The Moneybags and the Brains
The Bretton Woods conference of 1944 saw a historic meeting of economists that changed the world forever
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Weathering The Storm
Global Crisis by Geoffrey Parker is a masterpiece of historical scholarship, but fails entirely in its stated aim of linking political disaster to a changing climate
Monstrosities of a Vile Victorian
Linda Stratmann's attempt to exculpate the Marquess of Queensberry of his myriad sins is a misguided stab at rescuing a the reputation of a truly wretched man
Russia’s Poisoned Hinterland
The Last Man in Russia by Oliver Bullough charts the unsavoury history of alcoholism, violence, abortions and nihilism in the former USSR. For all this, it is beautifully written
Transatlantic Vanity Project
Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein's published correspondence is a phoney exercise in literary bitchiness and mutual back-slapping
More Than a Curmudgeon
R.S. Thomas is frequently characterised as a misanthropic ogre. On the centenary of his birth, the publication of his humane Uncollected Poems belies this misplaced view
Long Live the Novella
Two recently translated European novellas, by Sophie Divry and Brigit Vanderbeke, are wonderful examples of this short literary form
Painter of the Strenuous Life
Where Edward Hopper found isolation, George Bellows heard the hubbub of modern America
Moldova and Out
An overlooked consequence of Romania's admission into the EU is that a majority of citizens of Europe's poorest nation, Moldova, will be able to claim Romanian citizenship and gain access to the
Diddly Squat
The Conservative's success in making squatting a criminal offence needs to go further — all buildings, not just residences, must be protected
Trumpet Voluntary
Diarmaid MacCulloch's new book on the Christian Church is entitled Silence but it might've been better if he'd just kept quiet
Only Connect
In the fast-paced and ever-changing world of technology very few commentators have stopped to examine the business practices of a behemoth like Google