Histories of Malta – Mysteries and Myths Vol 08 (Paperback)

What they said about Giovanni Bonello’s Histories of Malta Closures and Disclosures – Volume Seven –

The publication is yet another volume of Giovanni Bonello’s Histories of Malta in early December has become an annual event of our cultural calendar. Their great popular success defies the studied ignorance of some professional historians who look down upon them and dismiss them as mere popularisations. Popular and anecdotal they certainly are, but Bonello does have that enviable Midas touch in his literary style that transmutes dull base metal into shining gold. Yet they are built on solid research (how on earth does he find the time?) that all too often enables him to make significant little but important discoveries that had been hitherto overlooked or ignored. What is more he writes in a charmingly attractive style that makes even those who had long turned up their noses at History (with a capital aitch) but his books … and, far more importantly, read them … the bare skeleton which Bonello fills up with the result of his typical searching the by-ways of the unfrequented parts of history, which turn up new connections, most of which he then continues to explore. Louis J.Scerri in The Sunday Times.

The articles in Giovanni Bonello’s new book are as varied as those in the previous six volumes of the Histories of Malta series, ranging from a pioneering history of window glass in Malta and an account of the first Guild of Artists in this country, to the grand guignol of a murder of a Hospitaller nun and a chapter in the history of the Order of St John’s endless history of fighting to establish its identity, in his case symbolized by its logo, the eight-pointed cross I feel sure that Histories 7 will be greeted with as much interest as its predecessors for its sound material, the author’s touch, as light as ever, and the wealth of its images. Paul Xuereb presenting the book.

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti has added the seventh volume of Giovanno Bonello’s impressive list of publications. This latest volume is Patrimonju’s 31st publication is a very worthy successor to its predecessors. Once again, this latest series of Histories contains a wide range of subjects to suit every taste. The Malta Independent.

I can think of a hundred positive adjectives that could easily be applied to Giovanni Bonello’s latest edition of the Histories of Malta series. But the one that keeps coming to mind is “beautiful illustrated”. The only thing that manages to overshadow even such rich material is the erudite text with which is combined. The author has a markedly democratic approach to research: there is no subject that is too insignificant to attract his attention … When investigating characters, he looks for extreme situations. Being a judge of men, Bonello knows that is only under such circumstances that the true face of a man will reveal itself. These are the situtations that stimulate Bonello’s interest and it’s this that sets his work apart from that of others active in this field of research.

Much has been written about the author’s work – enough to fill yet another book – but I feel that this ever-increasing body of work can be simply interpreted as one man’s effort to present a focus version of the history of a country. Through his work, Bonello exposes the subtle shades that render the often hazy picture of history sharper and much more intelligible. Joe Azzopard in Vigilo