Cultural

Ian Hargreaves traces the origins, and deplores the impact, of the unholy alliance between public relations and politics, business and journalism.

British reaction to the French tragedy at sea immortalised in Géricault’s masterpiece The Raft of the Medusa.

Richard Carwardine describes the new library dedicated to Abraham Lincoln.

Matthew Stewart discusses Peter Weir's 1981 cinematic tour de force, and what it tells us about the ANZAC myth.

Simon Lemieux examines the hard facts about the Inquisition and counters the common caricature.

The essay entitled 'How important was the press in the desacralisation of the French monarchy in 1789?', by Olivia Grant of St Paul's Girls' School, was awarded the Julia Wood Prize out of 136 entries. An edited version appears below; a second award was made to Richard Eschwege of City of London School for an essay on Pope Gregory VII.

John M.D. Pohl reviews recent scholarship about the empire swept away by Cortes.

Janet Vitmayer previews the new Music Gallery at the Horniman which is due to open this winter.

Michael Paris describes the film record of the North African victory, and how the footage represents a tour de force in terms of wartime documentary and national effort.

Craig Clunas considers what we can learn of the society of Ming China by looking at how paintings were used as gifts.