I am an independent historian with a particular interest in the history of ideas and how knowledge has been transmitted through the centuries. My Ph.D was on libraries in Early Modern Britain, focusing on the organisation and collection of intellectual knowledge, which led me to look at the history of science in a wider context and resulted in The Map of Knowledge, published in February 2019. In 2016 it was awarded the RSL Jerwood Prize for Non-fiction (for a work in progress).

I started my career as a journalist, contributing articles and reviews to The Face, Arena, The Scotsman, Metro Scotland and The List amongst others, covering theatre, art, books, going out, music and culture in general. I lived in Denmark for six years where I worked as an editor and translator, in addition to various branding/research projects. On moving back to the UK, I joined the Bodleian Library as a volunteer – this resulted in being commissioned to write three small books for the Publishing Department. I graduated with MA in Classics and Medieval History and Ph.D in History from the University of Edinburgh. I live in North Buckinghamshire with my husband and our three children.