Manfred von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron, was shot down and killed over Vaux-sur-Somme #OTD in 1918.

#OTD in 753 BC Rome was founded by Romulus (according to tradition) although it definitely wasn't built in a day.

Essex library charges will penalise book lovers, says campaign Library users across Essex will have to pay £1.15 to reserve physical books from Wednesday.

More bad news.

This exceptionally gawky Rolls-Royce, a 1954 one-off, has what the auctioneer Sotheby's describes as a 'gold-plated toilet-cum-champagne cooler' fitted under the seat.

(My other son has a cat called Enkidu. Just saying.)

Commiserations. I caught my son once explaining to a school friend that his father had black and white hair. It took me several minutes to figure out what he meant by this.

My younger son (who lives in the US) surprised me yesterday evening on the platform of the tiny station where I change trains on the way back to Suffolk.

This is inspired by Mark Mason, I'm guessing, but isn't Haslemere also significant because more cars are stolen from its car park than from any other station on the network?

#OTD in 1912 in New York a young radio operator called David Sarnoff picked up a faint signal from a vessel in the north Atlantic: SS TITANIC RAN INTO ICEBERG. SINKING FAST. Sorry if the cover gives away the ending.

It was today in 1970 that disaster struck 200,000 miles from home, when an oxygen tank failure on Apollo 13 led to one of the most remarkable, nerve-shredding survival stories of modern times.

Are your young readers excited about space adventure in the wake of Artemis II's historic mission? Why not check out #SurvivalInSpace, @writerdavidlong.bsky.social's gripping retelling of the astonishing Apollo 13 mission, or dive into #Lunar, Chris Bradford's thrilling outer-space survival story 🌕

#OTD in 1970, disaster struck 200,000 miles from home when an oxygen tank failed on Apollo 13. What followed was one of the most remarkable, nerve-shredding survival stories of modern times.

Quote of the week

‘Reading is like going on holiday in your head. ‘

My amazing granddaughter, Hester, aged 8 years.

#books #reading #quoteoftheweek

Waddesdon’s looking rough.

“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” – Joan Didion

Me too but, once I’m done, it’s good to hear from readers.

worldssmallestlibrary.wordpress.com/2026/04/09/w...

Under the rule of the Oba, the Kingdom of Benin was one of the richest and most powerful in West Africa. Yet as European influence began to grow, so did the challenges that faced the Benin kingdom. Explore the ancient Kingdom of Benin with @writerdavidlong.bsky.social. bit.ly/4tnwmFZ

Wishing the very happiest of book birthdays to @writerdavidlong.bsky.social & Stefano Tambellini for brilliant, accessible, nonfiction read What it was like in Ancient Benin 🎂

Out now for 9+ readers from @barringtonstoke.bsky.social

worldssmallestlibrary.wordpress.com/2026/04/09/w...

Thank you for this

My new book is published today: What it was like in Ancient Benin.

I now receive 3-5 such ‘offers’ per week.

I'm a bit shocked it's so long ago that I enjoyed it.

Gorgeous.

What it was like to be...

Viking, Roman, Egyptian, Maya, Greek, and now to grow up in the ancient Kingdom of Benin.

On sale TOMORROW from wherever you like to get your books.

Belatedly we finished #SmallProphets then last night I dreamt Pearce Quigley had become our postman.

Why Swedish Schools Are Bringing Back Books Amid declining test scores, the country has pivoted away from screens and invested in back-to-basics school materials.

undark.org/2026/04/01/s...

#OTD in 1968 King Freddie of Buganda, who had earlier been seen around town with Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, was found to be living on the dole in south London. Friends slipped him 'the odd fiver every now and then' but sadly much worse was to come...

Don't Steal This Book 10,000 authors publish an empty book to protest against the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.

The list in full. It's not just about books so please consider supporting this campaign.

A time when one had to do a lot even to be considered for an OBE.