Wanted: a different sort of book review

Mark Pack would like to hear more about books you thought you knew enough about - but probably didn't. A mere seven years after it came out, I’ve just finished reading (or more accurately, listening to) Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science. In case you think I am a remarkably slow reader, I ... Read More...

What makes a good Amazon book review?

Mark Pack is addicted to writing Amazon reviews. But what are they really for?... I first started writing book reviews purely for my personal benefit: to help me remember more about the books I had read. Even now, with the subsequent explosion of online reviews, the aspects of a book I ... Read More...

The strange obscurity of Eugene Burdick

Mark Pack explains why the work of a now almost forgotten political novelist is worth seeking out... A best-selling author shifting millions of books in the post-war decades, a renowned public intellectual, a friend of celebrities such as Marlon Brando, a highly respected political scientist and famous enough to feature in ... Read More...

Why I love books

Mark Pack on why he can't stop dabbling with a gadget that might be old but is quite a way from being obsolete. Pile up my work and personal gadgets on a table at home and what do you find? One desktop computer. Two portable computers. One iPad. Two Blackberries. An ... Read More...

The world’s least successful fort?

Whilst recently going polar bear watching in Canada, I visited what must be a very strong contender for the world’s least successful military fort. Construction of the Prince of Wales Fort, at the mouth of the Churchill River on the Hudson Bay in Canada, started in 1731 (probably; though the plaque on ... Read More...

Dabbler Heroes: Tim Goodman

I’ve never met Tim Goodman. I don’t know what he looks like [see above, Ed.]. I don’t know what he does most of the time. I don't know if that's his real name or a professional nom de plume. I don’t even know which country he lives in. Or if ... Read More...