The Case For The Classics
Three books offer fresh and enchanting views on the ancient past and how it can still live
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
The Dandy and the Crazy Gang
Michael Bloch's deft biography turns Jeremy Thorpe's life into a page-turning narrative
Monarchy Without Kings
For anyone interested in the founding of the American Republic this work is indispensable reading
A Very Modern Preservationist
In the last year there has been a great Nairn revival - I would have loved to buy him a pint and hear him speak unpretentiously about his love of architecture
The Real Life of Nabokov
The book is beautifully done, but it is long and feels uneven
Better than a Grand Slam
Clive James: whether the culture is low or high, he is in it for the thrills
Last post of a post-war poet
Although at times the tone can seem ill-judged, Jon Stallworthy's poems are full of sincere thought about war
The Stuff of Legend
Robert Tombs's monumental history of the English is strengthened by how he tracks the wider developments on the Continent
Eichmann’s phoney banality
Stangneth’s clear-eyed work spells out the genesis and “logic” of Holocaust denial in all its macabre absurdity
From Underdog to Scapegoat
Joshua Muravchik's two recent books are about defending democracy in the one place in the Middle East where it thrives
Donnish Spy Games
A valuable - though not objective - historical record
Squire Scruton and the Tory Disposition
Roger Scruton's new book roots British Conservatism in our distinctive history