One moment this book reads like a serious historical biography, and the next we are plunged into soft-focus romantic gloop.

Both in historical biography and in period chronicle, they are driven by the storytelling impulse.

These lapses are largely the product of an unusual and generally laudable attempt to imbue the genre of historical biography with a sort of methodological wit.

Although he devoted some programmes to classical music and historical biography, most of his work explored aspects of the cinema.

His specialties include the history and philosophy of modern biology, evolutionary theory, the evolution of altruism, twentieth century genetics, and historical biography.