Queen Victoria's journals came online a few weeks ago (thanks to Shooting Victoria for the heads-up.) The entry in which the Queen writes about seeing Oxford try to shoot her, and her complete lack of fear - it didn't even occur to her when the gun went off that it was meant for her - is here.

I suppose one shouldn't promote the competition. But I've just received my copy of Paul Thomas Murphy's Shooting Victoria, which looks at all the people who shot at, wrote rude letters to and whacked her Majesty over the head, and it looks great. A huge enterprise to do them all and Murphy's book is more concerned with the Queen herself and the wider picture - he said to me in an email that he leaves Oxford at the gates of Bedlam and so he does, so the fascinating second half of his life isn't in that book - but I admire his scholarship and I'm really excited about reading the story of all the "assassins" without having to do the archival legwork! In other developments, the manuscript is rolling along - I am reviewing Arcade's changes and we are getting serious about images and design and publication dates - and although there are plenty of distractions, the book itself - A Walking Shadow is starting to look like a reality.