History Book Club

Oliver Webb-Carter

Details

Welcome to the History Book Club - the club for all lovers of history, presented by writer and historian Oliver Webb-Carter. Oliver interviews authors of the best historical writing, to draw out the stories that you'll be interested in. Every month will also feature the History Film Club, as historian Roger Moorhouse and director Tim Hewitt join to discuss a historical movie. Get in touch if you want a particular area of history to be covered, because at the History Book Club, members are the most important people of all.

Recent Episodes

OCT 26, 2026
44. How to Think About Terrorism with Richard English
Here in the United Kingdom, as of 21 October, the terrorist threat level is SEVERE, meaning an attack is highly likely. Now, I’m sorry to alarm you all who wanted to listen to a nice podcast and get away from it all, but it is what it is. But, if you were living in Northern Ireland during the seventies, eighties and nineties, terrorism would very much be part of daily life. Thankfully we’re no longer living with such horrors, thanks to a peace process that is very much ongoing. One of the world’s foremost experts on terrorism is Richard English, and he’s written a new book, How to Think About Terrorism with the philosopher Quassim Cassam. He joins me as we discuss some of the theories and practical examples that can be examined today in an atmosphere of social media and discontent that seems increasingly extreme, but Richard’s insight is hugely satisfying when considering terrorism and a state’s response to it. ⁠How to Think About Terrorism ⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
42 MIN
OCT 18, 2026
43. Japanese Military Brutality with Danny Orbach
For many allied troops in the Far East capture by the Japanese Imperial Army led to appalling treatment and forced labour on the Burma railway. The cruelty meted out to British and Americans was nothing compared to those Chinese and Philipinos. But what was the cause of this brutality? Was it the Japanese warrior code, or something inherent in Japanese culture? Joining today is historian Danny Orbach as he examines the causes of Japanese treatment of POWs and civilians during the Second World War. For those listeners who are sickened by the adverts that I’m forced to add to this podcast, I have an answer for you. AKOUVA is a new adfree facility for you to listen to the History Book Club without those pesky ads. Simply use the Promo Code HBC at ⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can then avoid being subjected to financial services companies trying to persuade you to part with your cash. You get the first month free with the code, then after that it’s a mere £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. Danny Orbach Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Punishment: Behind Japanese Military Brutality History Book Club For Ad free listening sign up to ⁠⁠⁠⁠AKOUVA⁠⁠⁠⁠ using the code HBC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
48 MIN
OCT 11, 2026
42. Greta Garbo with Scott Reisfield
It’s difficult to exaggerate how much of a star Greta Garbo was. When you become the subject of a classic Pete and Dud sketch from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, then you can certainly say you’ve made it, and she’s certainly the most convincing and talented Greta to come out of Sweden. Joining to discuss the great woman is Scott Reisfield, author of a new biography, as we explore the increasing power held by female actresses in the male dominated Hollywood of the silent and golden eras. For those listeners who are sickened by the adverts that I’m forced to add to this podcast, I have an answer for you. AKOUVA is a new adfree facility for you to listen to the History Book Club without those pesky ads. Simply use the Promo Code HBC at ⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠, and you can then avoid being subjected to financial services companies trying to persuade you to part with your cash. You get the first month free with the code, then after that it’s a mere £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. Scott Reisfield Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Greta Garbo⁠ History Book Club For Ad free listening sign up to ⁠⁠⁠⁠AKOUVA⁠⁠⁠⁠ using the code HBC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
51 MIN
OCT 4, 2026
41. Cold Sunset with William Boyd
William Boyd is one of our best loved writers, the author of bestselling literary fiction since his debut, A Good Man in Africa back in 1981. His novel Any Human Heart was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was made into a four part series starring Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Broadbent. He’s written a number of espionage novels, including Solo, a Bond novel, and has now written a trilogy of spy books, in which our hero is Gabriel Dax. He’s a travel writer in the 1960s, and becomes an agent of the beautiful and mercurial Faith Green, a senior MI6 officer. The books feature a number of 1960s events including the assassinations of JFK and Patrice Lumumba, the coup in Guatemala and Cold War defections. His latest is Cold Sunset and by now Gabriel Dax is a seasoned spy, but he faces betrayal at home. For those listeners who are sickened by the adverts that I’m forced to add to this podcast, I have an answer for you. AKOUVA is a new adfree facility for you to listen to the History Book Club without those pesky ads. Simply use the Promo Code HBC at ⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠, and you can then avoid being subjected to financial services companies trying to persuade you to part with your cash. You get the first month free with the code, then after that it’s a mere £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. William Boyd Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Cold Sunset History Book Club For Ad free listening sign up to ⁠⁠⁠AKOUVA⁠⁠⁠ using the code HBC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
46 MIN
SEP 27, 2026
40. City Inventions with Jonn Elledge
Throughout our history cities have been drivers of innovation, from sewers to public lighting, via traffic lights and escalators. Today’s discussion is with Jonn Elledge, author of 31 Inventions That Built Our World, and we delve into a few of the ideas that have formed the modern world we live in. For those listeners who are sickened by the adverts that I’m forced to add to this podcast, I have an answer for you. AKOUVA is a new adfree facility for you to listen to the History Book Club without those pesky ads. Simply use the Promo Code HBC at ⁠⁠this link⁠⁠, and you can then avoid being subjected to financial services companies trying to persuade you to part with your cash. You get the first month free with the code, then after that it’s a mere £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. Jonn Elledge Links⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 31 Inventions that Built Our World Jonn's Substack City Metric Podcast History Book Club For Ad free listening sign up to ⁠⁠AKOUVA⁠⁠ using the code HBC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠History Book Club Book List⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Oliver Webb-Carter Links ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Who Cares Who Wins? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
47 MIN