The Friday Digest brings you the best of the week's history news gathered from the experts:
* Tuesday marked a number of events on the calendar, including St. George's Day which celebrates the life and deeds of England's patron saint. This article from the BBC looks at how much we really know about the man who slayed a dragon. Was he just a mythical martyr?
History Today goes even further and questions the saint's popularity with the English population of the Middle Ages, arguing that it was Edward I rather than Richard the Lionheart who was responsible for his move from the margins to the mainstream.
The British Newspaper Archive has a fascinating collection of stories that mention slaying dragons, which may be a good place for new superhero 'Englishman' to begin his training...
* World Book Night was also on 23rd April with 20,000 volunteers giving away 20 copies of their favourite book with half a million books being handed out. The evening is a celebration of reading and books which encourages passionate volunteers to share their love of reading with their communities. Interestingly, UNESCO appointed 23 April as the international day of the book as it is both the birth and death day of Shakespeare, as well as the death day of Cervantes, the great Spanish novelist.
Margaret Atwood expresses her excitement at being a 'book giver' and ten writers give their reasons for reading. Which book would you give away on World Book Night? If your choice is less than highbrow, Book Trust has 30 suggestion of what to tell a book snob...
If you're a bookworm, it is easy to think that everyone else is as passionate about reading as you are, but apparently a third of households don't have any books in them. That proportion is growing which is bad news for the book industry, this article looks are reasons why people don't read.
How would you encourage people to pick up a book?
* On the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and death, the inevitable conspiracy theories about his identity resurface. Robert McCrum at The Guardian's frustration is clear as he asks 'Why waste Shakespeare's birthday on conspiracy theories?'
* The palace's library at London's Lambeth Palace, which is home to the Archbishop of Canterbury, was the scene of a major crime that stayed undiscovered for decades. The shocking truth about the stolen books has now come to light after staff were left staggered after a sealed letter (received in 2011) revealed the full extent of the library's losses.
* A new indie film, narrated by Meryl Streep, explores whether books, as we know them, are dead and, if they are, questions if it matters in an always-on digital world. Contributors to the movie include late iconic author Ray Bradbury, Author’s Guild President Scott Turow, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and New Yorker and CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
An interview with Vivienne Roumani, Director Of The Indie Film, 'Out of Print', discusses the inspiration behind her movie, if books are really dead, and if so, what’s next.
* This article from the Futurebook blog reveals the truth about self-publishing vs traditional publishing. It is interesting reading for anyone currently working in the industry.
* Ever wondered how the New York Times book reviewing system works? Public editor Margaret Sullivan revealed recently that there is no system at all which has left readers rather disgruntled...
* The remains of two World War I soldiers who were killed in action in France nearly 100 years ago have been laid to rest at a military cemetery. The men were killed on 15 May 1917, during an enemy attack near Bullecourt.
* The Queen celebrated her birthday on 21st April and the occasion was marked with a 62 gun salute from three guns at the Tower of London. These stunning images show the men of 34 Battery, part of 14 Regiment Royal Artillery, as they prepared for the honour of firing the Royal Salute for the Queen's birthday.
* On 19 April 1943, a train carrying 1,631 Jews set off from a Nazi detention camp in Belgium for the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Resistance fighters stopped the train and one boy who escaped shares his memories of that fateful night.
* A new study by Michael Chwe argues that Jane Austen systematically explored the core ideas of game theory in her six novels, roughly 200 years ago. I hadn't heard of game theory before this, but apparently modern game theory is generally dated to 1944 with the publication of von Neumann’s 'Theory of Games and Economic Behavior'. This imagined human interactions as a series of moves and countermoves aimed at maximizing payoff, which sounds interesting (if slightly cynical).
* The LA Times guide to 'literary LA' 'highlights some literary landmarks, contemporary bookstores and passages from a number of works about L.A. by authors who've called the city home' including man of the hour, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I would love to see something similar for UK authors, I just wish I had the skills and time to do it!
What history and publishing stories have you enjoyed reading this week?