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When Naomi Mitchison, queen of the historical novel, undertook Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, already symbol of a great love story, something remarkable was bound to ensue. But Mitchison did not choose to follow her great predecessors Plutarch and Shakespeare, with the tale of Mark Antony's fatal romance with 'the serpent of old Nile', and the pair's ill-fated wars with Octavian. Her chief interest in producing a new Cleopatra is shown even in her tantalising title, Cleopatra's People. The novel starts with the next generation, with the children of the Queen and of Charmian, one of her 'mates'. The impact of Cleopatra's life and personality is reflected through them, and their efforts to follow in her wake. But wider than that, we see that Cleopatra's people are the people of Egypt, and that she cherished dreams of a great, peaceful trading empire to the south, in Africa and even India. Mitchison's Cleopatra is a powerful woman, immersed more in the affairs of state than in love affairs with Caesar and Antony, although her love for the latter is true. The Queen's dreams for Egypt are greater still: perhaps only a woman and a royal one could have dreamed them in face of Rome. ... Read more

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A survey of Scotland during that period in the 18th century which witnessed an extraordinary outburst of intellectual activity. The book focuses on such diverse areas as philosophy, chemistry, economics and geology, and on the men who influenced the world with their ideas and discoveries. ... Read more

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The writing career of Naomi Mitchison (1897-1999) stretched over some seventy years, encompassing at least seventy works of fiction as well as non-fiction, poetry and plays. Almost unknown, however, is the mass of shorter prose pieces - journalism, essays, polemics, reminiscences - which Mitchison produced during her long career. There are many hundreds of these pieces, covering a tremendously wide range of topics, an untapped resource both in Mitchison biography and in the wider field of social history. Volume 2 in the seven-volume edition of Naomi Mitchison's Essays and Journalism is devoted to her writing about the West Highland village of Carradale, to which she moved in the late 1930s and where she lived for over sixty years. She writes about many aspects of Carradale: her farm, the local fishing industry, the big garden which was particularly dear to her heart, and 'the village and the Big House'. A long essay, 'Rural Reconstruction', never reprinted before, is a snapshot of Carradale in the 1940s and a spirited presentation of Mitchison's dreams for its future. These digressive, charming, combative pieces show both the practical and the thoughtful sides of her writing, often to touching effect: she cared deeply for Carradale and its people, and the book is a wonderful introduction to a beautiful part of Scotland and a major writer. ... Read more