Michael Dwyer
@michaeldwyer.bsky.social
Publisher/editor with the great www.hurstpublishers.com
team, biryani (mutton), Herzog and Madeira wine aficionado, gardener, Irish citizen, NUFC. History, politics, colonialism, war, intelligence/cyber, religions. @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
team, biryani (mutton), Herzog and Madeira wine aficionado, gardener, Irish citizen, NUFC. History, politics, colonialism, war, intelligence/cyber, religions. @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
What might the modern progressive learn from Jessica Mitford? This intriguing question is posed by Troublemaker, a new biography of the writer known to friends and family more simply as “Decca”. @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
unherd.com/2025/11/jess...
unherd.com/2025/11/jess...
Jessica Mitford: faux-progressive troublemaker
unherd.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:36 PM
What might the modern progressive learn from Jessica Mitford? This intriguing question is posed by Troublemaker, a new biography of the writer known to friends and family more simply as “Decca”. @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
unherd.com/2025/11/jess...
unherd.com/2025/11/jess...
To the end of her life, Decca had the daunting blue gaze, pure upper-class accent and ruthless, exploitative charm of a true Mitford. Kaplan’s account is solid, even-handed and, in the end, impressive.'
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jess...
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jess...
Jessica was the only Mitford worth taking seriously
Can there really be any point in yet another fat book about one of the Mitford sisters? Their antics have been appearing in print since the late 1940s, when the eldest – clever, waspish Nancy – displa...
www.spectator.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 11:18 AM
To the end of her life, Decca had the daunting blue gaze, pure upper-class accent and ruthless, exploitative charm of a true Mitford. Kaplan’s account is solid, even-handed and, in the end, impressive.'
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jess...
www.spectator.co.uk/article/jess...
'In this first-rate biography, professor Carla Kaplan re-examines the life of Jessica Mitford, a young woman born into wealth and privilege who traded her aristocratic position for communist politics.'
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social quillette.com/2025/11/25/r...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social quillette.com/2025/11/25/r...
Red Sheep
An impressive new biography of Jessica Mitford emphasises her sceptical and anti-authoritarian personality. But this was only half of the picture.
quillette.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:32 PM
'In this first-rate biography, professor Carla Kaplan re-examines the life of Jessica Mitford, a young woman born into wealth and privilege who traded her aristocratic position for communist politics.'
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social quillette.com/2025/11/25/r...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social quillette.com/2025/11/25/r...
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
The serpent head of the Oseberg Viking ship, carved in 820, and shown for the first time to the public in the Oslo Historical Museum
November 18, 2025 at 10:35 AM
The serpent head of the Oseberg Viking ship, carved in 820, and shown for the first time to the public in the Oslo Historical Museum
'peculiar, fascinating and comprehensive — a book that takes a single fish species and transforms it into a lens through which to view history, economics, culture, & natural science.'
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 5:08 PM
'peculiar, fascinating and comprehensive — a book that takes a single fish species and transforms it into a lens through which to view history, economics, culture, & natural science.'
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social www.thecipherbrief.com/central-euro...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social www.thecipherbrief.com/central-euro...
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today
BOOK REVIEW: Central Europe: The Death of a Civilization and the Life of an IdeaBy Luka Ivan Jukic / Hurst & Co.Reviewed by: Jean-Thomas NicoleThe Reviewer Jean-Thomas Nicole is a Policy Advisor with ...
www.thecipherbrief.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Central Europe Survives: A Battlefield of Ideas Still Unfolding Today
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social www.thecipherbrief.com/central-euro...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social www.thecipherbrief.com/central-euro...
'No review can do this book justice. Anyone wanting to understand France’s role in Africa along with the background to the new wave of anti-French and anti-colonial feeling, especially in the Sahel, should give it a read.'
liberationorg.co.uk/comment-anal...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
liberationorg.co.uk/comment-anal...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
Colonialism Devours Itself: The Waning of Francafrique review - Liberation
On France’s role in Africa in the late 20th and early 21st along with the background to the new wave of anti-French and anti-colonial feeling, this is a must read, writes Bob Newland
liberationorg.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:35 PM
'No review can do this book justice. Anyone wanting to understand France’s role in Africa along with the background to the new wave of anti-French and anti-colonial feeling, especially in the Sahel, should give it a read.'
liberationorg.co.uk/comment-anal...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
liberationorg.co.uk/comment-anal...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
‘Transformed by the People’: Revolution and Realignment'
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
‘Transformed by the People’ Review: Revolution and Realignment
The Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered Damascus and toppled the Assad regime last year. What comes next for Syria?
www.wsj.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
‘Transformed by the People’: Revolution and Realignment'
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
‘Transformed by the People’: Revolution and Realignment'
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
‘Transformed by the People’ Review: Revolution and Realignment
The Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered Damascus and toppled the Assad regime last year. What comes next for Syria?
www.wsj.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
‘Transformed by the People’: Revolution and Realignment'
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
'The details of HTS governance in Idlib provided are fascinating and informative, drawing on the authors’ extensive fieldwork in Syria.'
www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
@hurstpublishers.bsky.social @wsj.com
Inside China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia
thediplomat.com/2025/11/insi...
thediplomat.com/2025/11/insi...
Inside China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia
For Beijing, Central Asia is a testing ground for its foreign policy innovations – and a challenge.
thediplomat.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Inside China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia
thediplomat.com/2025/11/insi...
thediplomat.com/2025/11/insi...
‘A superb piece of scholarship that distils more than 1,000 tumultuous years [of Lithuania’s history] into a coherent narrative.’ — Irish Times @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Lithuania: A History by Richard Butterwick - Meticulous chronicle explains so much
A superb piece of scholarship that distils more than 1,000 tumultuous years into a coherent narrative
www.irishtimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:51 AM
‘A superb piece of scholarship that distils more than 1,000 tumultuous years [of Lithuania’s history] into a coherent narrative.’ — Irish Times @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Zhou Bo is a retired Senior Colonel of the PLA and author of 'Should the World Fear China?'(Hurst, 2025).
time.com/7327487/trum...
time.com/7327487/trum...
How Trump Can Avoid a War Over Taiwan
These five steps can minimize the chance of a catastrophic U.S.-China conflict over the island, writes Zhou Bo.
time.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Zhou Bo is a retired Senior Colonel of the PLA and author of 'Should the World Fear China?'(Hurst, 2025).
time.com/7327487/trum...
time.com/7327487/trum...
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
There was a robust trade in live eels in pre-modern England, & I know you're wondering: "How do I ship live eels?"
Not in barrels of water. They'll use up the oxygen & die. Nope. You pack them in layers of damp moss or hay, & off you go. They don't need to be in water.
Wut? 1/3
🗃️🧪
Not in barrels of water. They'll use up the oxygen & die. Nope. You pack them in layers of damp moss or hay, & off you go. They don't need to be in water.
Wut? 1/3
🗃️🧪
October 20, 2025 at 4:09 PM
There was a robust trade in live eels in pre-modern England, & I know you're wondering: "How do I ship live eels?"
Not in barrels of water. They'll use up the oxygen & die. Nope. You pack them in layers of damp moss or hay, & off you go. They don't need to be in water.
Wut? 1/3
🗃️🧪
Not in barrels of water. They'll use up the oxygen & die. Nope. You pack them in layers of damp moss or hay, & off you go. They don't need to be in water.
Wut? 1/3
🗃️🧪
'Now, Jukic writes that, in recent discussion, Ukraine has become an “archetypal Kunderian state” — a country whose heart belongs in the west but one stunted by an imperial Kremlin.' @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @ljukic.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/6b1c...
www.ft.com/content/6b1c...
Mapping the shifting mental boundaries of Europe
Two books look at how so much central and eastern Europe identity has long been defined by an animosity to Moscow
www.ft.com
October 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
'Now, Jukic writes that, in recent discussion, Ukraine has become an “archetypal Kunderian state” — a country whose heart belongs in the west but one stunted by an imperial Kremlin.' @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @ljukic.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/6b1c...
www.ft.com/content/6b1c...
www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/tasty-new-... 'Rigby believes our attitude to the fish might be a hangover from the darkest of days when badly processed herring was shipped to the Caribbean as cheap food for slaves on the plantations.' @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
Tasty new book makes case for the 'King of Fishes'
'Herripedia' man Graeme swims into print
www.culturednortheast.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/tasty-new-... 'Rigby believes our attitude to the fish might be a hangover from the darkest of days when badly processed herring was shipped to the Caribbean as cheap food for slaves on the plantations.' @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
An experiment:
If you see this post, please like it. Am comparing numbers to the other place for a piece.
If you see this post, please like it. Am comparing numbers to the other place for a piece.
October 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
An experiment:
If you see this post, please like it. Am comparing numbers to the other place for a piece.
If you see this post, please like it. Am comparing numbers to the other place for a piece.
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
Out this month: Rigby's Encyclopaedia of the Herring, by @rigbysherrings.bsky.social. About the Atlantic Herring and its far-reaching dominions. From @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @michaeldwyer.bsky.social www.herripedia.com
Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring
Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring is a one-stop definitive herring information source - fisheries & fishing, history, natural history, cures, recipes & culture.
www.herripedia.com
October 1, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Out this month: Rigby's Encyclopaedia of the Herring, by @rigbysherrings.bsky.social. About the Atlantic Herring and its far-reaching dominions. From @hurstpublishers.bsky.social @michaeldwyer.bsky.social www.herripedia.com
'This book comes at a crucial moment in Britain’s history. It redefines not only our past, but assembles the ingredients to construct a possible future from the country’s maligned and often misunderstood multicultural reality.’ — Johny Pitts, author of Afropean: Notes from Black Europe
September 30, 2025 at 11:31 AM
'This book comes at a crucial moment in Britain’s history. It redefines not only our past, but assembles the ingredients to construct a possible future from the country’s maligned and often misunderstood multicultural reality.’ — Johny Pitts, author of Afropean: Notes from Black Europe
Nice review by John Delury in Global Asia of the recent @hurstpublishers.bsky.social biography of Kim-Il Sung, by Fyodor Tertitskiy.
September 30, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Nice review by John Delury in Global Asia of the recent @hurstpublishers.bsky.social biography of Kim-Il Sung, by Fyodor Tertitskiy.
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
IR Book of the Week!
"So You Want to Own Greenland?" by Elizabeth Buchanan. Trump is only the latest leader to desire controlling the key arctic island. This book explores why and how, going forward, it will be central to the "Great Game" of arctic competition.
"So You Want to Own Greenland?" by Elizabeth Buchanan. Trump is only the latest leader to desire controlling the key arctic island. This book explores why and how, going forward, it will be central to the "Great Game" of arctic competition.
So You Want to Own Greenland?: Lessons from the Vikings to Trump
Buy So You Want to Own Greenland?: Lessons from the Vikings to Trump: Read Books Reviews - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
September 4, 2025 at 1:40 PM
IR Book of the Week!
"So You Want to Own Greenland?" by Elizabeth Buchanan. Trump is only the latest leader to desire controlling the key arctic island. This book explores why and how, going forward, it will be central to the "Great Game" of arctic competition.
"So You Want to Own Greenland?" by Elizabeth Buchanan. Trump is only the latest leader to desire controlling the key arctic island. This book explores why and how, going forward, it will be central to the "Great Game" of arctic competition.
Reposted by Michael Dwyer
The Bagpipes: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Symbol bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/09/22/t...
The Bagpipes: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Symbol
The Bagpipes: A Cultural History, Richard McLauchlan, Hurst and Company, £20. Review by Vivien Williams Richard McLauchlan’s The Bagpipes: A Cultural History sets out to do something both audacious…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
September 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The Bagpipes: A Fresh Look at a Familiar Symbol bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/09/22/t...