MAT COWARD tells the extraordinary story of the second world war Spitfire pilot who became Britain’s most famous Stalag escaper, was awarded an MBE, mentored a generation of radio writers and co-founded a hardline Marxist-Leninist party
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Mat Coward
Generous helpings of Hawaiian pidgin, rather good jokes, and dodging the impostors
MAT COWARD tells the story of Edward Maxted, whose preaching of socialism led to a ‘peasants’ revolt’ in the weeks running up to the first world war
Reasonable radicalism, death in Abu Dhabi, locked-room romance, and sleuthing in the Blitz
Edinburgh can take great pride in an episode of its history where a murderous captain of the city guard was brought to justice by a righteous crowd — and nobody snitched to Westminster in the aftermath, writes MAT COWARD
Well, MAT COWARD did, and here’s his introduction to it
MAT COWARD introduces the creator of the Good Food Guide, communist and crime fiction writer – Raymond Postgate
High quality pulp, rollicking online murders, Abnorman Britain, and high skates drama: reviews of The Get Off, Everyone In The Group Chat Dies, Pagans and First To Fall
A no-nonsense ex-Garda female cop, Scandi-noir’s newest flawed hero, the lure of Aussie gold, and unexpected decency in Silicon valley
MAT COWARD recalls the occasion when the first man in space paid a visit to our shores in 1961
It’s a dead easy crop to grow and can be made into one of Britain’s best sauces. MAT COWARD explains how
MAT COWARD looks at the personal ideology of a man as concerned with the psychology of inventing as with inventing itself, whose ideas about education – and contributions to the war effort against the Nazis – live on
MAT COWARD battles wayward pigeons in pursuit of a crop of purple sprouting broccoli
Despite his wealthy background and membership of a secretive aristocratic occult club, the radical politician forged an alliance with the working class to fight for democracy and free speech against the Georgian elite, writes MAT COWARD
MAT COWARD offers a roll call of refuseniks – some for political reasons, others for quirky reasons of their own
Charles Dickens was facing a return to the destitution that had blighted his childhood, and it was this which drove him to write the remarkable best-seller which changed the politics of Christmas forever, writes MAT COWARD
From swimming pool soviets to piano factory occupations, early 20th-century radical organiser Lillian Thring chose street battles and mass action over the electoral path, writes MAT COWARD
MAT COWARD offers invaluable advice on which type to grow according to flavour preferences, size of you pocket, timing and plant reliability
A crucial part of the war effort, the Home Guard, was launched partly due to the influence of Tom Wintringham, a revolutionary communist with a passion for DIY grenades and guerilla warfare, writes MAT COWARD
MAT COWARD explores how the ‘Tory-Radical’ Christian minister became a fiery opponent of the Poor Law, advocating armed resistance against its brutal cruelty against the emerging working class
Daring Scottish gothic, a murderer in their midst, the best spy story of the year and a classic list of clues
Taking up social work after being widowed transformed a Victorian liberal into a lifelong fighter for causes as wide-ranging as Sinn Fein and Indian independence to the right of women to drink in pubs, writes MAT COWARD
MAT COWARD declares this plant to be one that ‘everyone should grow’
From aristocratic upbringing to undercover communist courier and finally respected labour historian, MAT COWARD chronicles how personal tragedy and socialist conviction shaped an extraordinary activist’s journey
From the conundrums of a parallel London to a rewilding project in rural Ireland via a disturbing post-plagues world mystery thrives
MAT COWARD takes us back 230 years to the inglorious era of George III and a treasonous plan by the London Corresponding Society, in which all was not as it seemed…
MAT COWARD traces how ill health and voracious reading transformed a military man into the Father of Reform, championing American independence, universal suffrage and secret ballots against Establishment resistance
MAT COWARD unearths Gustav Holst’s radical roots, from meetings at William Morris’s house to pamphlet-printing and agitation with the Red Vicar of Thaxted — and laments that he is remembered today for the entirely wrong reason
Despite being tasty and nutritious, this root veg did not fit into the capitalist mould, so never won the popularity of the more durable potato, writes MAT COWARD
MAT COWARD tells the story of how rising food prices in 1800 sparked six days of protests at the Corn Exchange, as Londoners demanded affordable food and challenged mind-bogglingly stupid government policies about bread
MAT COWARD resurrects the radical spirit of early Labour’s overlooked matriarch, whose tireless activism and financial support laid the foundations for the party’s early success
MAT COWARD looks at how the bicycle helped spread socialist education and the holiday camp was invented for the benefit of the working class
MAT COWARD introduces a remarkable radical publisher and his remarkable manifesto
MAT COWARD recalls a time when imaginative employment of newsreels helped secure a memorable victory for an industrial action by the chainmakers
MAT COWARD recommends growing Alpine strawberries, which have a stronger flavour than their larger cousins, but which are happily unappealing to slugs and birds
MAT COWARD delves into the riots that saw ex-soldiers ransack a banquet, commandeer a piano and torch the town hall, enraged by tone-deaf officials’ elitist armistice celebrations
From seed to sumptuous spears, MAT COWARD offers advice to gardeners with less-than-ideal conditions
Steampunk Victoriana, time travel and Martian nativism
MAT COWARD recommends any variety of the hardy plant, both decorative and edible, that only needs watering a few days after planting
Previously staple of all our gardens, the neglected marrow is making a culinary comeback, offering versatile flavours and textures when picked and prepared properly – so let your courgettes live large, writes MAT COWARD
Red cabbage is a high-maintenance crop but worth the effort, says MAT COWARD
Japan’s post-war secrets; a missing journalist; courtroom face-off; and a killer cop
MAT COWARD explains the preparation needed this month for the moisture-loving marshland plant
MAT COWARD wonders what is to be done in an election year when the options for socialists appear so utterly dismal
MAT COWARD looks at some of the more interesting options for gardeners available for order now for planting in the new year
A crime wave like no other includes narratives from JL Blackhurst, Stella Blomkvist, Linwood Barclay, Chris Nickson
An impertinent detective, bereavement and vengeance in New York, an eye on the Lakes, and a Welsh Blair Witch
Versatile Japanese greens are best sown now for an autumn harvest, says MAT COWARD
This adaptable native of the Himalayas is rich in vitamin K which gives the liver a helping hand. Here are MAT COWARD tips for successful growing
Literate Marxists, surgical prose, lifelike Highlanders and a body on the beach
MAT COWARD recommends planting basil if you are worried about a washout or a heatwave this summer
Patricide, double identity, surveillance paranoia and an all-female crime ring that has the air of an instant classic
Underfunded cops, sleight of hand, murder qualifications and fascist infidelity
Skeletons in cupboards, futuristic Sophocles and the hell that awaits hereditary wealth
Lawyers, hoodlums, spy-cops and driverless cars: new titles from Mercedes Rosende, John Fairfax, Joe Thomas and Linwood Barclay
MAT COWARD reviews some of the latest veg to try growing in the cold months
New titles from Ace Atkins, TM Logan, Chris Nickson and Helen Monks Takhar
Ready now for a spring harvest rich in naturally high in fibre, B-vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients. MAT COWARD provides all advice you need
Much of a gardener’s time in August, especially one as hot as this, is spent watering — but how much of that time is useful and how much is wasted? MAT COWARD has the answers
Want to grow awesome potatoes and tomatoes? MAT COWARD has a suggestion
with Mat Coward
From planting them deeper and watering them less than you might expect, MAT COWARD gives us the secrets to conquering tomato trouble
New titles from Louise Hare, Christobel Kent, Cate Ray and Peter Lovesey
New titles from Alex Gray, Paul Finch, Christopher Fowler and Robert Gold
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Gardening with MAT COWARD
New titles from Michelle Davies, Linwood Barclay, Mari Hannah and Louise Jensen
New titles from Dan Abnett & INJ Culbard, JT Nicholas, WM Cleese and Ally Wilkes
There are always new variants and varieties you won’t have heard of, from disease-resistant leeks to blue potatoes. To find them, look in seed catalogues, recommends MAT COWARD
New titles from Seraphina Nova Glass, Hansjorg Schneider, Chris Nickson and Liza Cody
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Reviews of Suburban Dicks by Fabian Nicieza, The Anatomy Of Desire by LR Dorn, The Turnout by Megan Abbott, and Rider on the Rain by Sebastien Japrisot
Reviews of Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan, The Basel Killings by Hansjorg Schneider, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix and The Crooked Shore by Martin Edwards
Reviews of The Cottingley Cuckoo by AJ Elwood, Artifact Space by Miles Cameron and The Caduca by Elaine Graham-Leigh
Reviews of The Perfect Guests by Emma Rousa, Confess to Me by Sharon Doering, Leave the Lights On by Egan Hughes and Highland Fling by Sara Sheridan
by Mat Coward
Gardening with MAT COWARD
Reviews of Pretty Things by Janelle Brown, How to Kidnap the Rich by Rahul Raina, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by TA Willberg and Guilty by Siobhan MacDonald
April is the time to get planting a crop of scorzonera, says MAT COWARD