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One of the speakers (Brody) discusses reading this book and being impressed by how Paul Martin tracks the spread of humans around the globe and lists extinctions that occurred at the same time. The speaker describes it as presenting a very compelling argument about human-caused extinctions, comparing it to watching a convincing YouTube video.

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Steve mentions this as a book he wants to read next, in preparation for going to Africa. He describes it as dealing with the ethical battles over resource access, the demonization of indigenous hunting methods during the Safari era, and the double standards applied to white versus black hunters in Africa.

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Described as 'well worth reading, actually. It's really, really interesting book' when quoting Wyman's description of Brian Jones as 'a preening peacock, gregarious, artistic, desperately seeking assurance from his peers.'

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Referred to as 'a brilliant book about the Beatles' that discusses how pop music appeal was about attitude and atmosphere rather than just the music itself.

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Tom Holland mentions turning to this book, described as 'the kind of Plutarch's lives of popular music' with 'brilliant pen portraits of all the acts,' and reads a passage about the Stones' control of their image.

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Quoted from this 1965 book describing how journalists found Mick Jagger 'unusually friendly and intelligent' offstage, contrasting with the Stones' rebellious public image.

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Speaker 5 references the Bible while discussing wildlife laws and ethics, stating 'The Bible says that men should obey the laws of men, and by doing so, they're ultimately obeying God. And that book was written long before nineteen sixty.' This is used to make a point about the longstanding principle of obeying laws, even in the context of discussing Johnny's past as a wildlife law violator.

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Described as 'not just the best, but more importantly, the longest history of the Norman Conquest at six volumes,' published to mark the 800th anniversary. The hosts opened with a lengthy quote from Freeman mourning the fall of Harold and Anglo-Saxon England.

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Described as 'the brilliant novel about this' which covers English Varangians in Constantinople. Tom noted it is 'full of anachronisms and stuff, but is absolutely brilliant on the sense of this is a seismic shock,' and that Rathbone cast the Normans as equivalent to the Nazi occupation of Poland.

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Described as 'probably the best' book on the Battle of Hastings, published in 2002. Quoted multiple times regarding the English battle positions, the role of cavalry, and the nature of infantry combat during the battle.

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Mentioned as a book whose author believes the Carmen's account of Harold's death and provides further reasons why William would not have wanted his role in the butchery proclaimed abroad.

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Tom Shippey argues in his book that it's not plausible Harold Hardrada would have left his armor behind, suggesting this detail was invented by saga writers to excuse his defeat.

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Don Hollway's book about Harold Hardrada is cited for his estimate that the march to Stamford Bridge would have taken about five hours.

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The episode opens with an excerpt from the audiobook read by Churchill, describing the death of Edward the Confessor. Dominic notes it was published in 1956 but the relevant section was reportedly written in April 1940.

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Described by Tom Holland as 'the definitive book on the Battle of Hastings itself' with 'amazingly detailed, subtle treatment of all the sources and the evidence.' A passage is quoted about England's military mobilization being unmatched until the total wars of the 20th century.

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Tom quotes from this book about the Anglo-Saxons not fighting in sophisticated cavalry units and England lying open without the new technology of warfare, contrasting English and Norman military organization.

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Repeatedly referenced as a primary source for Harold Hardrada's life, part of the Heimskringla saga cycle, providing accounts of his time in Constantinople, the eye-gouging of Michael V, and his reign in Norway.

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Described as the most recent biography of Harold Hardrada, mentioned for its fun narrative of Harold's time in Constantinople including the prison escape and snake encounter.

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Shane describes being handed this book about a Navy chaplain assigned to Marines during the first push into Iraq. The book discusses the chaplain's ministry to military personnel and the dangers they faced. This book was influential in Shane's decision to pursue becoming a military chaplain, as someone suggested it would be a good fit given his law enforcement and tactical background.

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Referenced multiple times as a primary source biography of Edward the Confessor, written in the immediate aftermath of his death in early 1066, commissioned by Queen Edith. Used to quote descriptions of Harold, Tostig, and other figures.

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Referenced when discussing Seward, Earl of Northumbria, noting that 'people who've read or watched Macbeth may remember that he features in that.'

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Described as 'an English historian writing at Malmesbury' and 'the Dominic Sandbrook of the 12th century.' His historical chronicles are referenced for his theory about Edward's marriage and for suggesting Harold was blown off course on a fishing trip.

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Described as 'the great expert on 11th century English Queens' - her scholarly opinion is quoted about the futility of speculating on sex lives of 11th century kings from sparse evidence.

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Described as 'the author of the definitive recent biography of William' - quoted saying 'there can be no reasonable doubt that before the end of 1051, he had nominated William of Normandy as his heir.'

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Described as 'the Regist Professor of Oxford in the 19th century, who wrote a six volume history of the Norman conquest.' Quoted as saying Harold's trip to Normandy is 'one of the most perplexing questions in all history.'

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Referenced as someone 'who's written about the Norman conquest and the end of Anglo-Saxon England' when discussing historians' views on Harold's trip to Normandy.

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The hosts quote from this mid-11th century chronicle written by a monk at Monte Cassino, which describes the Normans' characteristics and their expansion. The opening passage about Normans being 'tough, strong people' is directly quoted from this work.

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Referenced multiple times as a historical source. The hosts quote from it regarding Harold Harefoot seizing 'all King Canute's best valuables' and Harthacnut's death where 'he fell to the earth with an awful convulsion.'

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Explicitly recommended as 'an absolutely brilliant book' by a Norwegian historian about the Danish invasions of England, described as providing a week-by-week narrative of the conquests

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Referenced as a comparison when describing the Danish royal seat at Yelling, with its ancient graves, gold-ringed warriors, and great halls being described as 'like something out of Lord of the Rings'

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Introduced alongside The Hog Book as Jesse Griffiths' second book, which tells readers everything about preparing turkeys and every part of every turkey. Both books are noted as available at themeatater.com.

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Steve Rinella introduces Jesse Griffiths as the author of 'The Hog Book' and 'The Turkey Book', describing them as 'very creatively titled' books that tell you exactly what they're about. The Hog Book is described as containing comprehensive information about preparing wild hogs.

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Randall mentions this as 'a classic anthropological study' where Geertz goes to Bali and provides a deep analysis of how the cockfight can explain Balinese society and how people behave there. This comes up in a discussion about cockfighting after Steve mentions attending cockfights in the Philippines.

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Described as a 'gargantuan six-volume history of the Norman Conquest' commissioned to mark the 800th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, published between 1867 and 1879. The opening passage is quoted at the beginning of the episode.

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Described as 'probably the most famous comic version of English history ever written' and noted as being written in 1930. The hosts quote from it regarding the Norman Conquest being 'a good thing.'

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Referenced as 'the historian of this process, who is best associated with the idea that this United Kingdom of England is a nation state.' His quote about the creation of the English state being 'the most remarkable and certainly the most lasting feat of statecraft in 10th century Europe' is cited.

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Referenced as a historical source when discussing the 'bloody cloud' portent during Æthelred's consecration, with the comment 'this is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, so it must be true.'

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Described as 'one of the most famous old English poems' about the Battle of Maldon in 991, and noted as an inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien's scene of Gandalf's stand at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

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Mentioned in the context that Tolkien wanted to write Lord of the Rings 'to give the English back the mythology that he thought they had lost as a result of the conquest.'

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Referenced as a comparison when describing Richard the Fearless's tomb, which was 'not in a church, but a great earthen mound looking out to sea. So like something out of Beowulf.'

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Explicitly described as 'this great book' when discussing the deaths of notable figures during the French Revolution, including Princess de Lamballe and Louis XVI. The hosts quote from the book regarding the lack of formal proclamation of the French Republic.

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Referenced when discussing the suggestion that Louis XVI should be sent to the galleys as punishment, with the comparison 'Like Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.'

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Mentioned in the context of discussing Malzherbe, who as national censor 'allowed Diderot to publish the encyclopedia, which was kind of very radical, very atheist-tinged.'

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Michael Hunter discusses his second cookbook, focused on cooking over fire. He mentions it contains about 100 recipes and includes wild game and seafood prepared over open flames.

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Michael Hunter references his first cookbook, which he worked on for ten years and which did very well, being sold in Bass Pro shops across the country.

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Steve Rinella references a journal written by mountain man Osborne Russell that describes how the Shoshone people cooked beaver by burning off the hair and roasting it skin-on. He describes it as 'a very very good journal.'

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Michael Hunter mentions meeting Jesse Griffiths at the NWTF show 'with his new Turkey book,' indicating Griffiths has recently published a book about turkeys.

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The hosts quote from Wordsworth's poem describing the scene where Louvet accused Robespierre in the National Convention. They note that Wordsworth was present during this period of the French Revolution and wrote about it later in The Prelude, after he had 'become a counter-revolutionary and a massive reactionary.'

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Published on September 15, 1791 as a response to the constitution. Described as 'an obvious parody of the declaration of the rights of man and the citizen' and dedicated to Marie Antoinette. This was a published political pamphlet/treatise.

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Mentioned as Rousseau's novel and 'a massive bestseller' when discussing his influence on revolutionary attitudes toward women. A quote from the book is provided: 'a brilliant wife is a plague to her husband, her children, her friends, her valet, everyone.'

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Described as 'the great scholar of the kind of the culture of the French revolution' with 'particular interest in the role of women in the revolution.' Her scholarly work is quoted regarding the figure of Liberty representing virtue and transcendence of localism. No specific book title is given but her academic work on the French Revolution is clearly referenced.

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Described as 'the definitive French historian' of the September massacres who 'was writing in the 1930s' and 'was the head of the National Archives in France.' His work on the massacres was considered authoritative for years before being critiqued by Simon Schama.

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Explicitly mentioned as 'our old friend Simon Sharma wrote his book, Citizens.' The book is discussed extensively in relation to its treatment of the September massacres and its critique of Pierre Caron's work. Schama's book is described as taking a much more critical view of the massacres.

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Described as a first-hand account written by an army officer and royalist journalist who survived the September massacres. The book is noted for having 'a brilliant title' and provides insider testimony about the events at the Abbey of Saint-Germain prison.

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Referenced as 'Peter McPhee's book on the French Revolution' when discussing an example of an 18-year-old merchant's son who wrote home about the massacres. The book is used as a source for primary historical accounts.

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Referenced as having 'written a wonderful book on the terror' and later as 'his book on the terror.' The book is discussed in the context of its historiographical approach to the September massacres and is described as being written by 'a man of the left.'

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Described as having written 'the most recent English language survey' of the French Revolution. Popkin is identified as 'an American historian, professor at the University of Kentucky' and his book is discussed in relation to its treatment of the September massacres and comparison to 20th-century political experiments.

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Described as 'a history of quests for El Dorado' - noted as being written by a science fiction writer but 'very scrupulously researched, very serious book' that describes Aguirre as 'the single most villainous figure in the annals of the Spanish conquest'

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Referenced as 'a brilliant book about the fall of the Incas' written by 'the great historian of the Amazon' - Hemming is quoted describing Aguirre as 'simply cruel, psychopathic, a man of unmitigated evil'

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Referenced as a thematic comparison to the Aguirre story, discussing how Europeans venture into remote areas and encounter darkness - the hosts note they 'did a podcast on a few weeks ago' about this book

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Brief reference comparing Aguirre's nihilistic philosophy ('the earth was for the strongest') to 'the judge in Blood Meridian'

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Described as 'a very recent book' that was the author's PhD thesis, arguing that Aguirre was 'the first revolutionary' and that the accounts of his madness were exaggerated by complicit parties trying to avoid blame

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Dwayne Estes mentions his colleague Reid Nass 'wrote a book in twenty thirteen called Forgotten Grasslands of the South,' describing it as 'a game changer' that 'turned the messaging around southern ecosystems.'

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Steve Rinella strongly recommends this book from 1964, describing it as historically accurate fiction about settlers around 1780 breaking new land. He praises the author's knowledge of trees, plants, and historical details, saying 'It is unbelievable.'

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Dwayne Estes compares The Land Breakers to Louis L'Amour's Sacket series. Steve discusses L'Amour's work, noting his extensive knowledge and research, though in a somewhat qualified manner.

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Dwayne Estes mentions he is currently reading this book, which discusses Native American use of fire in landscape management. He notes it's written by an anthropologist and relies heavily on that perspective.

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Referenced as the historical accounts that 'inspire so many of Shakespeare's plays' when describing Count Lasky's famous beard

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Referenced as the book series that the TV drama 'A Discovery of Witches' is based on, which features Dr. John Dee as a character

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Described as 'probably the definitive biography of Dee' and quoted regarding Elizabeth's acceptance of Dee's suggestions about her cosmic destiny

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Described as 'a great allegorical portrait of the Elizabethan period' containing what is 'almost certainly a portrait of Dr. Dee' as a wise wizard figure

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Referenced as 'the great volume recounting the Marian persecution of Protestants' in which Dee appears and is referred to as 'the great conjurer'

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Referenced when discussing the Protestant accusation that Catholic priests were conjurers, with Francis Young noted as a 'friend of the show' who appeared on the podcast

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Described as a biography of Dee, quoted regarding how new cartography of the world would have been as startling to 16th century eyes as photographs of Earth from space

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The central subject of the entire episode. Discussed extensively as a novella first published in Blackwood's magazine in 1899, one of the most celebrated works in English literature. The hosts analyze its plot, autobiographical origins from Conrad's Congo journey, its literary modernism, its themes of imperialism and human darkness, its cultural footprint (including Apocalypse Now), and the intense debates about whether it is a racist or anti-imperialist work. Multiple passages are read aloud throughout the episode.

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Described as a 'brilliantly influential book' by the Palestinian American critic. Discussed in the context of Said's broader critique of Heart of Darkness, where Said argued Conrad fails to reject imperialism and doesn't give Africans a chance of redemption. The hosts note some scholars think it's a terrible book while others (including one of the hosts) think it's brilliant.

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Mentioned as a book by a writer the hosts describe as Norwegian (actually Swedish), who was excoriating about European imperialism, particularly British imperialism. The title comes from Kurtz's phrase in Heart of Darkness, and the book was the basis for a documentary series. Discussed as an example of how Heart of Darkness has given anti-imperialists some of its language.

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Mentioned as published in 1897, referenced alongside other late Victorian works exploring the theme of darkness coming to England — paralleling Heart of Darkness's opening meditation on London as 'one of the dark places of the earth.'

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Referenced multiple times as Conrad's 'great biographer.' Cited for details about Conrad's childhood dream of visiting Africa, his traumatic Congo journey, the oppressive atmosphere that inspired Heart of Darkness, and the analysis that Kurtz's model comes from literary and philosophical tradition as much as real-life figures. Described as 'quite hard to get hold of.'

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Mentioned as Conrad's first novel, which he began writing in 1889 after returning to London from the South Seas, before his fateful journey to the Congo.

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Referenced as a source that identifies Leon Romm, a Belgian Force Publique captain who kept a flower bed ringed with human heads, as a possible model for the character of Kurtz.

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Described by one host as 'one of my favourite books,' published in 1890, the same year Conrad went to the Congo. About a Parisian train driver who is a sex-crazed homicidal maniac, it illustrates the late Victorian cultural theme that evil lurks within even the most banal person — a theme central to Heart of Darkness.

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Mentioned as published in 1899, the same year as Heart of Darkness. Cited to illustrate how the idea of repressed anxieties, primal urges, and terrible ghosts buried deep within the civilized self was simmering in the European imagination at the time Conrad was writing.

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Mentioned in a podcast advertisement for the Legacy podcast, described as a bestseller by Peter Frankopan that covers Genghis Khan's part of the world, establishing Frankopan's expertise on the Mongol empire.

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Referenced as a comparison to Heart of Darkness — both transpose the horrors of European colonialism to Britain. Just as Wells imagines an invasion of England, Conrad imagines armed Africans appearing on the road between Deal and Gravesend, catching yokels to carry heavy loads, to illustrate the reality of colonial violence.

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Mentioned as a poem by T.S. Eliot that begins with a quotation from Heart of Darkness: 'Mistah Kurtz—he dead.' Cited as evidence of Conrad's enormous literary influence and the quotability of Heart of Darkness.

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Discussed as Eliot's great poem, for which he originally wanted the 'the horror, the horror' passage from Heart of Darkness as its epigraph. The hosts note The Waste Land is a poem about the First World War and the darkness revealed within European civilisation, connecting it thematically to Conrad's prophetic vision.

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Referenced through the story of Faustus who sold his soul for earthly riches and is plunged into hell. The hosts note the parallel between the character Marlowe in Heart of Darkness and the playwright Christopher Marlowe who wrote this drama, suggesting the shared name cannot be coincidental given the Faustian themes of Kurtz's story.

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Referenced alongside Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus as part of the Faustian literary tradition that informs Kurtz's character — the idea of selling one's soul to the devil. The hosts note that Goethe wrote about Faust, and Thomas Mann would later write about Faust as well, placing Conrad in a long literary lineage.

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Briefly mentioned as a later work in the Faustian literary tradition — 'Thomas Mann will write about Faust a few decades after Conrad' — placing Heart of Darkness within a continuum of works exploring the theme of selling one's soul.

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Discussed at length as one of the most influential lectures/essays ever given about literary culture, delivered at the University of Massachusetts in 1975. Achebe declared Conrad 'a thoroughgoing racist' and argued Heart of Darkness cannot be called a great work of art because it dehumanizes Africans and treats Africa merely as a backdrop for European self-discovery. Described as a foundational moment for post-colonial literary studies. The hosts engage seriously with some of Achebe's criticisms while ultimately disagreeing with his conclusion.

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Discussed as the polar opposite of Heart of Darkness — a swashbuckling, optimistic journey into Africa that never questions the right of adventurers to be there. The hosts suggest reading both books as a pairing would be fascinating, as they represent two contrasting literary approaches to European engagement with Africa.

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Mentioned by the assistant producer Tabby as a comparison to Morel's whistleblower story - described as 'the Robert Harris novel about the Dreyfus case' with its similar quality of uncovering hidden wrongdoing.

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Explicitly mentioned as a book that Morel recruited Conan Doyle to write as part of the Congo Reform campaign - 'He gets him to write his own book on the Congo, The Crime of the Congo.'

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Referenced as the book the podcast series began with and will return to discuss in a future episode, described as 'one of the most influential works of fiction ever written.'

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Mentioned as Hergé's second Tintin book, noted as having been withdrawn from general sale in children's bookshops due to its inappropriate portrayal of Belgian colonialism and Congolese people.

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Referenced multiple times as the primary source for the podcast series about the Congo Free State. Mentioned when discussing Hochschild's descriptions of Casement's report style and noted that certain aspects weren't fully captured in the book.

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Described as 'his satirical monologue' published in 1905, quoted extensively in the podcast to ventriloquize King Leopold's perspective on the Congo criticism.

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The novella is quoted extensively at the beginning and throughout the episode. It's described as being written in 1899, nine years after Conrad visited the Congo Free State as a merchant seaman. The hosts use passages from the book to illustrate the horrors of Leopold's Congo.

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Explicitly referenced as 'his brilliant book' that the hosts have 'mentioned quite a lot.' They quote from it describing the appeal of the Congo to adventurers, and later mention it contains 'long narratives of kind of these hideous, bloody mutinaries.' The hosts note they will discuss critics of this book in a future bonus episode.

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Referenced as 'another great book on the Congo by David van Raybroek, a lot of it based on oral history.' The book is cited regarding the practice of cutting off hands, noting that 'most of the people who had their hands cut off, I mean, they're already dead.'

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Steve Rinella discusses this book as the best thing ever written about General Custer's defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. He quotes from it to describe the Unkpapa Sioux warrior named Gall, using it as a 'buffalo meat testimonial' in the context of discussing the diet and physical prowess of Native Americans.

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Randall references this biography when discussing the mortality rate of mountain men. He mentions that Stanley Vestal, in his biography of Bridger, suggested that a mountain man died every ten days, though Randall expresses skepticism about this claim.

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Mentioned briefly in the context of discussing the revolutionary fervor and building of the American patriotic movement in the years leading up to the American Revolution, alongside references to the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere.

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The episode opens with a reading from this novella and discusses it as the inspiration for Apocalypse Now, describing it as 'probably the greatest, the most influential, possibly the most controversial book' about European colonialism in Africa.

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Referenced when discussing Conrad's Heart of Darkness passage about traveling up the Congo River, noting it has 'echoes of Conan Doyle's book, The Lost World' with its sense of going into the jungle being like traveling back to prehistoric times.

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Mentioned as a book that Leopold II read about the Dutch in the East Indies, which influenced his ideas about how to profit from colonies using forced labor on plantations.

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Explicitly described as 'a brilliant book on this' about the Congo Free State. The hosts mention they will be 'borrowing from that book very liberally' and give it a 'big shout out' as a primary source for their discussion.

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Described as 'a brilliant book on Claudius' when discussing whether Claudius was actually poisoned or died of natural causes. Osgood apparently points out evidence of plague in Rome at the time and notes that many high-ranking people died around that period.

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Referenced multiple times as both a novel and TV drama that depicts the story of Claudius, Messalina, and the Roman imperial family. The hosts mention it when discussing Messalina's scandals ('if you've seen or indeed read I, Claudius') and note it 'lies at the head of all these great dynastic epics' on television.

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Extensively quoted and discussed throughout the episode as the primary source for information about Caligula. The hosts read passages from it and analyze Suetonius's account of Caligula's life and reign.

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Referenced when Tom compares Caligula's behavior of contorting his face in the mirror to make it more fearsome to 'the malevolent dwarf Quilp in Charles Dickens' old curiosity shop.'

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Mentioned as a historical source that covers Tiberius but not Caligula: 'we have Tacitus for Tiberius, but we don't have Tacitus for Caligula.' His historical works are referenced as containing fuller accounts of events.

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Mentioned as a fragmentary source for Caligula and later described as 'the great Judean historian' who 'has quite a detailed account that seems to draw on quite authoritative sources' regarding Caligula's death.

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Mentioned as a play written about Caligula: 'Albert Camus wrote a play about him' in the context of discussing how Caligula has become 'almost a kind of existential hero' in recent times.

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Described as 'a German scholar... who's written brilliantly about Caligula' and quoted regarding the incest accusations against Caligula being later fabrications.

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Referenced multiple times throughout the episode as the primary source for information about Emperor Tiberius. Described as 'Suetonius' great biography of the Caesars' and discussed extensively for its accounts of Tiberius's reign, character, and alleged depravities.

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Described as 'a brilliant new book' that has just come out. The hosts discuss Champlin's analysis of folkloric stories about Tiberius and how the emperor appears in various mythological contexts.

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Mentioned as 'a wonderful book about Nero that I've often praised' when introducing Champlin's new book about Tiberius.

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Referenced when discussing the deaths of Augustus's grandsons Lucius and Gaius, with the host noting 'this is basically the kind of the plot twist in I, Claudius' regarding the theory that Livia poisoned them.

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The main subject of the episode - described as 'his great collection of biographies' covering twelve Roman rulers from Julius Caesar to Domitian. The hosts discuss this ancient work extensively as one of the most celebrated biographies from the ancient world.

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Mentioned alongside Suetonius's work as 'the biographies written by Plutarch' - described as among 'the most celebrated of all the biographies that we've received from the ancient world.'

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Referenced when discussing Suetonius's influence: 'Einhard, the great biographer of Charlemagne, is very influenced by Suetonius and models his biography of Charlemagne on that of Augustus.'

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Mentioned alongside I, Claudius as the companion novel: 'Robert Graves obviously turned the raw material from the Twelve Caesars into his novels I, Claudius and Claudius the God.'

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Referenced as a historical source about Suetonius's life: 'we also know from the letters of Pliny the Younger... that Suetonius is part of Pliny the Younger's set' - described as providing accounts of the eruption of Vesuvius.

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Discussed as a novel that Robert Graves created using 'the raw material from the Twelve Caesars' - noted that Graves also translated the previous Penguin edition of Suetonius's Lives.

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Mentioned at the end of the episode as 'the most amazing book on Poland's experience in the Second World War' that they had discussed extensively (note: the transcript renders the author name as 'Halleck Hans' but this appears to be a transcription error)

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Explicitly mentioned as the source for the John Clarke quote about seeing Wojtek at Monte Cassino, and later referenced again for details about the battle and Wojtek's story

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Explicitly cited as the source for the passage about General Oliver Lees and the Polish role at Monte Cassino, described as 'the immortal prose of James Holland'

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Steve Rinella mentions Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential, recalling when it came out and was excerpted in the New Yorker. This led to the production company optioning it and creating the TV shows that Morgan Fallon would later work on.

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Steve discusses a book given to him by podcast guest Randy Brown. The book is described as a journal chronicling three people starving to death in the Canadian Arctic along the Thelon River in the 1920s. The youngest survivor kept a meticulous journal documenting his companions' deaths and eventually his own death from starvation. Steve relates this to the Donner Party episode they filmed, particularly regarding the effects of eating boiled bones and animal hides during starvation.

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Referenced when discussing the attack on the Polish post office in Danzig. The hosts mention that this historical event is featured as a chapter in Gunter Grass's novel The Tin Drum, which is set in Danzig-Gdansk.

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Described as 'a brilliant book' on Poland in the Second World War. The author is identified as an Anglo-Polish historian. The book is cited multiple times for statistics about Poland's defense budget and military capabilities, as well as justifications used by various parties during the invasion.

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Referenced as 'a brilliant book on Poland in the Second World War by a guy called Jan Karski.' Cited for a quote from Karski, who was a cavalry lieutenant, describing the chaos of the German invasion.

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Cited when discussing German atrocities during the invasion of Poland. The book provides an example of a German stormtrooper named Gerhard M. who participated in burning Polish villages.