Some books for the Shakespeare project, including the disputed Edward III, and Haim Yacobi’s new book, Israel and Africa: A Genealogy of Moral Geography, sent by the publisher on Haim’s request. I began reading Haim’s book as soon as it arrived – absolutely fascinating research involving interviews and archives to trace Israel’s links to Africa, and vice versa, through migration, arms and agriculture.

The other books are different editions of texts I’ve already worked through at least once, as I try to find a way to structure what I want to say about Shakespeare’s history plays. Aspects of King John, Henry V, and Henry IV, Part One are definite, and Richard II gets a fuller treatment elsewhere. But the first tetralogy is causing me the most uncertainty. I’m looking forward to the new BBC Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses which is doing the three parts of Henry VI as two films alongside Richard III. I have tickets for Henry V at the RSC in September and Richard II at the Globe later this week, though I’m fairly sure what I’m doing with them.