Books

Murders for late October

Professor Jeremy Black rounds up the best autumnal reads that are successful in grounding a sense of place

Cognitive manoeuvres

The Genetic Lottery is not the only book published this summer to tackle controversial topics in biology

Debunking myths of the Great Divergence

Tirthankar Roy dismisses both nationalist tropes about evil colonialists and imperial assumptions of benevolent liberal intervention

Grubbing a living

These two books show that it has always been the preserve of the unscrupulous to peddle their wares to the gullible and salacious

A lecture in unflagging naivety

If you want your views of the wrongness of Brexit confirmed, this dull book will do so

Tristram and the tyrants

Laurence Sterne’s 250-year-old masterpiece is a radical, riotous celebration of liberty loathed by both Nazis and communists

In praise of the fruit of the barley

This is an enthusiastic and fluent guide to the world of beer, with an understanding that what makes it such a joy is to do with how it makes us feel

Light and shade of a complex Eden

Rodgers and Cavendish gamely and colourfully attempt both to tell the stories and capture Granada’s long-standing mysterious appeal

Man and myth

This well-researched book deserves attention for those who wish to peer beyond the carefully cultivated image of Josip Broz Tito

Santa’s unspeakable sack

Why are publishers so sniffy about stocking fillers?