Books
The call of the wild
‘No, no’ I said, when The Spectator’s literary editor rang up, ‘I’m sure you must be able to find someone…
Rags, riches and respectability
In a grand history of the British empire — because that is what this book really is — you might…
How to survive totalitarianism
When this extraordinary book was about to come out in French four years ago its author was told by his…
Books and arts
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Shorthand
Might you not have found him a little exhausting, though? If, for example, you were his mother, not given to…
Shorthand
Might you not have found him a little exhausting, though? If, for example, you were his mother, not given to…
Fabled splendours
Peter Parker on the age-old allure of the Indian subcontinent
The good companion
P.J. Kavanagh, if not dismissed or relegated, is often shall we say bracketed, as a ‘nature poet’. The truth is,…
The crimson petal and the white
When I took up archery it was a relatively niche sport. Then Game of Thrones came along, and everyone wanted…
A choice of children’s books
A children’s author and illustrator, Jonathan Emmet, created a stir recently by saying that women are effectively gatekeepers of children’s…
Nights at the Opéra
Stephen Clarke lives in Paris and writes book with titles such as 1,000 Years of Annoying the French. Dirty Bertie…
A modern Mark Twain
The American writer, Charles Portis, has had what some novelists — the more purist ones — might regard as an…
Smiles and grimaces
Readers familiar with Nicola Barker’s hyper-caffeinated style will be surprised by the almost serene first few chapters of her latest…
Simply not Kricket
Why have the Germans never been any good at cricket? This entertaining account of the MCC’s 1937 tour to the…
Making hay …
This book is a portrait of one man’s meadow. Our now almost vanished meadowland, with its tapestry of wildflowers, abundant…
… and history in the Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches, gloriously unvisited amid their wooded hills and swift-flowing streams, have remained mysteriously off-limits to the sort of…
When the Rains Came
When the rains continued the rivers rebelled, the swans moved inland and even the bank was sandbagged and we saw…
Research Centre
Beyond the measured stretch of lawns and hedges are cultivated rows where snug plastic tunnels creep. Indoors, the fantastic spores…
Resistance and reprisal
Published to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Vercors, perhaps the most famous stand of the French Resistance…
Not many good jokes on the way to the forum
At the beginning of The Art of Poetry, Horace tells a story that, he promises, will make anyone laugh: ‘If…
Wasted in the wastelands
Fifteen minutes by rail from Paddington, Southall is a ‘Little India’ in the borough of Ealing. An ornate Hindu temple…
Books and arts
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
When the Rains Came
When the rains continued the rivers rebelled, the swans moved inland and even the bank was sandbagged and we saw…
Research Centre
Beyond the measured stretch of lawns and hedges are cultivated rows where snug plastic tunnels creep. Indoors, the fantastic spores…
When the Rains Came
When the rains continued the rivers rebelled, the swans moved inland and even the bank was sandbagged and we saw…
