Dr Tabitha Stanmore is a historian and an expert in medieval and early modern English magic and witchcraft. Her book, “Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic” busts myths on the subject and focuses on the cultural impact of cunning folk, who would use magic to help people find items such as a spoon or help fix their love lives.

Picture credit: https://www.tabithastanmore.co.uk/

Get Tabitha’s book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/TabithaStanmore

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Children’s world is by default a trippy one and books are rich fodder for the uninhibited mind. In “The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading”, Sam Leith, the literary editor of The Spectator takes us through the memory lane of authors who have defined the genre of children's books. The nature of childhood itself has changed over centuries and the books, too, were a reflection of those eras.

In this podcast Sam, himself a father of two kids, has read a gazillion children’s books as part of his research for his tome. And upon each rereading, he finds new gems that were undiscovered when he had first read them as a kid. His work was also rated by The Economist as among the top five non-fiction books of 2024.

Get Sam Leith's book here: https://tinyurl.com/SamLeith

Picture credit: The Booker Prizes

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Alison Taylor is a clinical professor at NYU Stern School of Business. Her book, “Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World” is a result of decades of research and experience where she has consulted many multinational companies. She argues that maximising shareholder value can no longer be the sole purpose of an organisation’s existence. The new generation employed at various outfits have started demanding explanations if the bosses stray from their path. Doing the right thing is hard, admits Prof Taylor but those who take the path of the straight and narrow will serve well in the long run.

Picture credit: https://www.alisontaylor.co/

Buy Prof Taylor's book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/AlisonTaylor

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There are around 3trn trees on Earth, 400 for every living person. And yet arguably the arboreal world is not talked about in as much detail as the animal kingdom. Dr Daniel Lewis, a historian at the Huntington Library takes a crack at the subject. His latest book, “Twelve Trees: And What They Tell Us About Our Past, Present and Future” chronicles stories of twelve trees and their history dating back to centuries.

Picture credit: https://huntington.org/staff/daniel-lewis

Get Daniel Lewis' book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/TwelveTreesDanielLewis

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How did Barack Obama, former American president know for sure whether Osama Bin Laden was in that compound in Abbottabad? Are football matches largely determined by luck? How can you measure coincidences? Sir David Spiegelhalter, the emeritus professor of statistics at the University of Cambridge explains it all. His new book, “The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck” is a fascinating read even for those without any background in statistics and mathematics. Among many other things, the book is also a lesson in how to make complicated subjects interesting.

Get Sir David's book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/SirDavidSpiegelhalter

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Rollo Romig talks about his book "I'm on the Hit List: A Journalist's Murder and the Rise of Autocracy in India". It releases in India today, January 6th 2025. The book focuses on the life and murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh and its impact on journalism and free speech in India. Whereas Gauri spoke her mind she also lived up to the maxim, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." She invited folks who disagreed with her to contribute in her paper, Gauri Lankesh Patrike. She never celebrated any opponents' demise and even defended them if she saw someone's critique of them to be unfair. In this podcast, Rollo unearths her life story, his experiences researching the story, his connection to Bangalore and the challenges of uncovering the truth behind Gauri’s life and work.

Picture credit: https://www.rolloromig.com/

Update: The book's release in India has been postponed to January 13th 2025.

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Charles Dallara is the author of "EuroShock: How the Largest Debt Restructuring in History Helped Save Greece and Preserve the Eurozone". The former managing director of the Institute of International Finance, a think tank, reflects on the largest debt restructuring in history and its role in saving Greece and preserving the Eurozone.

Charles shares his experiences as a US Navy midshipman, lessons in leadership and the intense negotiations that shaped the Greek crisis resolution. He represented the creditors and negotiated with the likes of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. He explains how politics, economics and culture shaped the challenges and strategies behind this historic financial crisis while batting for the urgent need for higher standards in sovereign debt management.

Picture credit: World Bank

Get Charles' book on Amazon India: https://tinyurl.com/CharlesDallara

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Human history is also the history of the horse, says Dr Timothy C. Winegard in his superb book, “The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity”. He charts the story of the four-legged human companion like no one has before. Horses have had an outsized cultural and practical contribution, including their influence on language, clothing and transportation. From the evolution of horses 60 million years ago to their pivotal role in shaping civilizations through trade, warfare, and culture, this podcast delves deep into the influence of these majestic creatures.

Chosen as one of the best books of 2024 by The Economist, Timothy's tome is a gripping read.

Picture credit: Becky Winegard

Get Timothy's book here on Amazon India: https://tinyurl.com/TimWinegard

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