Please Expand

by Ahilleas Rokni

Please Expand is a podcast where I discuss non-fiction books with their authors. But Please Expand is not just about summaries; it's about conversations. I go into every episode having read each book in great detail and having reflected on the fundamental assumptions, foundations and questions with which the book grapples. If you, like me, have finished a book with burning questions that only the author could answer, then Pleas... Read more

Podcast episodes

  • Season 2

  • S02 E04 - Princes of the Renaissance with Mary Hollingsworth

    S02 E04 - Princes of the Renaissance with Mary Hollingsworth

    In this episode, I interview Mary Hollingsworth on her new book, Princes of the Renaissance. We begin by talking about just what exactly the Renaissance was and how it developed differently across the Italian peninsula. Then, we d...

    01:20:17
  • S02 E03 - Conquistadores: A New History with Fernando Cervantes

    S02 E03 - Conquistadores: A New History with Fernando Cervantes

    In this episode I interview Fernando Cervantes, author of "Conquistadores", where we discuss his new interpretation of the conquest of the Americas. By placing figures like Columbus and Cortes in their proper historical context, F...

    56:19
  • S02 E02 - America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present with John Ghazvinian

    S02 E02 - America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present with John Ghazvinian

    In this episode I interview John Ghazvinian, author of "American and Iran", where we talk about the surprising history of American-Iranian relations by beginning in 1720, and continue all the way through the circuitous and, someti...

    59:24
  • S02 E01 - Time's Witness with Rosemary Hill

    S02 E01 - Time's Witness with Rosemary Hill

    In this episodes we talk about an obscure group of professionals called "Antiquaries" ,whose intellectual activities became increasingly relevant in the period from 1789 -1851. We discuss the changing self-image of the English; th...

    01:08:16
  • Season 1

  • S01 E05 - The History of the Bible with John Barton

    S01 E05 - The History of the Bible with John Barton

    I interview John Barton on “The History of the Bible: The Book and its Faiths”, with my guest J. A. Velasco. We grapple with some challenging issues surround the Bible. We discuss problems surrounding the authorship of the various...

    55:13