PD Smith
@pdsmith.bsky.social
📚City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age, Doomsday Men, Einstein, Metaphor & Materiality.
Now writing about cities, detectives and crime.
https://linktr.ee/pd_smith
Now writing about cities, detectives and crime.
https://linktr.ee/pd_smith
“Nothing says ‘I have a great attention span’ like hefting around a 1,000-page book about Beethoven or the Peasants’ Revolt or something.”
Buy nonfiction!
www.thetimes.com/article/d1be...
Buy nonfiction!
www.thetimes.com/article/d1be...
There’s a crisis in non-fiction book sales. What’s to blame?
We’re buying 17 million fewer factual books than six years ago. Is the rise of podcasts to blame? Or publishers’ obsession with celebrities and influencers?
www.thetimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:57 PM
“Nothing says ‘I have a great attention span’ like hefting around a 1,000-page book about Beethoven or the Peasants’ Revolt or something.”
Buy nonfiction!
www.thetimes.com/article/d1be...
Buy nonfiction!
www.thetimes.com/article/d1be...
“The chests are so integral to our history. They sit at the centre of the cathedral & they are part of our historical DNA & connect us right back to our Anglo-Saxon past.” Fascinating story.
Bones of Anglo-Saxon kings return to Winchester cathedral
www.thetimes.com/article/712e...
Bones of Anglo-Saxon kings return to Winchester cathedral
www.thetimes.com/article/712e...
Bones of Anglo-Saxon kings return to cathedral after DNA ‘jigsaw’
The remains, believed to be of 25 individuals including Emma of Normandy, were jumbled together in mortuary chests at Winchester Cathedral
www.thetimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:51 AM
“The chests are so integral to our history. They sit at the centre of the cathedral & they are part of our historical DNA & connect us right back to our Anglo-Saxon past.” Fascinating story.
Bones of Anglo-Saxon kings return to Winchester cathedral
www.thetimes.com/article/712e...
Bones of Anglo-Saxon kings return to Winchester cathedral
www.thetimes.com/article/712e...
Wintry Winchester this morning…
January 5, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Wintry Winchester this morning…
“There used to be people from all different social classes, but more and more Paris is a city for the rich.”
Can a new mayor take Paris back to its glory days?
www.thetimes.com/article/b5db...
Can a new mayor take Paris back to its glory days?
www.thetimes.com/article/b5db...
Can a new mayor take Paris back to its glory days?
Anne Hidalgo’s opponents say she has undermined retail, waged war on drivers and failed to halt a middle-class exodus. Voters will soon have their say
www.thetimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:29 PM
“There used to be people from all different social classes, but more and more Paris is a city for the rich.”
Can a new mayor take Paris back to its glory days?
www.thetimes.com/article/b5db...
Can a new mayor take Paris back to its glory days?
www.thetimes.com/article/b5db...
Happy Christmas to you all. Have a lovely day! 🎄
December 25, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Happy Christmas to you all. Have a lovely day! 🎄
Some great Christmas photos from the Times archive.
Memories of Christmas past — in pictures
www.thetimes.com/article/5848...
Memories of Christmas past — in pictures
www.thetimes.com/article/5848...
Memories of Christmas past — in pictures
Delve into the Times archive to explore a century of festive celebrations, from carols at a Second World War bomb site to Santa’s shift at Harrods
www.thetimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Some great Christmas photos from the Times archive.
Memories of Christmas past — in pictures
www.thetimes.com/article/5848...
Memories of Christmas past — in pictures
www.thetimes.com/article/5848...
Reposted by PD Smith
Kafka’s grave in Prague today
December 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Kafka’s grave in Prague today
“It turns an almost intractable problem into something that feels within reach — which, to me, is very exciting.” Fascinating!
British breakthrough brings nuclear fusion a step closer
www.thetimes.com/article/2fee...
British breakthrough brings nuclear fusion a step closer
www.thetimes.com/article/2fee...
British breakthrough brings nuclear fusion a step closer
Predicting how plasma behaves in a fusion power plant can take days using powerful supercomputers. A new tool backed by Britain can do it in seconds
www.thetimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:35 PM
“It turns an almost intractable problem into something that feels within reach — which, to me, is very exciting.” Fascinating!
British breakthrough brings nuclear fusion a step closer
www.thetimes.com/article/2fee...
British breakthrough brings nuclear fusion a step closer
www.thetimes.com/article/2fee...
Wonderful! Such a great play too.
December 2, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Wonderful! Such a great play too.
Brilliant talk this evening at Winchester College by @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social about his new book The Invention of British Art. Fascinating!
November 14, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Brilliant talk this evening at Winchester College by @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social about his new book The Invention of British Art. Fascinating!
The last rose of the year from the garden…
October 23, 2025 at 9:19 AM
The last rose of the year from the garden…
A great year for sweet corn - today’s lunch fresh from the garden. Delicious!
August 16, 2025 at 1:11 PM
A great year for sweet corn - today’s lunch fresh from the garden. Delicious!
Reposted by PD Smith
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for August!
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
August 7, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for August!
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for August!
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
August 7, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for August!
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
The Green Ages by Annette Kehnel & Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Fresh from the garden this morning
August 5, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Fresh from the garden this morning
Nice haul of French beans from the garden today.
August 2, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Nice haul of French beans from the garden today.
Loved the Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road exhibition at the British Museum. Worth seeing!
www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/...
www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/...
July 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Loved the Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road exhibition at the British Museum. Worth seeing!
www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/...
www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/...
Reposted by PD Smith
Jacobsen’s deeply researched book is a minute-by-minute account of how nuclear war could happen today. As gripping as any thriller, she shows the horrific reality of nuclear war and the threat it poses to the very survival of human life on our planet.
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
This month’s best paperbacks: Deborah Levy, David Nicholls and more
Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some fantastic new paperbacks, from a Booker-shortlisted novel to a groundbreaking history of a continent
www.theguardian.com
July 3, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Jacobsen’s deeply researched book is a minute-by-minute account of how nuclear war could happen today. As gripping as any thriller, she shows the horrific reality of nuclear war and the threat it poses to the very survival of human life on our planet.
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
Reposted by PD Smith
‘The English civilian population is the least hysterical in the world. They can take an awful pounding and still keep on planting lobelias.’
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
July 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
‘The English civilian population is the least hysterical in the world. They can take an awful pounding and still keep on planting lobelias.’
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
‘The English civilian population is the least hysterical in the world. They can take an awful pounding and still keep on planting lobelias.’
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
July 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
‘The English civilian population is the least hysterical in the world. They can take an awful pounding and still keep on planting lobelias.’
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
Raymond Chandler, in a letter written during the Battle of Britain.
Reposted by PD Smith
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for July!
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
July 3, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for July!
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for July!
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
July 3, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for July!
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Nuclear War, by Annie Jacobsen & Into the Clear Blue Sky, by Rob Jackson. Both published by @penguinukbooks.bsky.social.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Reposted by PD Smith
Historian of medicine, Helen King, tells the story of women’s bodies using four body parts. She draws on a lifetime of research on the subject & its implications for women. The result is a remarkably rich scientific & cultural survey. @profilebooks.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
This month’s best paperbacks: Hanif Kureishi, Alexei Navalny and more
Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some brilliant new paperbacks, from moving memoirs to sequels of beloved novels
www.theguardian.com
June 11, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Historian of medicine, Helen King, tells the story of women’s bodies using four body parts. She draws on a lifetime of research on the subject & its implications for women. The result is a remarkably rich scientific & cultural survey. @profilebooks.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...
Reposted by PD Smith
Just back from a visit to Paris, which is as beautiful and as good for the soul as ever. I’ve posted a few photographic impressions of its streets, buildings, art, people and parks on my Flickr page
www.flickr.com/photos/pdsmi...
www.flickr.com/photos/pdsmi...
June 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Just back from a visit to Paris, which is as beautiful and as good for the soul as ever. I’ve posted a few photographic impressions of its streets, buildings, art, people and parks on my Flickr page
www.flickr.com/photos/pdsmi...
www.flickr.com/photos/pdsmi...
Reposted by PD Smith
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for June!
Goodbye Globalization, by Elizabeth Braw & Immaculate Forms, by Helen King.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Goodbye Globalization, by Elizabeth Braw & Immaculate Forms, by Helen King.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
June 11, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Here are my two Guardian paperback picks for June!
Goodbye Globalization, by Elizabeth Braw & Immaculate Forms, by Helen King.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚
Goodbye Globalization, by Elizabeth Braw & Immaculate Forms, by Helen King.
Links to the reviews below. Enjoy! 🧵
#nonfiction #books📚