Books of All Time

19/04/2026

second episode on The Book of Job looks at three reactions to the work.
😱William Blake’s illustrations for The Book of Job (1780—1823), which were produced in several media for various patrons
😱Franz Kafka’s The Trial (1925), which has a similar air of oppression and unattainable justice
😱Carl Jung’s Answer to Job (1952), in which the famed psychologist puts God on the couch

23/03/2026

NEW EPISODE! This week we take our last turn through the Hebrew Bible with a look at The Book of Job (c. 540-330 BCE). Part folktale, part dialogue, this story grapples with the problem of how bad things can happen to good people in a world that’s supposedly ruled by a just and caring God. Listen now wherever you get podcasts!

26/12/2025

NEW (GUEST) EPISODE! .judson visited the to discuss everyone’s favourite Egyptologist with host John Roderick. Listen now wherever pods are cast!

26/12/2025

Hey listeners! Rose Judson’s guest appearance on the Omnibus podcast is out today! Listen to her discuss E.A. Wallis Budge with host John Roderick now:

History Podcast · Updated weekly · Every week, Ken Jennings and John Roderick add a new entry to the OMNIBUS, an encyclopedic reference work of strange-but-true stories that they are compiling as a time capsule for future generations.

07/12/2025

NEW EPISODE! Join us as we dive into the Ramayana, one of the great Sanskrit-language epics, which began to take shape as a written poem around 350 BCE (but was likely composed far earlier as an oral poem). It follows the life of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya and avatar of the god Vishnu, as he’s sent into exile and then has to do battle with a demon-king to save his beloved wife Sita. Listen now wherever you get podcasts!

07/12/2025

NEW EPISODE! Join us as we cover the Ramayana, one of two enormous Sanskrit-language epics from India. The Ramayana is attributed to a poet named Valmiki, and began to be written down around 350 BCE (but is likely much older than that). Consisting of 48,000 lines of poetry, the Ramayana is four times as long as Homer's Iliad, and frankly, a lot more fun. Get stuck in with a tale full of fabulous cities, formidable jungles, giant eagles, fierce and crafty demons, bold princesses, and one amazing monkey: Hanuman, god of strength and self-discipline. Listen now wherever you get podcasts!

10/11/2025

This, for the record, is our favourite Socrates meme.

09/11/2025

NEW EPISODE! We wrap up our very prolonged exploration of Plato's work of political philosophy with a meta-episode that looks at pre-Socratic philosophy, the life of Socrates, and that time Plato tried and failed to be an actual political consultant. Listen now wherever podcasts are available!

14/09/2025

It's time to think about thinking, fam. The first of our three-episode series on Plato's Republic (c. 380 BCE) is in feeds now! This philosophical dialogue, which interrogates morality and the nature of the just society, is the founding document of Western political theory. It's basically a record of one of those conversations where people say what they'd do if they were absolute ruler of the world, except one of the people is Socrates and he keeps asking about shoemakers, for some reason. Listen now wherever you get podcasts!

31/08/2025

Apologies for the delay in releasing this episode, but a lizard pooped on our host’s head at a crucial moment in the creative process. This also happened to Socrates once, according to a great playwright. Listen to our episode to learn more! 🦎 🦎🦎💩

20/07/2025

NEW EPISODE! Euripides's plays, including The Trojan Women, include many complex and sympathetic female characters. In this episode, we use Euripides's interest in women as a jumping-off point to look at the real lives of women in Classical Athens during the 5th century BCE.

Or at least, we try to.

Join us on a slightly frustrating journey through the slim evidence for actual Greek women's existence, exploring childhood, marriage, funerals, and the occasional b***y all-girls camping trip. Available at Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you get podcasts!