Issue: August/September 2023
Alive and undressed
The only way to eat oysters
A brilliant biography of an elusive genius
Spinoza may be the master thinker to whom we owe modernity itself
The Venice Architecture Biennale
Geopolitical challenges produce impressive art
Letters August-September
From buildings to booze
Bastards of the fleet
David Grann writes the definitive tale of the Wager’s descent into madness
Judging the judges
Are Appeal Court judges always superior jurists? The jury is out …
Thriving revival
Celebrating a glorious Goodwood festival
Profile: Tobias Rustat
A Cambridge college tried to remove his memorial plaque and the Church branded him a “slave trader” but, in fact, this royal retainer was a philanthropist
The deep humanity of books
Manuscripts have weathered the vicissitudes of time only thanks to human passion
Deconstructing the decolonisers
An intellectual Robin Hood reclaims British history for those most underserved by elite narratives
Most Read
American strategy in Iran is wiser than it seems
President Trump’s intervention will leave the world safer than it was
Saint Nicola
Nicola Sturgeon wants sympathy for her husband’s crimes—but after years spent avoiding awkward questions, her latest reinvention may be the hardest sell yet.
The lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
Why left-wingers should care about borders
A welfare state, and social solidarity, depend on immigration restrictionism
Outside the box
why traditional topiary is
making a comeback
A rare interview proved a delight
Eavesdropping on two intelligent people sharing a civilised conversation about interesting things
The trains have to run
Populists have had success in persuading people that they can govern — but can they actually govern?
We need to make a better case against Magic Monetary Theory
Simplistic rebuttals help MMT endure. We need better arguments
Stella Creasy hates questions
For many politicians, being disagreed with is proof that they are right
The shape of a different Britain
Early modernist homes in Frinton-on-Sea capture a moment of confidence in a rapidly changing world
The joys of village cricket
Cricket embodies much of what is valuable about our culture
Why do we hate industry?
Performative laissez-faire has been a failure. It’s time for a new policy
The fire in him
Gary Oldman is superb in Krapp’s Last Tape at the Royal Court
The sleep of reason
Sir Mark Rowley’s forgotten police thriller reveals the assumptions, anxieties and moral universe of Britain’s managerial elite.