by David Tollen | Mar 30, 2023 | Roman Empire, Ancient China, For Students, Prehistory, Ancient History, For Teachers, Middle Ages Europe, The Early Modern Age, Author's Corner, Geography, Linguistics & Philology
I’m pleased to announce something unusual and fun. I’ve written a short booklet on history, and you can get a copy right here — for free. The booklet includes original illustrations by a great artist named Neerajana Deb, as well as artistic maps. I...
by David Tollen | Mar 11, 2023 | The Early Modern Age, The Recent Modern Age
In the spring of 1754, Lieutenant Colonel George Washington of the Virginia militia led a company of men into disputed territory. He was twenty-two, and the governor of Virginia ordered him to occupy lands claimed by both Britain and France, in modern-day...
by David Tollen | Nov 21, 2022 | The Early Modern Age, Linguistics & Philology
William Caxton translated and produced the first book printed in English (Recuyell [Collection] of the Historyes of Troye), in 1473 or 1474. He also set up England’s first printing press, in 1476, and he became the kingdom’s first retailer of printed...
by David Tollen | Sep 18, 2022 | Iron Age, The Postclassical Age, Author's Corner, Linguistics & Philology
The new Tolkien series, “Rings of Power,” stirred up controversy by casting non-white actors. And the casting debate has awakened old claims that racism shapes Tolkien’s fiction. Those accusations rely on misunderstandings of The Lord of the Rings,...
by David Tollen | Sep 6, 2022 | The Early Modern Age, Author's Corner, Linguistics & Philology
It’s a sad reality, but English-speakers understand Shakespeare less than anyone else. That’s because foreigners regularly translate the bard’s plays — into German, Spanish, Mandarin, etc. — so they’re free to use language they...
