Not sure what I'd so with a notebook other than swat flies. If I want a break I'd rather go down to Stage Harbor and talk boats.

It's better than 9 to 5 because I'm my own boss so I can take off when I want to, and the dress code is non-existent and the commute is terrific.

In the end their appeal is not necessarily the history, but the quality of the story-telling, and a good story transcends national boundaries.

The discrepancy is entirely based, I think, on the fact that I write best when I'm writing about what I know, and that is British history.