About

“I've always wanted to get as far as possible from the place where I was born. Far both geographically and spiritually. To leave it behind ... I feel that life is very short and the world is there to see and one should know as much about it as possible. One belongs to the whole world, not just one part of it.” ~ Paul Bowles (1910-1999)

This blog (currently on semi-hiatus) is intended to be a journal of thoughts and impressions gleaned from my travels, from my reading, and from my writing and research projects - it's an exploration in the most personal sense of the word, and of the world at large.

My name is Tim Chamberlain. I am interested in historical research and travel writing. If I'm not lost in a library or buried in a bookshop somewhere, you'll most likely find me in a queue waiting to board an aeroplane.

I'm from London, but now based in Tokyo. For many years I travelled the world for the British Museum, working in museums in a variety of different countries and continents. I hold a BSc in Anthropology from the University of East London (1997), an MA in World History (2014), and a PhD in History (2025), from Birkbeck College, University of London. Click the 'Research' tab above to find out more about my academic interests.

I'm a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. My other blog is: Shinobazu Pond 俳句

Dr Tim Chamberlain | Historian