

Better Known
Ivan Wise
Each week, a guest makes a series of recommendations of things which they think should be better known. Our recommendations include interesting people, places, objects, stories, experiences and ideas which our guest feels haven't had the exposure that they deserve.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 20, 2020 • 27min
Johnnie Boden
Johnnie Boden, the founder of Boden, discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Johnnie Boden founded Boden in 1991 with eight menswear products, sold through a catalogue hand-drawn on his kitchen table. As ambitious as he was, he couldn't have imagined that the fashion line bearing his name would become a multi-million-pound global business producing a huge range of clothes for every member of the family.
The success of the business - which last year chalked up 2.5 million customers worldwide and sales of over £350 million - is all the more impressive given that Johnnie started out with no fashion training. He had, however, spent much of his teens hunting down vintage tweed overcoats and Converse high-tops in Portobello Road, and cut his teeth as Men s Fashion Editor of Harpers & Queen s teenage edition in August 1977.
After graduating from Oxford, Johnnie fell into a job as stockbroker. An overseas posting to New York in 1988 opened his eyes to how well Americans operated in the mail-order market for top-quality basics - and, more importantly, how the UK was failing to compete.
In 2017, Boden opened its first central London flagship shop on the King's Road. Boden's stylish range of clothing and accessories are available to buy via catalogue in the UK, USA, Germany, France, Australia and Austria, and online - trading in over 60 countries with more than 1000 employees across all markets.
Greek wine https://www.botilia.gr/en/botilia/greek-wine
Fashion illustration https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/importance-of-fashion-illustration
Antique buying in regional sale rooms https://antique-marks.com/antique-auction-houses.html
Lemon juice and olive oil https://www.seloolive.com/blogs/olive-oil/olive-oil-and-lemon
Choral music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLkX3g58vT8
Majella national park in Italy https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/apr/19/walking-majella-national-park-italy
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Sep 13, 2020 • 28min
Caroline Eden
Caroline Eden discusses with Ivan six things which she thinks should be better known.
Caroline Eden is a writer and critic contributing to the Guardian, Financial Times and the Times Literary Supplement. In 2020, she was awarded the prestigious Art of Eating Prize. She is the author of two food and travel books, Samarkand (2016) and Black Sea (2018). Her new
book, Red Sands, looking at the food and culture of Central Asia, will be out in November 2020. You can follow her @edentravels on Twitter and Instagram.
Kazakhstan as a destination https://www.journalofnomads.com/places-to-visit-in-kazakhstan/
Cornucopia magazine http://www.cornucopia.net
Sea buckthorn as an ingredient http://www.missfoodwise.com/2018/10/sea-buckthorn-berries-various-ways-kitchen.html/
Sanmao https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/stories-of-the-sahara-9781408881880/
Roz Chast https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/roz-chast
Gaye Su Akyol https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/nov/02/gaye-su-akyol-istikrarli-hayal-hakikattir-review-turkish-star-deserves-big-things
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Sep 6, 2020 • 29min
Adam Hart-Davis
Adam Hart-Davis discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Adam Hart-Davis is a freelance writer and lecturer – former presenter on television of Local Heroes, Tomorrow’s World, What the Romans (and others) Did for Us, How London was Built, and many other series. He has collected various awards for both television and radio, as well as four medals and 14 honorary doctorates.
He has read several books, and written about 35, most of them about science and history. He spends a lot of time hacking at green wood, making chairs, tables, bowls, and spoons
He is a member of many associations, including the Association of Pole-lathe Turners, and the British Toilet Association.
He lectures on diverse subjects, from Toilets and history to Are we alone in the universe? and has given more than 100 talks, to audiences ranging from The Royal Society, The Royal Institution, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to schools, small local history groups, and the captive audiences on cruise ships.
He lives in south Devon with his wife Sue Blackmore, two cats, and four chickens.
Sandy Bain and the fax machine https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/fax/history-of-fax.htm
Colin Pullinger and his mousetrap https://www.inventricity.com/local-heroes-colin-pullinger
The skating stones of Racetrack Playa https://www.livescience.com/37492-sailing-stones-death-valley-moving-rocks.html
The short stories of Somerset Maugham https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n24/miranda-carter/no-more-alimony-tra-la-la
Fibonacci's rabbits https://plus.maths.org/content/fibonacci-sequence-brief-introduction
If you haven't tested it, it doesn't work https://www.kguttag.com/2013/08/10/if-you-havent-tested-it-it-doesnt-work/
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Aug 30, 2020 • 28min
Jini Reddy
Author Jini Reddy discusses with Ivan six things which she thinks should be better known.
Jini Reddy’s most recent book Wanderland has been shortlisted for the 2020 Wainwright Prize. The prize celebrates the best in UK travel and nature writing. Her first book Wild Times was published in 2016. It won the book prize at the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards 2017. You can follow her @Jini_Reddy on Twitter and @jinireddy20 on Instagram.
Time Travel novels https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Octavia-E-Butler/Kindred--The-ground-breaking-masterpiece/21900895
Slow cycling https://canalrivertrustwaterfront.org.uk/nature/slow-cycling/
Inspiring ways to support refugees and asylum seekers
https://www.fencesandfrontiers.org/, https://justbreadlondon.com/, www.journeysfestival.com, www.choose.love, https://www.migrateful.org/
ASMR www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2jytrd?xtor
The unconventional journey https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/wanderland-9781472951939/
The view from Richmond Hill https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/terrace_gardens_richmond
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Aug 27, 2020 • 23min
Office Party
As a bonus episode, in a surprising turn of events, Ivan gets invited to an office summer party via Zoom and is asked to provide some entertainment for the benefit of a group of bewildered colleagues. He discusses with Jacob Cunningham, Angharad Hopkinson and Ezekiel Jacob three things which they think should be better known.
This episode was recorded in front a live audience, but unfortunately they were all on mute.
Fidel Castro's milk obsession https://medium.com/war-is-boring/fidel-castro-s-bizarre-obsession-with-milk-27ce5c258de2
The joy of walking around cemeteries https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/5-cemeteries-you-should-visit-in-london/
Folk metal https://www.villagevoice.com/2013/12/18/the-10-best-folk-metal-bands/
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Aug 23, 2020 • 30min
Kris Hollington
Kris Hollington discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Kris Hollington is a bestselling non-fiction author and ghost-writer of over twenty books, mostly covering crime, several of which have been adapted for TV dramas and documentaries and nominated for various awards. In 2017 he won the People’s Book Prize for non-fiction and his latest book, Corrupt Bodies, written with Peter Everett, is currently long-listed for the Crime Writers’ Association prize for non-fiction. Kris is also a dedicated street photographer (www.shootitagain.com and @krishollington) and freestyle BMX-er.
The Essays of David Foster Wallace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI and https://harpers.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf
The joy of extreme sports in middle age https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m28nJEevCZw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NcOSK6q8Oc
The assassinations of Alfred Herrhausen and Detlev Rohwedder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Herrhausen and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detlev_Karsten_Rohwedder
The Anti-snore backpack https://www.independent.co.uk/news/silent-night-ordered-as-army-attacks-snorers-1120249.html
Hawksley Workman http://hawksleyworkman.com/
Harold Feinstein https://www.haroldfeinstein.com/documentary/
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Aug 16, 2020 • 30min
Dorian Lynskey
Author Dorian Lynskey discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Dorian Lynskey is an author and journalist who writes about music, politics, film and books for publications including the Guardian, the Observer, GQ, Billboard and the New Statesman. He is the author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs (Faber, 2011) and The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 (Picador, 2019). He also hosts the Remainiacs and Bunker podcasts. Find out more at www.dorianlynskey.com.
EL Doctorow https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2012/05/24/faulkner-as-i-lay-dying/
Regina Spektor https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/night-life/regina-spektor
Quiz Show https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/dec/14/quiz-show-robert-redford
The 1910s magazine The Masses https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=themasses
Broad City https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/apr/14/broad-city-comedy-genius
Hiroshima as a destination https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/hiroshima-jpn-cg-hiro.htm
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Aug 9, 2020 • 30min
Jack Gilpin
Actor Jack Gilpin discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Jack Gilpin is an American actor and Episcopal priest. He currently stars in television drama series Billions and has previously performed in Succession and Law & Order. He has acted in many films including Quiz Show, Mulan and Adventureland.
The Bible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sheep_and_the_Goats
Modern poetry https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/152025/an-introduction-to-modernism
The importance of diet https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/healthydiet/healthybalanceddiet.html
The plays of Lanford Wilson https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/theater/lanford-wilson-a-playwright-with-compassion-for-his-characters.html
The music of Arvo Pärt https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/jun/18/arvo-part-contemporary-music-guide
Guidelines for Mutuality https://www.episcopalct.org/Beliefs-and-Practices/guidelines-for-mutuality/
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Aug 2, 2020 • 30min
Richard Askwith
Author Richard Askwith discusses with Ivan six things which he thinks should be better known.
Richard Askwith is author of six books, including the award-winning Feet in the Clouds (about fell-running); Today We Die A Little (an acclaimed biography of the Czechoslovak runner Emil Zátopek); and, most recently, Unbreakable: The Countess, the Nazis and the World’s Most Dangerous Horse Race, which won Biography of the Year at the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards. A former executive editor of The Independent, he has been a journalist for forty years and continues to earn much of his living from freelance feature-writing.
Milada Horáková https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/long-reads/milada-horakova-czech-republic-communist-era-show-trial-a9517401.html
La Commune https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/03/movies/film-review-it-s-paris-in-1871-and-you-are-there.html
The rich recreational potential of mud https://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Free-Runners-Journey-Nature/dp/0224091964
Sortition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortition
Frances Horovitz https://www.bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/category/frances-horovitz
Lata Brandisová https://www.telegraph.co.uk/racing/2019/03/03/greatest-sports-story-never-told-woman-defied-nazis-win-toughest/
Bubbling under: Charles Webb https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/06/charles-webb-obituary
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Jul 26, 2020 • 27min
Louise Gray
Journalist and author Louise Gray discusses with Ivan six things which she thinks should be better known.
Louise Gray is the author of The Ethical Carnivore which discusses the ethics of meat by only eating animals she had killed herself. She was previously environment correspondent of The Daily Telegraph.
Squirrel Kebabs https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ethical-Carnivore-Year-Killing-Eat/dp/1472933109/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Climate change acronyms https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/7572765/UN-process-under-fire-at-climate-change-talks.html and https://www.ukcop26.org
Corbetts www.bendamph.com
Blue Bananas https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-pandemic-threatening-bananas.html
The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/may/25/gastronomical-me-mfk-fisher-review
Canntaireachd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_b1hNtbsdI
Bubbling under: The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Castle
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