Today I talked to Philip Freeman about his new book Julian: Rome’s Last Pagan Emperor (Yale UP, 2023). Flavius Claudius Julianus, or Julian the Apostate, ruled Rome as sole emperor for just a year and a half, from 361 to 363, but during that time he turned the world upside down. Although a nephew of Constantine the Great, the first Christian empero…

In The Enemy in Italian Renaissance Epic: Images of Hostility from Dante to Tasso (University of Delaware Press, 2019), Andrea Moudarres examines influential works from the literary canon of the Italian Renaissance, arguing that hostility consistently arises from within political or religious entities. In Dante's Divine Comedy, Luigi Pulci's Morgan…

A Twist in the Tail: How the Humble Anchovy Flavoured Western Cuisine (Hurst, 2024) by Christopher Beckman takes readers on a tantalising voyage through European and American gastronomic history, following the trail of a small but mighty fish: the anchovy. Whether in ubiquitous Roman garum, mass-produced British condiments, elaborate French haute c…

On Episode 185 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie wrap their heads around the incredible ending to Lake Champlain and get prepped for wild week at the St. Lawrence River where AOY, ROY and Classic spots finalize.By B.A.S.S.

Tens of thousands of Italian civilians perished in the Allied bombing raids of World War II. More of them died after the Armistice of September 1943 than before, when the air attacks were intended to induce Italy’s surrender. Allied Air Attacks and Civilian Harm in Italy, 1940–1945 (Routledge, 2023) addresses this seeming paradox, by examining the …

In Automotive Empire: How Cars and Roads Fueled European Colonialism in Africa (Cornell University Press, 2024), Dr. Andrew Denning uncovers how roads and vehicles began to transform colonial societies across Africa but rarely in the manner Europeans expected. Like seafaring ships and railroads, automobiles and roads were more than a mode of transp…

Across the vast expanse of the Roman Empire, anxieties about childbirth tied individuals to one another, to the highest levels of imperial politics, even to the movements of the stars. Birthing Romans: Childbearing and Its Risks in Imperial Rome (Princeton UP, 2024) sheds critical light on the diverse ways pregnancy and childbirth were understood, …

On Episode 184 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, Ronnie and Kyle catch up after a few weeks away from the pod and the duo chat about the St. Clair Open, ICAST and what will happen at Lake Champlain? Based on recent tournament results, including the B.A.S.S. Nation event, largemouth have re-emerged as a possible factor for the Lake Champlain event. …

The Christianization of Knowledge in Late Antiquity: Intellectual and Material Transformations (Cambridge UP, 2023) traces the beginning of Late Antiquity from a new angle. Shifting the focus away from the Christianization of people or the transformation of institutions, Mark Letteney interrogates the creation of novel and durable structures of kno…

In recent decades, the study of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, has been revolutionized by new approaches and more sophisticated models for how its society and state operated. No longer looked upon as a pale facsimile of classical Rome, Byzantium is now considered a vigorous state of its own, inheritor of many of Rome's features,…

For over thirty years, modern Italy was plagued by ransom kidnappings perpetrated by bandits and organised crime syndicates. Nearly 700 men, women, and children were abducted from across the country between the late 1960s and the late 1990s, held hostage by members of the Sardinian banditry, Cosa Nostra, and the ’Ndrangheta. Subjected to harsh capt…

Anthony Di Renzo's Pasquinades: Essays from Rome's Famous Talking Statue (Cayuga Lake Books, 2023) is the most audacious guide to Rome you will ever read. Pasquino, the city’s witty talking statue, will introduce you to the gallant heroes and grotesque villains, humble peddlers and flamboyant nobles, whores and saints and movie stars who have reign…

Grounded in new archival research documenting a significant presence of foreign and racially-marked individuals in Medici Florence, Voice, Slavery, and Race in Seventeenth-Century Florence (Oxford University Press, 2024) by Dr. Emily Wilbourne argues for the relevance of such individuals to the history of Western music and for the importance of sou…

On Episode 183 of the Inside Bassamster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie talk with the brand new Largemouth Record holder for New York. Jim Britenbaugh caught a bass weighing 12.35 at Cayuga to break the 1987 record. Jim joins the show with friends Dave and Lenny who helped him on his biggest day as a fisherman! #bassmaster #podcast #sta…

On Episode 182 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie dish their thoughts on this weeks Bassmaster OPEN at Lake St. Clair and touch on Taku Ito's big victory at Smith Lake a few weeks ago. #podcast #fishing #bassmasterBy B.A.S.S.

Karine Varley's book Vichy's Double Bind: French Collaboration between Hitler and Mussolini during the Second World War (Cambridge UP, 2023) advances a significant new interpretation of French collaboration during the Second World War. Arguing that the path to collaboration involved not merely Nazi Germany but Fascist Italy, it suggests that the Vi…

Christine Wohar talks about Finding Frassati: And Following His Path to Holiness (EWTN, 2021), her book about Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. The book is a biography, hagiography, and delightful conversation about the participation of the Communion of Saints in our lives and how can join hands with them in our daily lives. Like many of us, Bl. Pier …

During the fourteenth century in Western Europe, there was a growing interest in imitating the practices of a group of hermits known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Laypeople and religious alike learned about their rituals not only through readings from the Vitae Patrum (Lives of the Desert Fathers) and sermons but also through the images that b…

On Episode 181 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie breakdown the action from the Lake Eufaula Bassmaster Open over the weekend and they jump into the final southern fishery for the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series season. Stop 7 for the Elites hits Smith Lake in Cullman, AL where the Elite Series has never visited since…

Sino-Italian Political and Economic Relations: From the Treaty of Friendship to the Second World War (Routledge, 2024) presents a comprehensive narrative and historical analysis of the political and economic relations between China and Italy from the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce signed in October 1866 to the Second World War. Utilizing primary…

Italy's resurrection from 20 years of fascism, three years of war, and two years of civil war is one of the 20th century's great, under-told stories. It's a history of a decade of clashes and compromises between two mass movements - Communism and Christian Democracy - backed offstage by two superpowers. Above all, it's about the party management of…

On Episode 179 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie discuss the 6th stop of the Elite Series season which takes place at Wheeler Lake. With just four events left in the 2024 season, the Classic cutline pressure grows. #bassmaster #fishing #podcast 0:00 - Elites head to Wheeler, lets preview 23:45 - B&W Trailer Hitche…

Joseph A. Skloot joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, First Impressions: Sefer hasimdim and Early Modern Hebrew Printing (Brandeis UP, 2023). First Impressions uncovers the history of creative adaptation and transformation through a close analysis of the creation of the Sefer Hasidim book. In 1538, a partnership of Jewish silk makers in the…

How was the Roman way of war unique, and what were the virtues that defined the Roman Republic? Are there lessons for modern Republics from the Roman one? Annika sits down with 2022-2023 James Madison Program Garwood Visiting Fellow Dr. Steele Brand, a professor of history and director of the Politics, Philosophy, and History Program at Cairn Unive…

On Episode 178 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie catch up after a few weeks away and then talk with High School, College and Opens star Tucker Smith. Smith talks about big moments in his fishing career so far, does he love fishing and what Aaron Martens meant to him growing up. 0:00 - Ronnie and Kyle catch up 22:0…

On Episode 177 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie preview the 5th event of the 2024 Elite Series at Lake Murray. The duo breakdown what is expected, what has happened in the past and some anglers to consider for your Fantasy Fishing lineups. They also cover the Bassmaster Open at Logan Martin last weekend and updat…

On Episode 176 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie discuss the anglers who have showcased enormous skill but haven't quite gotten to the household name level to receive consistent recognition. #bassmaster #podcast #fishing 0:00 - Who is underrated? 13:15 - Matt Arey 32:00 - Brandon Card 54:15 - Reaction…

On Episode 175 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie preview the 4th stop of the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens season at Logan Martin Lake. One-third of the season is in the books and after this event, almost half the year will be in the books meaning the Tackle Warehouse EQ Points Race is heating up. The crew answe…

On Episode 174 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie go over the Florida Swing and how Cory Johnston's dominant performance jumped into the record books. Also, John Garrett's Harris Chain victory put him into elite company. #bassmaster #podcast #fishingBy B.A.S.S.

On Episode 173 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie echo congratulations to John Garrett on his victory at the Harris Chain and then jump straight into the St. Johns River and what we should expect for stop four of the season. #bassmaster #podcast #stjohnsriverBy B.A.S.S.

Why and how local coffee bars in Italy--those distinctively Italian social and cultural spaces--have been increasingly managed by Chinese baristas since the Great Recession of 2008? Italians regard espresso as a quintessentially Italian cultural product--so much so that Italy has applied to add Italian espresso to UNESCO's official list of intangib…

Brandon Card hopped on a call with Ronnie Moore to breakdown the conditions and changes anglers will face this week on the Harris Chain after Day 1 was postponed and the tournament now runs Friday to Monday (still 4 days). #bassmaster #fishing #podcastBy B.A.S.S.

On Episode 172 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie give a rundown of the third stop of the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series season. The Elites head to the Harris Chain, which is a body of water rooted in B.A.S.S. history, but only has 3 prior Elite Series visits and far more events at the High School, College, Opens and…

Although we often think of friendship today as an indisputable value of human social life, for thinkers and writers across late mediaeval Christian society friendship raised a number of social and ethical dilemmas that needed to be carefully negotiated. On Amistà: Negotiating Friendship in Dante’s Italy (University of Toronto Press, 2023) analyses …

In recent decades, the study of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, has been revolutionized by new approaches and more sophisticated models for how its society and state operated. No longer looked upon as a pale facsimile of classical Rome, Byzantium is now considered a vigorous state of its own, inheritor of many of Rome's features,…

On Episode 171 of the Inside Bassmaster Podcast, hosts Ronnie Moore and Kyle Jessie talk with Cody Huff, 3rd place finisher at the 2024 Bassmaster Classic. The trio talk about the state of fishing, how Huff caught them at Grand Lake, the positive impact of college fishing and the disappointment that has derived from Forward Facing Sonar conversatio…