Peter Beard, photographer, born 22 Jan 1938, found dead 19th April 2020. A characteristically detailed obituary in the New York Times here, and me, on writing on nature, here. Continue reading Peter Beard

I’ll be talking sharks, Zidane and friction, at the French Institute, Edinburgh, at 7.30pm on Thursday 30thJan 2020, as part of the Night of Ideas, which takes the theme of Etre Vivant.  Venez! Au secours! Bienvenu! Put it in your diary. http://www.ifecosse.org.uk (My talk’s actually: ‘La Reconnaissance du requin / Shark Attack! Again’. And it’s free.)  Continue reading Liberté, Egalité, Requinité

You can listen again to my radio series, View from a Shark, and catch the one-off live broadcast from Tate Modern, Sharks: New Worlds, new words, by clicking through here. Continue reading I repeat, two times

Photographer Robert Jackson won a Pulitzer Prize for his photo of Lee Harvey Oswald being shot, on 25thNov 1963. In the picture, Oswald is accompanied by and handcuffed to detective Jim Leavelle, who, in a pale suit and hat, glares at the assassin. James Leavelle, detective, born 23 Aug 1920, died 29 Aug 2019. Continue reading Leavelle

Testing, testing, I’m going to be broadcasting on the radio. Melissa McCarthy’s View from a Shark is on Resonance 104.4 FM from Monday 16thSept 2019 at 6:15pm. Go via the link to listen to all episodes so far. Continue reading Radio on

Here’s Andy Martin writing about rejuvenation of the coral reefs, and cleverly slipping in a big-up for Sharks, Death, Surfers: An Illustrated Companion. Continue reading name-checking

Syndicated report on this Sharks vs Vampires event from 29th May 2019. Continue reading the back pages

Peggy Lipton, born 30 August 1946, died 11 May 2019, actor. Mother of the comparably-gorgeous Rashida Jones. “He was a great kisser but that was about it,” said Lipton of her one-time boyfriend Elvis Presley. I was watching Twin Peaks: the Return the other night on my computer, and the end credits rolled, as they do, listing the names of the actors who had appeared in … Continue reading Peggy Lipton

So, fair! (and foul a day I have not seen, as Macbeth almost says.*) Miss Read: the Berlin art book fair takes place at the  Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, on 3, 4 and 5th May 2019. Miss Read is: “dedicated to building community and creating a public meeting place for discourse around artists’ books, conceptual publications and publishing as practice.” I’ll be there, on … Continue reading art book fairs

Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour), guitarist, born 4 May 1937, died 16 March 2019. Continue reading Dale