Historical Fiction
London, Burning: ‘A page-turning delight’
For his eighth novel, Anthony Quinn continues his noble tradition of producing a thumping good read
Are all political beliefs ultimately selfish?
Thomas Prosser’s new book argues that there are elements of self-interest and altruism in all political ‘isms’
Anna Clyne: Mythologies (Avie)
Clyne’s debut record is a validation of the continuing relevance of classical form in the twenty-first century
When in doubt, do nothing
Attempting to stifle scandals only makes them more lethal, says Nigel Jones
Milking it
There is nothing semi-skimmed about Sir Charles Walker
Sinclair Hood: The archaeologist who bucked orthodoxy
The former director of the British School at Athens, who died last month at the age of 103, had a productivity in his old age that was both rare and admirable
How the pandemic has exacerbated our struggle for dignity
David Goodhart’s recent book is a reminder that we need to look out for those whose lives, jobs and purpose are disappearing
BBC iPlayer’s liberal conspiracy theory
Adam Curtis’s six-part history of the modern imagination is an obituary for serious or even semi-serious television
An incredible inventory
James Stevens Curl reveals how this new release provides amazing insight into the household of a well-heeled, cultured European in late eighteenth-century India
New universities in the early Eighties: an elegy
Steve Morris reflects on his time at the University of East Anglia with his contemporary, Iain Dale
Why the ‘100,000 deaths’ figure is misleading the public
News outlets should report the age-standardised mortality rates alongside the number of excess deaths so as not to mislead the public