A review of a book about Romans and how they walked.

The intriguing aspect is perhaps speaking of the noble gait rather than the noble bearing of a man.  A feminine walk, a masculine work.  That would be an interesting thing to put into a work, and tricky to convey.  Though I don't think it would serve a purpose other than making the world very different, it would certainly do that.

In colonial America, court was often held actually in the tavern -- though they did have rooms to conduct it in.

In imperial Rome despite the stupendous cost, saffron was used to dye hair blond.  (Blond hair wigs, from German or Gallic slaves, were easier.)

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The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage

All about the telegraph.  Starting with the optical telegraph, widely used in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth -- mostly by government.

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Keeping a story going in a straight line is not a good idea.  Even on a microlevel, it should keep doubling back, surprising the reader.

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Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? — J. R. R. Tolkien

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One of the problems of the settings - brought up by rhinemouse-- is that such locations ought to be superlative, as ought their inhabitants.  Angels and devils tend to be quite inadequate.

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"First he had a little soup and then he had a little tea.  Then he wound his watch and said now he was done with time and had to turn to eternity."

I quote from memory, but this particular description of a death bed neatly encapsulates the problem with using Heaven or Hell as locations, because stories are wed to time, because they are wed to change.

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"In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter: and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."

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A Just Determination by John G. Hemry

If you see it in the bookstore nowadays, you will see in font as big if not bigger Jack Campbell.  This is because he didn't sell well enough under his own name -- I don't know why -- and had to resort to a pseudonym.  It worked, and now he's getting reissued.

Ensign Paul Sinclair, newly assigned to the space ship Michaelson, arrives there to take up his duties, and get the collateral duty, among others, of legal officer.  Which means that after he has met the captain and been thoroughly less than impressed with his character, he gets the job of reviewing their orders and the vast discretion the captain has under them.

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