I am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes. But Mike also has a fascination for weird semi folkloric stories and in this episode he unearths the truth about that remarkable creature, the Sin Eater.

Most people know Ed West for his journalism and in particular for his substack The Wrong Side of History. If you haven't found that yet then check it out - it is one of the best things of its kind out there. But Ed also writes book and in particular a series of short introductions to various periods of English history. If (like me) you sometimes find you need a good overview of something before diving into the detail these books are an absolute godsend. We talked about the period from when the Romans left Britain in the early 400's to the time of Alfred the Great. It was thoroughly entertaining to listen to Ed though it sounds as if the people living through these times had a lot less fun.

His book is called Saxons vs Vikings: Alfred the Great and England in the Dark Ages. It is a great introduction to the period. (And ideal for fans of Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom!)

I am a huge fan of John McWhorter and have come to have great respect for Scott Sumner's knowledge and judgement when it comes to movies. It was a real pleasure to get them together to chat about favourite movies, directors and genres. 

Frank Dikötter returns to the show to talk about dictators and in particular how they use the cult of personality to crush friends and enemies alike. HIs book on dictators is an elightening tour of some of the worst men of the 20th century - horribly enjoyable!

If, like me, your idea of East Germany is dominated by spy movies and and you think that perhaps it was nothing more than a open air prison with the Stasi round every corner then Katja Hoyer's remarkable book Beyond the Wall is an ideal corrective. Katja blends personal tales (some happy and some utterly tragic) with an analysis of the wider geopolitical scene. Above all it is fantastically readable and unsurprisingly is on pretty much every 'book of the year' list in the newspapers. She was a great guest and I very much hope you will enjoy listening to her.

Giles Milton is one of my favourite authors producing narrative history today. The stories he tells are just jaw dropping. We talked about his book White Gold which tells the stories of Thomas Pellow who was seized and taken off into slavery in 1714. Looming large in the story is the remarkable Moulay Ismail, ruler of Morroco at the time. He makes his entrance on his chariot pulled by some of his eunuchs and some of his 500 wives. A brutal and cruel ruler but a fascinating character.

The title of the podcast refers to the song Rule Britannia, written around this time. Its boast was that Britons never, never will be slaves. Well they were, and in large numbers.

Giles is in great form here - he is a compelling storyteller in his books and he repeats the trick for the podcast.

David Parnell and I wrap up the story of Belisarius and Antonina. We are now on to the liberation of Italy and by the end I felt the Romans there might have preferred to have been left alone.

 It is a huge subject and we couldn't do more than give an overview. If you want more David's book is terrific. We are very lucky with our sources for this period which allow us to know so much about this fascinating period of European history.  David does the story full justice!

David Parnell has a wonderful new book out called Belisarius and Antonina. This is the story of a real husband and wife partnership. Belisarius was perhaps the greatest Roman general of the 6th century and his wife Antonina accompanied him and was intimately involved in his campaigns. 

I really enjoyed speaking to David about the twists and turns of the story. Hearing about the Nika riots was a particular (bloody) highlight. The podcast ran long as there was so much to discuss so I have divided it into two. The first part takes us up to the attack on Vandal Africa and the second part will cover the campaigns in Italy. 

The book is terrific - a really well judged mix of breathless action and scholarly insights. We only scratched the surface in the podcast and I highly recommend seeking it out.

Frank Dikötter is the author of a series of brilliant and harrowing books about communist China. He is not only a prize winning historian of post war China but a highly engaging speaker. He talked about China from the time of the communist takeover after WWII all the way up to and beyond the death of Mao. The regime was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions and Frank does a great service in helping to keep the story of one of the greatest tragedies in history at the forefront of people's minds.

This is the story of Anson's voyage around the world in the 1740's. In particular it is about the ship the Wager and the crew's incredible bravery, endurance and ingenuity in appalling conditions. And it is about shipwreck, murder and mutiny.

David Grann's book tells the story brilliantly. You will never want to get on a boat again!