Tim Heald
Sticky Fingers
Imprint of the Raj: How Fingerprinting Was Born in Colonial India
By Chandak Sengoopta
Macmillan 234pp £15.99
H R F KEATING WROTE an excellent short story about Indian fingerprints, 'The Evidence I Shall Give', which seemed to be all one could possibly need to read about this obscure subject until the appearance of this unusual and meticulous scholarly work.
The history of fingerprinting is complicated and even Chandak Sengoopta is unable to name with absolute certainty the man who unlocked its significance. It could have been a scientist in the US Department of Agriculture in 1877, although Sengoopta is inclined to favour an English colonial civil servant, Sir William
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Knowledge of Sufism increased markedly with the publication in 1964 of The Sufis, by Idries Shah. Nowadays his writings, much like his father’s, are dismissed for their Orientalism and inaccuracy.
@fitzmorrissey investigates who the Shahs really were.
Fitzroy Morrissey - Sufism Goes West
Fitzroy Morrissey: Sufism Goes West - Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah by Nile Green
literaryreview.co.uk
Rats have plagued cities for centuries. But in Baltimore, researchers alighted on one surprising solution to the problem of rat infestation: more rats.
@WillWiles looks at what lessons can be learned from rat ecosystems – for both rats and humans.
Will Wiles - Puss Gets the Boot
Will Wiles: Puss Gets the Boot - Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Twisters features destructive tempests and blockbuster action sequences.
@JonathanRomney asks what the real danger is in Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/eyes-of-the-storm