Duller Than Double French
Tristram Hunt found Education Under Siege a useful book. It's nothing more than the dying groans of the blob
Quixotic Quest Across Spain
The dust-jacket of Christopher Howse's second book on Spain points to its contents. In the province of Huesca a tiny caterpillar of a train
The First Steps of a Great Newspaperman
Sarah Johnson introduces an account by her late father of his earliest days in journalism
Blooming Lovely
A new exhibition at the National Gallery brings together two radiant versions of Van Gogh’s sunflowers
Viking Versus Sepoy
The changing of the guard in the world of chess was achieved not by smash-and-grab play, but by herculean displays of patience
The Best Years of American Cinema
The greatest American movie of all time was made in 1946 and you'll never have heard of it
Back to the Drawing Board with Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr has produced a bracing, poignant book that is like no other. Entirely illustrated with his own drawings, it comprises an ambitious attempt
A History of Blood Hatred
How do racisms start? Francisco Bethencourt’s study of racial prejudices since the Crusades does its best to answer the culturally sensitive question