The Book Club

Who was the real Sherlock Holmes? In this episode Sam Leith is joined by medical historian and author Lindsey Fitzharris to discuss her new book, Sleuth Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes.

Fitzharris tells the extraordinary story of Joseph Bell, the Edinburgh surgeon whose powers of observation inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective. How did Bell learn to read the human body like a crime scene, and what role did he play in the emergence of modern forensic science? From Victorian murder cases to the Ripper investigations, Bell’s work helped bring medical evidence into the courtroom – while his real-life achievements were often overshadowed by his fictional counterpart.

Plus: why did Conan Doyle want to kill off Sherlock Holmes, and how did Bell react to becoming the inspiration for one of literature’s most famous characters?

Produced by Abigail Brierley.
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For this week’s Book Club, Sam Leith, the Spectator’s literary editor, is joined by Shaun Bythell, proprietor of The Book Shop in Wigtown, Scotland, and author of The Diary of a Bookseller series, to discuss the fourth instalment, The Return of the Bookseller’s Diary.
They discuss the strange characters who wander into second-hand bookshops, the customers who haggle over £2 books, and how Bythell’s shop helped turn Wigtown into Scotland’s unlikely book town.
They also explore the changing world of bookselling, from the rise of online marketplaces to the 18th-century bookseller James Lackington, whose ‘buy cheap, sell cheap’ philosophy has more than a little in common with Amazon.
Plus, Bythell reveals how keeping a diary has changed the way he sees his customers, the unexpected consequences of becoming a published author, and why the Covid-19 pandemic proved surprisingly good for business.
Produced by Abigail Brierley.
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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by author Matthew Sweet to discuss his new biography, The Great Dictator, about the bestselling novelist Barbara Cartland.

They explore the extraordinary life behind Barbara Cartland’s instantly recognisable image – from her beginnings in the aftermath of the First World War to her career as one of the bestselling authors of all time.

They discuss why Cartland was so often dismissed as a joke by literary critics, and how her novels offered generations of women stories of romance, aspiration and consolation. They delve into the political side of her life, including her opposition to appeasement, her campaigning on behalf of Romani travellers and her close relationship with her brother, MP Ronald Cartland.
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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker to discuss his new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…
Pinker explores the powerful idea of ‘common knowledge’ - not simply what we know, but what we know that other people know, and what we know they know we know.
From the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes to revolutions, financial markets and international relations, he argues that our ability to coordinate with one another depends on making certain things publicly understood.
Sam and Steven also discuss why language may have evolved partly to help us coordinate, why wars can be driven by honour and status as much as resources, and why blushing, laughter and eye contact can all be understood as ways of generating common knowledge.
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In this week’s Book Club podcast, Sam Leith is joined by philosopher John Sellars to discuss his new book, Stoicism Is Not What You Think.
Sellars explores the ancient philosophy of Stoicism and challenges some of its most common misconceptions – from the idea that Stoics repress their emotions to the belief that they are cold, indifferent and detached from the world.
From its origins in ancient Athens to its modern revival online, Sellars explains what the Stoics actually believed and counter Stoicism’s reputation beyond its ‘stiff upper lip’ image.
Sam and John also discuss Marcus Aurelius, the role of women in the history of Stoicism, and the growing body of psychological research asking whether putting Stoic ideas into practice can actually improve our lives.

Produced by Abigail Brierley.
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For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts

Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk

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