Not for the Love of God
Karen Armstrong's Fields of Blood offers a magisterial debunking of the secularist tale
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Eminent Post-Victorians
W Sydney Robinson's account of four prominent inter-war figures is an enjoyable read but his view that they clung to Victorian values is unconvincing
Puffery, letters and lucre
Richard Salmon's is good on nuance but his book on the Victorian Literary Profession is in need of a grand narrative
He Will Remember Them
Adam Nicolson's book on Homer, and why he matters, overflows with power, confidence and the joy of self-discovery
Down But Not Out
Peter Oborne recounts cricket's progress in Pakistan with the meticulousness and dedication such a rich and unlikely story deserves
Piecing it together
Although Howard Jacobson's latest novel is vastly unlike his previous comic works, it just may be his masterpiece
Turner’s Twilight
The artist's late paintings shocked and baffled his contemporaries but there was method in his madness
Weimar NW5
A musical evening in North London recreates the spirit of the Weimar Republic
Flawed but Thrilling Anatomy of Empire
This study of empire building is imaginative and vivid, but has a loose grip on detail
Poet Laureate of the English Shires
A hundred and fifty years after his death, John Clare remains the greatest lyricist of country life
Burke’s Enduring Brilliance
A new book shows how Edmund Burke's thoughts are still relevant to our present discontents
A Putrid Pact between Devils
An excellent book on the deal between Hitler and Stalin that shocked the world 75 years ago