Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones: review

 We begin the New Year with a review of Dan Jones' appropriately wintry title, WOLVES OF WINTER, for The Spectator World. Herewith a link.

Launch of Dan Jones' The Hollow Crown

Dan Jones: Moody

Evenin' all! Despite the fact that it seems like no time at all since his last book, last night I went to the launch of Dan Jones' new historical tome, The Hollow Crown, at the Rook and Raven Gallery near Tottenham Court Road. It was very hot. As these photographs on the Tatler website will attest. Obviously, both Anna Friel and Heston Blumenthal were in attendance. I wonder if I missed the canapés because they were all shaped like something else? Oh well.

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones: Book Launch

Dan Jones: Game of Thrones

To one of London's hidden delights, the St John Museum in Clerkenwell, for the launch of Dan Jones' new book, The Plantagenets. The room was vast and airy, stained glass windows catching the late sunlight, and gilded with armorial bearings. Below the room was the museum, which detailed the fascinating history of the Order of St John, from almost a thousand years ago to its work across the globe today. An appropriate place, then, for a launch of a book that discusses one of England's most important dynasties. It's like Game of Thrones, but real, said the editor. Game of Jones?

Many historians were present, including Ben Wilson, who now has a beard; also the actor Tom Hiddleston, who is much, much taller in real life than he is on film. Does that make sense? I didn't pluck up the courage to go and talk to him, though, alas. The politician Kwasi Kwarteng was there - he said that he'd read the book in six hours straight. That's how good it is. Also present was Richard Godwin, the Evening Standard columnist and noted bon vivant whom I bump into more than anybody else in the world. Much fun was had by all, and I even went to the St John restaurant afterwards and feasted, mediaevally, on bone marrow. Yum.

A Celebration - And A Lament

Last night the gardens of the Victoria and Albert museum become a whirling flash of cocktails and gossip. A band rose up out of the lake and played; there were rivers of Pimms and it was all but raining champagne. It was the HarperCollins summer party. I and a friend, Dan Jones, were chatting when we spotted Peter Mandelson talking to Helen Ellis, one of the Harper people. She smiled and motioned us over: in trepidation we approached. Almost immediately my eyelashes froze and fell to the ground. When he shook my hand it snapped from frostbite. 'This is Dan Jones,' said Helen, 'who wrote a book about the Peasant's Revolt.' 'Hello,' said Dan. 'Wasn't there a backbench coup quite recently called the Peasant's Revolt?' Silence pooled out around us. Time froze. 'is Lordship raised an eyebrow, which took half a century. I quaked. 'I don't think so,' he said, rolling his eyes. He took Helen by the arm. 'We're going to go over here now.' The crowd parted. Dan and I stood, battered and bloodied, in his wake. The rest of the party was enormous fun. Thankfully, JLS and NDubz did not dignify the party with their presence.

Some sad news is that Beryl Bainbridge has died, after an illness. She was tiny, bird-like and sprightly. She would come to lunches at Literary Review, where we would keep a bottle of whisky especially for her. 'Oh, if my mother knew...' she would say, before sipping at her glass, delicately. I remember sitting opposite her. She got up as the piano was playing, grabbed the nearest man, and danced. She was full of fire and light.