Books
Murders for January
Murder mysteries to brighten the winter gloom
Historiography made exciting
A new book from Richard Davenport-Hines makes history interesting and enjoyable
The Saad facts
A spirited but disappointing screed against wokeness
Far from easy reading
The heart of his argument is solid and his insight is inspired
The year in military history
2024 has been a rewarding year for lovers of books and history
Going Rogue
An interesting if unappealingly illustrated reassessment of a neglected style
The city and its uncertain plot
Despite fascinating thematic material to work with, Murakami still makes it ploddingly dull
Are all Christians monks?
George Guiver’s book exudes down-to-earthiness, bordering on irreverence
Murders of 2024
Jeremy Black reviews the best (and worst) murders from the last year
Ageing gracelessly?
A new book on care is filled with empirical insights but short on rhetorical power
Most Read
The Book of JO’B
James O’Brien’s aggressive incuriosity is becoming ever more embattled as his worldview crumbles
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
Thank God for Brexit
The EU is a bureaucratic monster and Britain is better off out
I don’t trust the British state
British institutions simply are not functioning in the interests of the people they are meant to serve
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
What Pullman gets wrong about Narnia
Philip Pullman is more like C.S. Lewis than he might think
A.E. Housman
The poet is less read than he once was but his deep love of England still resonates
A new town versus an old estate
Development in the heart of rural Oxfordshire will change the ecology of the surrounding area
Critical briefing: Belgian Channel crossings
How the geographical spread of Channel crossings has been widening
Zackonomics is incoherent and outdated
Zack Polanski is a great political entrepreneur but he is terrible at economics
Tedious transgression
The mainstreaming of porn is dangerous, hypocritical and very, very boring
The costs of telling the truth too late
The girl guiding decision is causing pain — so why do activists seek to prolong it?
Against the scolding mob
MPs have helped to create the puritanism that is now coming for their drinks
The American chaos machine
The United States’s current aggressive expansionism and domestic strife are an intrinsic part of its national character
In defence of lunchtime drinks
Hannah Spencer is being a tedious puritan
The futility of right-wing cancel culture
Trying to get left-wing comedians fired for edgy jokes is stupid as well as wrong