What's Coming Up

 Recently I was interviewed for a 4-part documentary on Aleister Crowley to be broadcast on German radio next year. More details about how to listen to it when I get them. I took the interviewer up to the site of Netherwood for added 'atmosphere' - it was suitably grey and overcast. Gary Lachman is also one of the  interviewees. 

My latest book will, I hope go to the printers in August to be published in September when there will be a series of promotional events in London and Hastings - and elsewhere if anyone wants me. I don't get as many requests to do talks as I used to, although I don't mind as I have less energy these days.

The book has taken more than 3 years and now runs to over 600 pages, which makes it the longest I've written. It's got quite a few illustrations and I suppose fits in with the Fu Manchu book I did with Strange Attractor a few years ago rather than my historical works. Aleister Crowley gets a chapter to himself as a bit of a digression from the main theme which is about popular culture. I've watched a huge number of films for this project which was mostly fun.

Last shout out for Darren Coffield's Queens of Bohemia event at Westminster Arts Library on 12 July.

Reserve a FREE place here. I'll be hosting.

John Richardson

I've just learned of the death of John Richardson in May. Not to be confused with the biographer of Picasso, he was the founder of Historical Publications who published so many interesting books on parts of London and aspects of the capital's history. 

Four of these books: Subterranean City, London's Coffeehouses Folklore of London and Decadent London (first edition) were by me. I will be eternally grateful to John for getting in touch after reading an article (the first!) I wrote and having the confidence to ask me to write Subterranean City. I had never written a book before and this one took a lot of research. The book did extremely well (John printed a revised and expanded edition in 2010) and I was pretty much allowed to choose the subjects of my next couple of books. I was also impressed by the amount of freedom given regarding illustrations and cover etc. 

John was a lovely man who was fascinated by local history, particularly of Camden - he wrote a number of books himself and supported many local projects and enterprises. He wound up HP a few years ago and retired to Whitstable, where I visited him a couple of times. On one occasion he gave me the rights to all my work to publish myself and I duly republished Decadent London in a larger revised and updated paperback edition under my imprint Accumulator Books (which I may reprint this year).  My thoughts go out to his wife Helen and his children.

Queens of Bohemia with Darren Coffield FREE TALK

Roll up for a FREE talk on Friday 12 July at Westminster Arts Library by Darren Coffield who wrote a great book about London's legendary Colony Room. His latest book is Queens of Bohemia chronicling the women who took Soho and Fitzrovia by storm in the previous century including Isabel Rawsthorne, Betty May, Sonia Orwell and Nina Hamnett who has featured on this blog.

Book for this fascinating talk on Eventbrite here.