In Praise of Shadows
In Praise of Shadows – Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, tr. Harper and Seidensticker. Vintage. Tanizaki’s classic essay on Japanese aesthetics is beautiful and at times bewildering. From toilets to theatre … Continue reading
A Country in Romance
A New World Begins: A History of the French Revolution – Jeremy Popkin. Basic Books. In barroom debate, it comes as a surprise to many who are often the … Continue reading
Cooked up
Tragically I Was an Only Twin: The Complete Peter Cook – Ed. by William Cooke. Century. Peter Cook’s comedy was rambunctious, imaginative, and unpredictable. Every Christmas I’ve made a habit … Continue reading
The History of Jazz – Ted Gioia
Jazz is a tricky subject to write convincingly about. Any attempt to formally mimic its rhythms is usually doomed to the ignominious failure of word soup – … Continue reading
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies – Jared Diamond
My late gran would always look at a map of the world with a good natured twinkle in her eye and say ‘but how is it that such a small … Continue reading
The Water Kingdom – Philip Ball
For anyone who hasn’t the time or stamina or sheer intellectual acuity for Joseph Needham’s Science and Civilisation in China (a mighty 27 volumes, and counting) Phillip Ball’s The … Continue reading
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World – Peter Frankopan
A history of the world embracing both the Mongol invaders and the Iran-Contra affair, The Silk Roads is limited in the way such books often are. Inevitably much is … Continue reading
Rhapsody of Rags 