Prospect book reviews articles, essays, debate and features from the Prospect archive.

The kindness of strangers Mark Pagel The claim that there is no such thing as race is understandable but wrong. We should recognise both the genetic reality of race and the uniquely human ability to transcend it June 2008	The unforgivable truth Ruth Padel One of Israel's great national authors can finally be read in English. Sixty years after Israel's birth, his words remain resonant June 2008
States of terror and consent Anthony Dworkin Philip Bobbitt's sweeping analysis of the relationship between 21st-century states and terrorism could not be more timely. His arguments are radical, but they will not appeal to many Europeans June 2008	To thine own self be true David Willetts Political hypocrisy finds its modern expression in the creation of "narratives." Blair mastered it, but it could be Brown's downfall June 2008
End of the cult of finance? George Magnus Central banks, regulators and governments share the main blame for the financial crisis. But, as Charles Morris's book makes clear, the financial sector will have to accept significant new constraints June 2008	Writing the election Denis MacShane The best coverage of American politics is to be found not in the country's newspapers, but in its books June 2008
Racial divisions Kenan Malik The debate over race has moved on. To judge from his review of my book, Mark Pagel hasn't noticed June 2008	England's history boy Robert Colls Melvyn Bragg's celebrity means that his novels are not usually taken seriously by critics. But his widely read sagas of family and place, depicting a vanishing England, make him one of the most important national novelists we have May 2008
Shia intelligence Bartle Bull Patrick Cockburn's politics may be misguided, but he is a reporter and analyst of the first order. His biography of Iraq's foremost Shia power-broker is by far the most useful book about post-Saddam Iraq, and helps us to better understand the country's faltering progress towards democracy May 2008	Ageing mirthlessly William Skidelsky Despite an array of puns and jokes, David Lodge's new novel contains uncharacteristically few laughs. All the same, it is a quietly brilliant study of deafness, death and linguistics May 2008
The digital spectrum Andrew Keen Is the web 2.0 revolution making us more co-operative, or is it turning us into vulgar narcissists who can't relate to one another? Three recent books offer differing views of what technology is doing to our humanity May 2008	Ireland's Bono boomers John Kelly David McWilliams astutely analyses the flaws in Ireland's recent economic miracle. But his more eccentric speculations on Irish identity and the future of the diaspora should be treated with caution May 2008
Mucking out the media John Lloyd Nick Davies's critique of journalism hits many of the right targets, but it is marred by a radical's complacency and the promiscuousness of its charges. This is not quite the book on the British media that we need April 2008	Puzzles of development John Kay Dani Rodrik avoids the single-template prescriptions of both the Washington consensus crowd and the anti-globalisers. His thoughtful and modest book shows that there are many routes to economic development April 2008
Musical arguments Stephen Everson Alex Ross's history of 20th-century music covers an impressively vast terrain. But its preference for "popular" over "difficult" modernism means that it fails to grapple with the artistic battles of the period April 2008	A new age of the train Andrew Adonis The story of Britain's railways is one of chaotic genius in the Victorian era followed by a century of more or less uninterrupted decline. Christian Wolmar charts this history in admirable detail, but succumbs to unwarranted romanticism when it comes to the last days of British Rail March 2008
Catastrophe, dystopia and love John Gray No writer has been as astute an observer of the contemporary condition as JG Ballard. But through the experiences described in this moving memoir, his work also emerges as personal and universally human March 2008	More theory, please Terry Eagleton James Wood's study of the workings of fiction displays an uncannily well-tuned ear. But for all his undoubted skills as a critic, he lacks the theoretical armoury to take on a subject as general as this March 2008
A sporting conservative David Goldblatt By turns rhetorical, chatty and argumentative, Ed Smith's musings on sport are united by a gentle conservatism. And much of what the Middlesex cricket captain says makes perfect sense March 2008	The unloveable green Josef Joffe Germany's radical foreign minister—who evoked Auschwitz to persuade his fellow Greens to back the bombing of Serbia—is an awkward character. But Joschka Fischer deserves his place in German history March 2008
A desperate fascination Tom Chatfield For the last six years, Martin Amis has written obsessively about 9/11 and its global aftermath—often provoking great controversy. A new collection of his writings shows us a writer whose prose remains a delicious challenge, but whose political imagination looks increasingly barren February 2008	Re-readings Philip Oltermann Critics of Bernhard Schlink's bestselling "The Reader" accused it of being an apology for Nazi evil. His new novel covers many of the same themes, but takes pains to distinguish right from wrong February 2008
Dropping the pilot John Lloyd The broadcast media no longer see it as their duty to provide society with moral guidance. But as this book shows, many people miss the presence of a "pilot." Perhaps Mary Whitehouse had a point after all February 2008	BHL is back Catherine Fieschi Bernard-Henri Lévy's new book is typically immodest—and his claim that the European left trades on fascist ideas is a facile caricature. Still, this is an audacious, often brilliantly argued work February 2008
Grandmasters of war Erik Tarloff Was Bobby Fischer's defeat of Boris Spassky in 1972 really a product of liberal democracy's superiority to communism, as Daniel Johnson suggests? No—it was simply a game in which the better player won January 2008	Stages of history Robert Gore-Langton Michael Billington's story of Britain through its postwar theatre is a fascinating and provocative work. But why the patronising disregard for musicals and other popular theatre? January 2008
Grandstanding pity Frederic Raphael No sense of history or honour inhibits John Berger from repairing to his Marxist roots in his latest collection of essays. It is a work full of preening self-regard and rancid with bad faith January 2008	The advanced liberal Jonathan Rée John Stuart Mill believed in liberty but he valued it less for its own sake than for its contribution to human advancement. It was "man as a progressive being" that most interested him. If we want to resurrect his liberalism, we may have to revive his draconian idea of progress too December 2007
Ground truths James Lovelock This is a timely book about earth science which considers both orthodoxy and Gaia theory. The book manages to be fair to both sides while painting vivid pictures of the main personalities December 2007	Broadcasting the arts David Herman John Wyver's superb book charts the rise and fall of arts broadcasting in Britain. Although serious arts coverage has largely disappeared from our screens, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future December 2007
Fatuous leftism Bella Thomas Some of the hostile responses to Andrew Anthony's book exemplified the very attitudes the author aimed to expose December 2007	Is God returning to Europe? Eric Kaufmann A leading US Christian says that faith in Europe will be re-energised by a creative Christian minority and by the example of Islam. But he is too sanguine about the integration of Muslims and about "model" America—where religiosity is, in part, a function of white ethnic anxiety November 2007
Political thrills Erik Tarloff In imagining Tony Blair's future, Robert Harris goes some way to explaining the mistakes of his past. But shouldn't he have aimed for something more ambitious than a thriller? November 2007	Lost in translation Tom Chatfield Adam Thirlwell's history of the novel incorporates a dazzling array of authors, anecdotes and translations. If only he'd ditch the clever stuff and let the arguments get really serious November 2007
We started something great Ben Lewis Orlando Figes's magisterial work tells the story of Stalin's Russia through the lives of its victims. It finds that misplaced idealism, as much as blind fear, was what made them obey Stalin November 2007	A way in the world Ian Jack In almost everything he writes, VS Naipaul hangs his arguments and prejudices from a seductive personal narrative that is jewelled with detail. His latest essay collection, about his early development as a writer, includes a beautiful account of his friendship with Anthony Powell October 2007
Symbolic language John Cornwell Steven Pinker has a good stab at explaining metaphor, but his belief that brains work like computers proves a big limitation. We still need poets to understand the imagination October 2007	Hitler the gentle opera lover Vernon Bogdanor The relationship between Wagner's operas and Nazism, though fascinating, has been analysed to death by novelists and historians. A new fictionalised treatment sheds little fresh light on the topic October 2007
Common sense and hot air Kevin Watkins Bjørn Lomborg's climate change scepticism is made possible only by distorting the scientific evidence. His cheery optimism is not the counterweight we need to unthinking alarmism October 2007	Beyond good and evil Edward Skidelsky For 60 years, Nicholas Mosley has written novels that are widely admired but not always understood. Rejecting realism, his work addresses symbolic truths—notably the idea that good and evil are inseparable. It's an approach that has put him at odds with the literary establishment September 2007
The fall of the wild Kathryn Hughes Nature writing is enjoying a resurgence, but the danger of mapping any wilderness is that it immediately becomes tame and dumb. Besides, are there actually any untouched places left? September 2007	Recycling Nixon Andrew Adonis Conrad Black's weighty new biography of Richard Nixon portrays him as a "mighty and mythic" figure who made a "dignified exit" after being unfairly hounded from office—a code it's little trouble to break September 2007
Sarah Hall Tom Chatfield September 2007	Beyond beach-lit Lara Feigel Tessa Hadley's new novel finally sees her make the leap from popular to serious fiction. Someone should tell her American publisher September 2007
A dictatorship of idiots? James Crabtree Critics of websites such as Wikipedia and MySpace claim they are eroding expertise and denuding the public sphere. Today's media may not be perfect, says james crabtree, but would anyone really want to put the clock back? August 2007	Motorcycle diaries Alan Philps The neglected civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has led to 4m deaths, tells us more about Africa's problems than do Darfur or Rwanda. And Tim Butcher's account of a motorcycle trip through the country is gripping August 2007
Chile's poet-revolutionary Philip Oltermann Since his death in 2003, Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño has undergone a process of sanctification. The Savage Detectives is a novel that teems with poets and literary movements, yet doesn't take literature too seriously August 2007	Life in Extremistan Tom Nuttall According to Nassim Nicholas Taleb, "black swans"—totally unforeseeable events like 9/11—are on the rise. Is it possible to improve our predictions, or should we simply accept what we don't know? August 2007
An unlikely romance Jonathan Derbyshire A new collection of short stories, twinning French writers with Americans, marks the surprising return of an old form of an anti-US animus August 2007	A faith in humanity William Pfaff Jonathan Power's optimistic new book is a powerful statement of ways to improve the world August 2007
India shining Yasmin Khan A new book on India's recent history tells the story of the last 60 years in resiliently upbeat fashion July 2007	The case for minor utopias Anthony Dworkin The 20th century showed how dangerous utopian ideas can be. Does that mean we should follow John Gray and abandon all political idealism? Or is a more modest strain of visionary thinking—with human rights at its foundation—still possible? July 2007
Courage and sorrow Kamran Nazeer Gordon Brown's new book "Courage" is a response to the death of his first child. He has transformed his suffering into a lesson July 2007	The essence of Cliveishness Frederic Raphael Clive James's compendium of short essays shows him at his most democratic, irreverent and dazzling. Even the flaws seem to be there for a purpose—to make the reader feel slightly less ignorant July 2007
From people to person Tom Chatfield In China, collectivist ideals are enshrined in the very language, so it is not surprising that rebellion often takes a linguistic form. These two novels examine the struggle for self-expression in modern China July 2007	Le Tour in London Jack Thurston As the Tour de France comes to Britain for the first time ever, what can three books tell us about the meaning of the world's most demanding athletic contest? July 2007
The stringer's spouse Edward Lucas Memoirs by foreign correspondents are ten a penny. But what about their husbands and wives? July 2007	Chaos and horror Erik Tarloff Don DeLillo, an undoubted master, has a gift for creating an atmosphere of inchoate dread. Yet his latest novel feels flat and static and lacks a sense of purpose. At least it has a superb ending June 2007
Lives not led William Skidelsky Hard-headed and surprisingly right wing, Lionel Shriver does not fit the conventional image of a novelist. Her latest work is a subtle examination of the difficulties of decision-making. June 2007	Blacks, whites and blues Joe Boyd Marybeth Hamilton paints a vivid portrait of the white collectors who brought blues to the masses. It's just a pity that she can't grasp what was so transcendent about Robert Johnson May 2007
What Simon says Robert Colls Simon Barnes's reflections on sport's "meaning" too often come at the expense of his subjects. He should get back to writing about what he sees, not what he thinks May 2007	The self-made exile Andrew Adonis Michael Foot was the great rhetorician of his age. His tirades against government enlivened politics and helped sustain the credibility of parliament May 2007
Hitler's myth-maker Kevin Jackson Leni Riefenstahl's apologists say she was a pure aesthete who cared nothing for politics. But it was her indifference to how her talents were used that made her so repugnant May 2007	The mystery of consciousness Paul Broks Nicholas Humphrey's latest book on the mystery of consciousness travelled with me to Crete, Latvia and America. And the intellectual journey it took me on has half-persuaded me that his evolutionary approach will one day provide an answer April 2007
Snared by the past Tom Chatfield Ian McEwan's new novel, the story of a young couple's disastrous wedding night, is both a triumphant piece of social history and a reminder of the misery caused by an earlier age's sexual decorum April 2007	God and Caesar Frederic Raphael Michael Burleigh's study of the intersection of politics and religion in the 20th century is a monumental accomplishment. But does he let the Catholic church off too lightly? April 2007
Points of departure Stella Tillyard Transformations, miracles and slippages are at the heart of David Malouf's rich and poetic fiction. Malouf is the great chronicler of Australia's lost, Aboriginal part of itself April 2007	A French force Charles Grant Nicolas Sarkozy has star appeal. But to judge from his political testimony, he lacks a coherent political philosophy and has few ideas about how to arrest France's decline March 2007
Raine's sterile thunder Terry Eagleton TS Eliot's greatness as a poet is established beyond all doubt. So why do critics feel the need to defend him against all charges of misogyny and antisemitism? March 2007	Cultural consumption David Herman Erudite and packed with information, Donald Sassoon's vast social history of European culture suffers from a lack of curiosity about cultural value February 2007
Bombast as art Alexander Linklater In portraying Hitler as the product of a diabolical incest, Norman Mailer has taken fictional ambition to a remote peak of implausibility February 2007	Prophetic fallacies Kamran Nazeer Two works by progressive Muslims—a life of the Prophet and an analysis of Arab identity—reveal contrasting approaches to the history of Islam February 2007
To the estate born David Robins Lynsey Hanley's "intimate history" of British estates is strong on autobiography and social history, less so on the racial element of modern public housing February 2007	The South Side's dark side Diane Coyle A protégé of Steven "Freakonomics" Levitt gets under the skin of Chicago's underground economy. It's a pity he didn't have a better editor February 2007
The serious comedian Tom Chatfield Zachary Leader's superb biography paints Kingsley Amis as a master of measured satire and wild invective February 2007	Books of the year January 2007
The executioner's voice Jonathan Derbyshire Jonathan Littell's doorstopper novel is not merely a feat of linguistic audacity—it also raises profound questions about history, morality and luck January 2007	The fat of the land Jack Thurston Individuals may not own countries any more, but land inequity is still a huge problem in both poor and rich nations. Is it time for a progressive land tax? January 2007
A kind of genius Erik Tarloff Thomas Pynchon's new novel is full of sharp jokes and gorgeous writing—but it is also incoherent and emotionally distancing. Is the journey worth it? January 2007	The DNA computer Philip Ball Scientists are attempting to create an entirely new kind of computer, one based on the building blocks of life. But don't get rid of your laptop just yet December 2006
Ways of seeing Rachel Cooke Arriving in London as a young man, Robert Hughes embraced 1960s excess. But it was his repressive Jesuit upbringing that made him the critic he is December 2006	The Shah of Pakistan Pervez Hoodbhoy While enjoying American support and largesse, Pakistan's president has crushed domestic opposition and done little to combat religious extremism December 2006
How to write about Iraq Denis MacShane Bob Woodward's book on Iraq is parochial and bloated. For a real indictment of the failure to keep the peace, Americans should turn to Patrick Cockburn December 2006	The Bragg interpretation of history Arthur Aughey Billy Bragg has discovered a British tradition he never knew he was part of. As an Englishman, his history is dubious, but his politics are certainly decent December 2006
The critic as stalker Frederic Raphael Fawning and voyeuristic, David Thomson's paean to his screen idol fails to excite the co-author of the "Eyes Wide Shut" screenplay November 2006	The worldwide niche Frances Cairncross The internet is helping revive niche products by making them easier to find and cheaper to deliver. But will the power of the big hit be reduced? November 2006
Child's play Hans Kundnani Günter Grass's revelations about his Nazi past will end the temptation to take his political pronouncements seriously—which is no bad thing November 2006	Illuminating opera Vernon Bogdanor The philosopher Bernard Williams brought to his writings on opera a rare vigour and intelligence—although Vernon Bogdanor disagrees with his interpretation of Wagner November 2006
Reports from the gulag Tom Chatfield Martin Amis's new novel is brilliant and insightful, but offers little news to those versed in the 20th century's first-hand accounts of atrocity November 2006	An unextraordinary life Kamran Nazeer Jonathan Franzen's memoir suffers from a lack of intensity and mundane source material. Another novel, please November 2006
Dangerous ideals Julian Evans Andrew O'Hagan's fictional account of a wayward and dysfunctional priest is most striking for its discussion of the importance, and trap, of idealism October 2006	Dawkins the dogmatist Andrew Brown Incurious and rambling, Richard Dawkins's diatribe against religion doesn't come close to explaining how faith has survived the assault of Darwinism October 2006
Tales of old cities Philip Oltermann What does "psychogeography" mean? In the hands of Paul Auster and Iain Sinclair it is little more than a return to old routines October 2006	History and human nature Nicholas Humphrey Niall Ferguson's "punk Gibbon" account of the horrors of the 20th century is enjoyable—until his semi-educated foray into evolutionary psychology September 2006
A masterful failure Erik Tarloff John Updike has tried and largely failed to convey the interior life of an Arab-American terrorist. Still, it is always a pleasure to watch a master at work September 2006	Illusions of identity Kenan Malik Amartya Sen discusses his new book, in which he claims that the British approach to multiculturalism has undermined individual freedom August 2006
Stringing us along John Horgan The tide seems to be turning against string theory and its speculative attempts to produce a "theory of everything." Not a moment too soon August 2006	States, citizens and trust Alan Ryan Two new books on contemporary political problems are stimulating and informative. But the authors should learn to speak to our ideals as well as our needs August 2006
Another problem of evil Victor Mallet Nic Dunlop's investigation into a prison commandant sheds light on the Cambodian holocaust not by asking why it happened, but how it happened July 2006	Charmless Hav Kevin Rushby By updating her fictional city, Jan Morris offers a fable of sterile modernisation, a lament for lost culture and a farewell to the purpose of travel July 2006
Angela Carter's beasts Paul Barker She pricked the pieties of Leavisite critics and feminists alike, but her fairy tales have outlived them all. They contain a black thread tying love to violence July 2006	John Bull's small ideas Robert Skidelsky Stefan Collini wittily refutes the claim that Britain has lacked intellectuals. But British culture has been inhospitable to the discussion of general ideas July 2006
Russia's colluders Jeremy Putley The Beslan school crisis and the Moscow theatre siege took place with the knowledge and possibly even the assistance of Russian authorities July 2006	It's the Islamism, stupid Peter Nolan Patrick Belton Robert Pape suggests that nationalism explains suicide bombings better than Islamism. He should take fundamentalist ideology more seriously July 2006
War and democracy Robert Cooper Tony Blair's former foreign affairs adviser considers the ambiguous lessons of the Iraq war. Realpolitik, he finds, is still necessary in a world of power but increasingly unworkable in a world of democracy June 2006	From roots to relativism Brian Eno Pop music is the most useful lens through which to view the turbulent, optimistic, deluded decade of the 1960s. Joe Boyd's memoir captures it perfectly June 2006
Adam Smith's hard labour Jonathan Rée The more you read Adam Smith, the less plausible he is as a prophet of the free market. Still, it can't be right to call him a proto-Marxist, can it? June 2006	Roth's melancholy meditation Erik Tarloff Philip Roth's new novel confronts isolation, death and, almost uniquely in his oeuvre, selfishness. But is it time for him to return to the life force? June 2006
Chastened hegemon Anthony Dworkin Neoconservatism is dead. And, as Francis Fukuyama's latest book spells out, a new US foreign policy consensus is emerging. It eschews doctrine and combines elements of "realist" and "idealist" positions May 2006	The science of belief AS Byatt Sceptics increasingly seek to explain faith as a product of nature; Lewis Wolpert thinks it is down to tool-making. But maybe there is a problem with the word "origin" May 2006
Learning to be ordinary Simon Baron-Cohen There are many books about autism, but few as original as Kamran Nazeer's. This is a description of a group of autistics struggling to attain the obvious May 2006	The network biography Philip Oltermann Biography used to investigate the nature of talent; now it explores the social networks and collaborations through which reputations are made April 2006
The threat from Europe Andrew Moravcsik Jeremy Rabkin's paranoid anti-European tract has one redeeming feature. It is utterly clear about the US conservative approach to world politics April 2006	Mésentente cordiale Tim King A new book brilliantly dissects the fraught history of the Anglo-French relationship April 2006
India's anti-diplomat Cheryll Barron This is the most unflattering portrayal of a people ever written by one of its own image management specialists, and its author has been promoted for it March 2006	The Lovelock apocalypse Philip Ball The Gaia theorist has dire prophecies about global warming, but his enthusiasm for nuclear power and attacking green shibboleths remains undimmed March 2006
Moral bombing? Michael Axworthy Area bombing of German cities in the second world war was unnecessary, but was not a crime. Sometimes ends can justify means March 2006	Drinking the Kool-Aid Mark Leonard Was the Iraq adventure doomed to fail or did the US administration mess it up? A new crop of books suggests that the nation-builders of Iraq were fighting the right war in theory but not in practice February 2006
The Beatles laid bare Erik Tarloff From Lennon's childhood to the devastating breakup, Bob Spitz's illuminating 850-page Beatles biography is almost certain to become the standard work February 2006	In bed with the neocons David Clark Oliver Kamm has made a brave attempt to reconcile left-wing idealism with US neoconservatism. But can non-Americans really be neocons? February 2006
He played for Arsenal Simon Kuper Patrick Vieira's life story, from humble beginnings in Senegal to triumph with France, shows that football is the world's most globalised industry February 2006	No, ambassador Denis MacShane Aside from the gossip, does Christopher Meyer's Washington memoir tell us anything useful about British foreign policy? A former Europe minister considers January 2006
From lad-lit to lit Jonathan Heawood Despite Nick Hornby's popularity in Britain and credibility in America, serious critical appreciation of his literature of self-doubt is still overdue January 2006	Return of the Turk Aatish Taseer Neither truly European nor middle eastern, Turkey's real affinities lie with other Turkic peoples. But claims of a unified Turkic identity are not realistic January 2006
Life force Oliver Morton A new book challenges the gene-centric view of life by placing energy back at the centre of the story. It has some of the freshness and originality of "The Selfish Gene," but don't expect an easy read December 2005	Ambitious failure Robert Alter Zadie Smith is a talented young writer who may yet produce great fiction. Her third novel, "On Beauty," has its moments but its satire of the academy is laboured and its imitation of EM Forster unsubtle December 2005
Watching them die Ian Black Robert Fisk is a great war reporter and partisan chronicler of western abuses in the middle east. But do not expect political insight December 2005	Auster's scrapbook Kamran Nazeer Paul Auster makes little distinction between fictional and real life stories. His literary world is a scrapbook in which anyone's biography can be pasted December 2005
King Google Andrew Brown Google is worth billions because it delivers readers to advertisers better than any other media outlet—despite not always being the best search engine December 2005	Africa's moderate extremist Tom De Castella Thabo Mbeki is a moderate politician but he has become defined by extreme positions on Zimbabwe, Aids and internal party dissent December 2005
Numbers game The Cruncher December 2005	The enigma of simplicity David Herman Alan Bennett's deceptively conservative Englishness has made him a national treasure. The more complex he becomes, the more people love his plainness November 2005
A new model army? Lewis Page One of Britain's finest generals hints at a radical reordering of the armed forces to equip them for modern conflicts. Unfortunately, he only hints November 2005	The evolution of insanity Alexander Linklater Sebastian Faulks should not be judged by his earlier books, but by the quality of ideas in this daring new novel about madness and consciousness November 2005
The mythless society Jonathon Keats Science has not fulfilled its promise, and new fiction provides no more solace than reality television. We desperately need myth again. Can Canongate's new publishing venture provide it? November 2005	The horrors of Houellebecq Tim King Michel Houellebecq's new novel is a further dig at French literature, human aspiration and himself. And a biography of the writer tries to explain his self-hatred October 2005
A Tory community David Willetts The Conservative party has traditionally combined two great principles—personal freedom and public service. It now needs a new idea of community October 2005	Seeking Shakespeare Erik Tarloff Lack of facts about Shakespeare seems merely to encourage biographers. Peter Ackroyd wisely tackles him through a social history of Tudor and Stuart England October 2005
Rushdie the warrior-poet Kamran Nazeer What many Muslims fail to understand about Salman Rushdie is that his disdain for closed culture is not aimed exclusively at Islam. It is universal October 2005	Race and loneliness Jonathan Heawood Caryl Phillips's new novel is about race in early 20th-century American music-halls. But the subject that has always interested him most is loneliness September 2005
The lesson of Deep Throat Alasdair Roberts The myth of Watergate encouraged an adversarial media and a distrust of government. But the result has been transparency without responsibility September 2005	Joschka's journey Jan-Werner Müller Joschka Fischer, Germany's '68er foreign minister, is surprisingly sympathetic to neoconservative ideas for transforming the middle east September 2005
Status anxieties Marek Kohn We tend to assume that inequality in affluent societies is a sign of economic health and social vigour. But the evidence suggests that it makes us sick September 2005	Dead to the world Suzanne Franks Television coverage of world affairs has been reduced to a diet of dissociated disasters and human interest. Now here is a plea for more serious news-gathering August 2005
East end ephemera Matthew Reisz London's east end has thrown up many great storytellers. But is the tradition now dead? August 2005	Just give us the facts Dean Godson The Times Guide to the Commons used to be Britain's bible of psephology. But the new edition substitutes froth and chatter for tables and data August 2005
The captured state Richard Dowden Elites in the Asian tiger countries run the state in the public interest. In most of Africa, elites run the state in their own interests. Matthew Lockwood has written the best Africa book this year August 2005	The Ribena test Erik Tarloff If I prefer Ribena to Château Lafite, does that make me a fool? No. It's just a matter of taste—as it is for art. That is John Carey's thesis, and it's wrong July 2005
A mortal nation too Linda Colley An inability to listen to others is common to the nationalism of small countries with troubled histories—like Israel. So why is it also true of the US? June 2005	Evolutionary economics Bob Rowthorn By viewing economics as a cousin of biology, it is easier to see how small causes can have big effects and to grasp the limits of human knowledge June 2005
Blair's slaggy prolespeak John Lloyd Piers Morgan, former editor of the main popular paper of the left, regards politics and life as showbiz. And the politicians let him get away with it June 2005	Getting a life Margaret Drabble The new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography has been denounced for its many mistakes and tendentious commentary. But it extends the idea of Britishness, includes an impressive variety of lives, and the online version enables hours of happy browsing by entry, contributor, theme or even phrase May 2005
Does aid work? Ngaire Woods Very little, argues one book; quite a lot, says another; a huge amount, contends a third. It all depends on the quality of both the donor and the recipient May 2005	The English Hitchens David Herman Despite his US citizenship, Christopher Hitchens should be considered the finest English critic of his generation—of the literary, not just political, type May 2005
Peculiar words Richard Jenkyns Dr Johnson wrote a dictionary to teach people to use English well, but also to record how they spoke it. It remains both authoritative and personal May 2005	Enigmas & puzzles Ian Stewart May 2005
The fading of Freud Brenda Maddox Talking cures have their place, but psychoanalytic theory has faded into brain science. Adam Phillips's attempt to define sanity is beside the point April 2005	Return of the social novel Jonathon Keats Kazuo Ishiguro's story about clones is more Henry James than Aldous Huxley. The unspoken dilemmas of our technological age have Victorian echoes April 2005
A unified theory of music? Roderick Swanston Richard Taruskin's six-volume history of western classical music is personal and incomplete. But it offers a magnificent glimpse of the whole April 2005	Just don't call it paternalism Tom Nuttall Richard Layard's blend of Benthamite utilitarianism and modern psychology suggests a new mission for politics. It's a pity he can't call it what it is April 2005
The Wittgenstein of law Ben Rogers A "tell-all" biography of the liberal reformer and legal theorist HLA Hart sheds light on the flowering of Oxford philosophy from the 1930s to the 1970s March 2005	Don't follow the people David Marquand Politicians of the left once led public opinion. A hagiography of David Blunkett shows how today's "authoritarian populists" now just follow it March 2005
Cutting down the last tree Oliver Morton Jared Diamond offers hindsight on past environmental disaster, but he may underestimate the extent to which technology can save us from our own folly February 2005	The poet of documentary Kevin MacDonald John Grierson saw documentary as a lesson; Humphrey Jennings's wartime films showed that it could be an art. It is Jennings we should remember February 2005
Global left turn David Held Martin Wolf and I come from similar backgrounds and agree about much in the globalisation debate. But while he regards liberal markets as sufficient, I think the globe needs a turn to social democracy January 2005	A less important Ireland Fintan O'Toole Ireland no longer needs self-pity or hyperbole to tell its story. Here is an account that returns to the Irish the right to be unremarkable Europeans January 2005
Dylan talks, Zappa shouts Erik Tarloff The legend of Bob Dylan can survive and even thrive on a work of self-exposure, but the mystery of Frank Zappa is that anyone should bother to enquire January 2005	What drives the human? Jonathan Evans Are we driven by ancient genes or our own cognitive faculties? Human beings may have two distinct cognitive systems in conflict with each other January 2005
The return of story Julian Evans In the 20th century, as the practice of the novel tore away from storytelling, narrative went to the movies. But that rip in literature is now being mended December 2004	The new mysteries of class Geoff Dench Britain's class structure has become harder to describe. Ferdinand Mount does his best but leaves out the end of empire and the public service elite December 2004
Unmistakably Rothian Erik Tarloff Roth's latest bravura work reinforces his status as American master, but it also exposes his long-standing predisposition for improvisation over planning November 2004	Bill grows up at last David Frum Former Bush speechwriter David Frum was a sworn enemy of the Clinton presidency. But now that the man is out of power, and maturing fast, there may be reason to rethink October 2004
Hawking the happy pills Cheryll Barron Drugs that increase serotonin levels are widely prescribed for depression. But their benefits have been wildly exaggerated and their side-effects underplayed October 2004	Bush's barmy army James Crabtree The American right is a coalition of millionaires and trailer park dwellers stitched together by cultural anger. It is ascendant but not invincible October 2004
An expat's lament Nicolas Rothwell Germaine Greer has told white Australia to embrace its Aboriginal identity. But this book is more about her own isolation and sense of loss September 2004	The axeman cometh Jonathan Heawood Dale Peck casts himself as the saviour of modern fiction, but his firecracker reviews end up merely spitting at a few B-listers. Jonathan Heawood sticks his neck on the block September 2004
Eurosceptic, but sane Andrew Moravcsik Here is a sane Eurosceptic argument that tries to prove its case - and uses my work to do so. But it misinterprets its source material August 2004	A global religion? Jonathan Rée Far from dying of modernity, might the world's religions merge into a single system? Not if you regard the teacher as more important than the lesson August 2004
The jester of US fiction Jonathon Keats David Foster Wallace's reputation is as spectacular as his fiction is execrable. And yet, as an essayist, he could be one of America's leading writers August 2004	A transcendent introvert Erik Tarloff Drawn inwards by both his insular upbringing and his genius, Glenn Gould's life was almost devoid of incident. This is what makes it fascinating July 2004
Ethnic America Eric Kaufmann Samuel Huntington has stirred up a new controversy with a book about the danger to America from Hispanic immigration. He worries too much about Hispanics but he is right that the US does have an Anglo-Protestant ethno-cultural core which may be in conflict with the country's cosmopolitan idea July 2004	A new governing class Robert Cooper Who is going to provide public goods in our market-driven societies? Do we need to consciously create a new governing class? July 2004
Error of the oracle Jonathon Keats The Olympics were, and remain, rehearsals for state combat June 2004	The temptation to steal Edward Lucas The failures of Africa and the ex-Soviet states have much in common June 2004
Modernism's suicide Julian Evans Why is the realist novelist Jonathan Coe so taken by the life of experimentalist BS Johnson? June 2004	The Shostakovich files Erik Tarloff The debate over Shostakovich's "collusion" is inconclusive; the music is not May 2004
The mother of child benefit Frank Field A long overdue biography of Eleanor Rathbone May 2004	Rainbow Afrikaans Rachel Holmes This novel restores Afrikaans as a voice of real importance May 2004
A literature of accession Julian Evans As it joins the EU, Hungary can teach us to dream of new possibilities May 2004	Beauty's comeback Charles Jencks For a hundred years art lost interest in beauty; now it seems to be returning. April 2004
The novelist's neurosis Julian Evans David Mitchell is already being treated as a major figure of British fiction. But it is too early to tell April 2004	Hunting the Celtic tiger Roy Foster Fintan O'Toole, scourge of old Irish myths, has turned to the new myths of the economic miracle. March 2004
The unsung constitution Andrew Moravcsik The EU constitution is unglamorous, but it is what most governments wanted March 2004	The biggest puzzles Tom Kirkwood Can we gain anything from a maths book so technical that only experts can keep up? March 2004
Learn to love the clone Shereen El Feki No government should allow reproductive cloning near humans. But it will happen March 2004	A taste for the strange Robin Banerji Robert Irwin is a great historian of the medieval Arab world February 2004
The DWEMs are back David Herman Dead White European Males are objectively best, according to Charles Murray February 2004	The democratic Troubles Arthur Aughey Can the source of failure in Ulster be traced to a conflict within democracy itself? February 2004
Imagining horror Jason Cowley Why does a novel about Hitler fail, while one about Rwanda triumphs? It's truth to fiction, rather than history, that counts January 2004	Match of the century Erik Tarloff The opening of Soviet archives has revealed the lunacies that underpinned the greatest contest in cold war chess. January 2004
A welfare consensus? Daniel Kruger Despite clashes over public services, there is common ground between left and right on how to reform the welfare state January 2004	Texas for cretins Michael Lind Don't mock Texans if you know nothing about them. DBC Pierre's Booker winner is shallow and safe December 2003
By Hooke or by crook Patricia Fara In resurrecting Robert Hooke, Lisa Jardine has created her own optical illusion December 2003	An Irishman in full Siobhan Phillips Roy Foster has shaped Yeats's life and verse into a history, rather than just a biography November 2003
The new American ironists Jonathon Keats The literary magazine "McSweeney's" is re-defining the US short story. Its editor, Dave Eggers, says it is not ironic. Yeah, right. November 2003	The old English agony Julian Evans John Fowles's Englishness makes a triumphant return in his tormented, magnificent journals November 2003
A secular Jewish religion? Matthew Reisz Secular Judaism should become a separate denomination, argues a new book - a bit too vigorously. November 2003	Last of the magicians Patricia Fara Every era views Isaac Newton through the prism of its own concerns. That's why we're obsessed with his alchemy October 2003
Blair's five wars Charles Grant Iraq has severed the thread of Blairite foreign policy. This fifth war may turn out to have been his last October 2003	The admirable Mr Blunkett Oliver Letwin The home secretary embodies third-way thinking with passion and integrity. October 2003
Witness to the world Julian Evans The term "travel writer" fails to express the literary range of master stylist Norman Lewis. October 2003	Eagleton or Kermode? Boyd Tonkin One foundered on his showy idealism, while the other maintained an English critical cool October 2003
The Ballard tradition Will Self The present has caught up with JG Ballard September 2003	Customised humans Raymond Tallis Matt Ridley's attempts to surmount futile nature/nurture arguments do not go far enough. September 2003
The baseball revolution Edward Miliband Billy Beane is transforming baseball September 2003	How I won the cold war Paul Barker I studied interrogation arts with Alan Bennett and Dennis Potter September 2003
Keeping fiction in the past Julian Evans Pat Barker's talent for old wars does not adapt well to new ones. This failure to find power in the present stands as a core failure in British literary fiction August 2003	Lowell's old flames Siobhan Phillips Crazy and brilliant, Robert Lowell long stood at the peak of American poetic mythology. His star then faltered, but not much was needed to revive it. August 2003
Into the Russian night Jeremy Putley David Satter's account of Russia's criminal state is savagely bleak. Did the state really kill hundreds of its own people to justify the second Chechen war? August 2003	Anti anti-humanism Adair Turner John Gray's philosophy of pessimism is as arbitrary and unfounded as the Enlightenment ideas he rejects July 2003
Cleaving to Clinton Erik Tarloff Sidney Blumenthal has rightly used his insider perspective to describe the right-wing plot to destroy Clinton July 2003	Too many wild Oates Kate Kellaway The ever-abundant Joyce Carol Oates continues to create fresh shocks - too many July 2003
Making capitalism pay Howard Davies Anglo-Saxon capitalism has seen its reputation plummet. Is tougher punishment the answer? July 2003	Science is progressing John Gribbin A book on the greatest developments in our understanding of the universe is stimulating but flawed July 2003
Theodore or Franklin? Christopher Tugendhat A century ago, Theodore Roosevelt turned the US into a hyperpower in its own western hemisphere, providing some eerie precedents for today June 2003	The feeling brain AS Byatt Antonio Damasio takes neuroscience back to its philosophical origins in Spinoza's "mind-body" and reveals the "embodied consciousness" of art June 2003
Your face, Lord, will I seek Sebastian Smee John Updike's new novel isn't very good fiction but as a veiled work of art criticism it reveals his deepest obsessions as a writer May 2003	What are we fighting for? Anthony Dworkin Fareed Zakaria's book, which argues that liberalism is more important than democracy, is the missing voice of a sane internationalist US Republicanism May 2003
The science of inner space Paul Broks Consciousness poses both hard and easy problems. Science can deal with the easy problem of brain function, but subjective experience is still really hard May 2003	An archaeology of the present Nancy Hynes The idea that creating contemporary art is like exposing archaeological artefacts is nice but false. Archaeologists are more like curators than artists May 2003
The shadows of Suez Philip Goodhart Suez cast a long shadow over Anthony Eden's political career. But the crisis left surprisingly little transatlantic or cross-channel rancour, says Philip Goodhart May 2003	The monk of metaphor Jason Cowley James Wood, Britain's most brilliant literary critic, has published a novel. Can the merciless arbiter live up to his own critical standards? April 2003
In search of the ineffable Anthony Gottlieb Most mysticism is, in scientific terms, mush. Yet the mystic's experience of wonder may in fact be the same animating spirit that lies behind science April 2003	Germany's final taboo? Reiner Luyken Germany's anti-war mood has been reinforced by a bestseller about German suffering in allied bombing raids. But that's nothing new March 2003
Klein's clangers Martin Wolf Anti-globalisation celebrity Naomi Klein is all that is left of revolutionary socialism when it loses its intellectual and organisational discipline. February 2003	The end of men? Mark Ridley The Y chromosome is, in effect, cloned from father to son; and it is gradually decaying. In ten million years, human males may have ceased to exist. February 2003
On the playing fields of India Edward Luce As England's cricketers are thrashed in Australia perhaps some reverse colonisation by Indian cricket is in order. The origins of cricket in the subcontinent January 2003	Being Brendel Ivan Hewett The great pianist's life seems to have passed him by without emotional impact. But he turns out not to be the "intellectual" pianist that people imagine. January 2003
Death in Sydenham Kate Kellaway Cicely Saunders, founder of the hospice movement, has dedicated her life to preparing people for death. Kate Kellaway has a chat with her about the best way to go January 2003	Grand strategy Robert Cooper With weapons of mass destruction in private hands, will American power and European co-operation give way to a global police state? December 2002
Sensationally smug Peter Wayne Jeffrey Archer persuaded prisoners to open their hearts to him and then wrote prurient nonsense that will not advance the cause of reform, says the Prospect prisoner December 2002	Rainbow technology Justin Broackes Colour is a language not just of the senses, but of the various substances - animal and mineral, cheap and priceless - which have produced them December 2002
Genetically modified fiction Julia Lovell Literary fiction has long tinkered with science for its themes, but in biotechnology the novelistic imagination has found its ideal technical partner November 2002	Truth, power and history Richard J Evans Bernard Williams beats postmodernism with the stick of historical truthfulness, but that doesn't make the truth itself any easier to define November 2002
Human conditions Kenan Malik John Gray is a tragic fatalist. Steven Pinker believes in a progressive science of humanity. Are either of them right? October 2002	Young person's guide to Stalin Frederic Raphael Martin Amis's Koba is another exhibitionist work-yet endearing and instructive. A Harry Pottering among the ruins of 20th-century political illusions October 2002
Scots on the rocks Malcolm Rifkind Neal Ascherson has found geological origins for Scottish nationalism. This is not as mad as it sounds but it is still no reason to abandon the Union October 2002	We three would-be kings Dick Leonard Crosland, Jenkins and Healey were the reforming leaders Labour never had. They ruined each other's chances of saving the party from its wilderness years October 2002
Briefly, cruelly, Trevorly Ruth Padel Not quite Irish, not quite British; William Trevor has commanded transatlantic literary reverence for 30 years September 2002	Over-precautionary tales Tracey Browne Dick Taverne The precautionary principle represents the cowardice of a pampered society September 2002
Hacking up the Victorians Kathryn Hughes Lytton Strachey bent the rules and even the facts. But he still defines the liberties a biographer can take with a life in service of the truth August 2002	Is Stiglitz right? Stephanie Flanders Despite his arrogance and lack of rigour, there is a troubling kernel of truth in Joe Stiglitz's critique of the IMF August 2002
Clara Schumann's double life Rebecca Abrams Janice Galloway reclaims a life and the biographical novel July 2002	The definitive Dostoevsky Derek Brower Joseph Frank has completed his five-volume biography of the Russian genius July 2002
Half-right Hutton Martin Wolf Will Hutton fails to establish the superiority of European values, but his critique of America is surprisingly useful July 2002	Are children pets? Pamela Meadows Top professional women find it hard to combine high-flying careers and babies. But family-friendly businesses cannot solve the dilemma June 2002
When China cracks AC Grayling China's incoherent dissidents will not cause the collapse of the system June 2002	Bjorn again Adair Turner Björn Lomborg's excoriating critique of the green movement has been hailed as a breakthrough—but his arguments on global warming are flawed and inconsistent May 2002
The old pretender Keith Bruce Has William Boyd finally achieved highbrow status? Or is it just another jape at the expense of the critics? May 2002	Levi's inferno Joseph Farrell As German Jews held to the culture of Goethe, so Primo Levi summoned Dante in Auschwitz. His struggle was with literature as well as testimony April 2002
Slavery and immigration Robin Blackburn The same number of slaves were taken from sub-Saharan Africa to the Islamic world as crossed the Atlantic. But they were a luxury, not a means of production April 2002	The cloning challenge Susan Greenberg Imagining what it's like to be a human clone March 2002
The liberal nation David Marquand Having transformed domestic politics, Tony Blair is now constructing a new idiom for Britain's place in the world in which liberal values can coexist with a proper patriotic pride March 2002	Flaccid French letters Tim King Julian Barnes's nostalgia for lost Gallic virtues pleases both the French and the English February 2002
The authentic Turk Andrew Mango Istanbul straddles Islam and Europe. Novelist Orhan Pamuk explains how February 2002	Slaying Buffy Richard Jenkyns It is hard for intellectuals analysing popular culture to retain a sense of proportion February 2002
The religion of equality Samuel Brittan Tony Blair has nothing to learn from the academic left January 2002	Britain after Blair Matthew D'Ancona David Blunkett's book is a first shot in his leadership campaign December 2001
Art criticism lite Graham Bendel Where are the critics who can save British art from itself? December 2001	Bosnian blame game David Hannay Britain bears its share of responsibility for the Bosnian fiasco but a simplistic polemic does little to deepen understanding December 2001
Stephen Hawking is wrong Hilary Lawson Science has no monopoly on truth November 2001	Disenchantment of desire Sebastian Smee She writes perfectly pitched short stories about intimacy and sex. But Alice Munro's stories are more than a match for most novels November 2001
Last stop, Europe David Clark Labour's strategy for getting Britain into the euro is still too passive and economistic. Ministers should read this book, says former Robin Cook adviser November 2001	Arabian sensuality Robert Chandler Islamic fundamentalists have forgotten their own heritage of women writers and extraordinary Arab myth November 2001
The not so noble savage Samuel Brittan An indiscriminate attack on the cult of the primitive is redeemed by some disrespect for Isaiah Berlin October 2001	What is a liberal society? Oliver Letwin Does a liberal society require anything more from its citizens than respect for the law? October 2001
Re-reading Darwin Matt Ridley Darwin's own family stimulated his interest in the continuity between human and animal behaviour, making him the first "evolutionary psychologist" August 2001	Why art matters John Armstrong John Berger's attempt to explain why true art must come from the margins is a flawed but noble vision August 2001
The state they're in Erik Izraelewicz It is not only in Britain that public sector reform dominates politics. In France part of the elite is worried about the future of the state August 2001	Infantile leftist Martin Wolf A new critique of the corporate state has been the focus of extensive media attention. It is intellectually vacuous July 2001
A bug's life Jerome Burne The pharmaceutical arms race with microbes is unwinnable. We have to learn that successful diseases need us to survive July 2001	City slackers Edward Chancellor When foreign financiers stripped London of its snob class, the money woke up. But to stay slick, the city needs to regain an old honour system July 2001
Dutch delights Angela Lambert Dutch culture in the C17th is still hot-here is the novel it deserves June 2001	The genius of jargon Robert S Boynton Marjorie Garber is the queen of US cultural studies. She knows everything and nothing about culture June 2001
What's the point of Updike? Jane O'Grady Lacking the weight of Bellow or Roth, John Updike nevertheless captures the point of the mundane. In his new collection of stories, surface is depth May 2001	Heavy petting Peter Singer The philosopher of animal liberation considers a remarkable book which chronicles the history of bestiality April 2001
Keynes was wrong David Marquand Twenty years in the making, Robert Skidelsky's brilliant biography of Keynes has run out of steam in the final volume March 2001	The wizardry of Oz Kate Kellaway As Ariel Sharon is elected, Amos Oz publishes his new verse novel in Britain. Inside its ordinary domestic setting lies a plea for quiet in Israel March 2001
A cynical German Christopher Tugendhat A new biography of Konrad Adenauer - an unpleasant man, but a statesman who learnt the lessons of history February 2001	Against Dr Panglum Raymond Tallis Enlightenment humanists need to fight the postmodern culture that views us as a mere genetically or culturally programmed zombies February 2001
Vaguely European John Banville The continental European novel is in poor health. Nobel prize winner José Saramago is one of the few who can still make it fly February 2001	Financial authority Howard Davies Why George Soros is unnecessarily gloomy about the future of the global financial system and the hard-working plumbers who are patching it up February 2001
What is a flivver? Melanie Rehak John Ashbery is a frustrating but rewarding poet January 2001	A trade union obituary? Denis MacShane Admiring an unusual thing - a trade union history which isn't boring January 2001
Unenlightened England John Robertson Roy Porter is wrong to talk of an English Enlightenment January 2001	Understanding Wagner Michael Prowse There is a chasm between the popular perception of Wagner and the reality. Wagner is one of music's great thinkers December 2000
Ancient wisdom Jane O'Grady Saluting Anthony Gottlieb's new history of philosophy from 600 BC to the Renaissance December 2000	Remembrance day Robert Chandler How can Russia commemorate so many dead? December 2000
Hysterical realism James Wood Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" is the latest in a new genre of over-heated realist novels. Are they just imitating Dickens without the emotional force? November 2000	The Holocaust industry Samuel Brittan The "Holocaust industry" is driven by American and Israeli interests. But, says Samuel Brittan, no one can fully explain why it took so long to emerge November 2000
Economic with the truth John Kay Disparaging economics is not always justified October 2000	Misreading Europe Charles Grant A widely acclaimed book on the EU is ten years out of date October 2000
Terry the Obscure Richard Hoggart Terry Eagleton is not an easy read, but on the whole he's worth it October 2000	Dworkin's desert island Ben Rogers Why the eminent political philosopher is ignored by modern politicians August 2000
Atatürk's creation David Fromkin The creation of the Turkish state was one of the most remarkable acts of political will in the 20th century. What about the man who did it? July 2000	Five million Irish John Major Tory diehards 100 years ago exhibited the same kind of passion against Home Rule as they did against Maastricht May 2000
Angrier than thou Judith Flanders Philip Roth is one of the great writers of our time. At his best he mixes great rage with great craft, says Judith Flanders. So why has he written another disappointing novel? May 2000	A grand attitude to life Frank Kermode Rebecca West had a savage pen and a stormy life. Frank Kermode, who judged the first Booker prize with her, finds her letters full of candour, sadness and snobbery May 2000
Race and reality Ashish Bhatt No one should be compelled to join an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of multi-ethnic Britain May 2000	Real business Michael Prowse British industrial decline does not date back to the 19th century, but to the lack of competition up to the 1980s and the failure to join Europe in the 1950s April 2000
The voice of Spain Bella Thomas Javier Marias speaks for a confident modern Spain with its calculated suppression of recent history April 2000	You're not so vain Edward Pearce In praise of John Updike March 2000
Square one Jay Nordlinger Thomas Sowell's has a large reputation, but not large enough February 2000	Those who favour Frost Jeffrey Hart Jeffrey Hart on a satisfying new biography of the American poet Robert Frost, who deserves to be up with Yeats and Eliot in the poetry pantheon January 2000
Men behaving badly Samuel Brittan Samuel Brittan on an imperfect book which nevertheless should be read by as many people as possible January 2000	British champion Malcolm Rifkind Norman Davies has written an important history of the British Isles. But his analysis of the present situation is ill-considered. The fashionable view that Britain will wither away is wrong. The English, Welsh and Scots still share common interests and a British identity, for which Europe is no substitute January 2000
The story of us Kevin Davies We are now subject to a steady flow of news about decoding the human genome and its 100,000 genes. Kevin Davies recommends Matt Ridley as a guide through the maze January 2000	ERM: the true stories Samuel Brittan John Major, Norman Lamont and myself were wrong about the ERM December 1999
The male eunuch James Wolcott Men are victims, too? Nonsense December 1999	Easter 1916, Ha Ha Ha Carlo Gébler Roddy Doyle has written a dangerous book - and a historical masterpiece November 1999
The global cliché Paul Krugman Thomas Friedman's book has already become a globalisation classic. But it may end up looking like a foolish period piece November 1999	In praise of Posy Stella Tillyard Gemma Bovery is a brilliant, chilling creation October 1999
UN versus US David Hannay Boutros-Ghali's obsession with the US damages his memoirs October 1999	Catching them young Mary Warnock We do know how to reform young prisoners October 1999
God and greed Robert Cooper The greed of the Catholic church allowed Europe to fly August 1999	Discovering Platonov Penelope Fitzgerald A great Russian writer August 1999
The great synthesiser Anthony Dworkin Anthony Dworkin applauds the ambition of Francis Fukuyama's three synoptic books on the end of history, social capital and human nature, but finds them all wanting July 1999	The entertainment state Nicholas Lemann The dramatic conventions of popular culture now pervade public and private life in the US. Is that a problem? If so, what should be done about it? July 1999
Anarchy in the suburbs Paul Barker Paul Barker pays tribute to Colin Ward, Britain's favourite anarchist July 1999	The brand is it John Kay John Kay on why modern advertisements contain no information July 1999
Delightful failure James Wood Salman Rushdie has produced his most vital novel since "Midnight's Children," yet it is a post-modern failure. The critical reception of "The Ground Beneath her Feet" points to a growing unease with the kind of novel Rushdie now write. June 1999	A slight Hitch Martin Walker Martin Walker is caught in the middle of an extraordinary political feud between two of his closest friends, Christopher Hitchens and Sidney Blumenthal June 1999
Frippery and feeling Craig Moyes An 18th century French playwright who has more to say than it seems. June 1999	Who turned the page? Kate Kellaway Ian Hamilton has published just sixty poems in sixty years, but literary London has produced a surprisingly compelling Festschrift in his honour. May 1999
Modernism's last throw Howard Brenton The modernist dream of inventing a new aesthetic language which can only be understood in a utopian future, died with socialism. May 1999	A meme at Eton John Maynard-Smith Do memes have the same explanatory power in the social world that genes have in the physical world? May 1999
Slowing the clock Tom Wilkie Some of our cells are immortal and some die with us. Tom Wilkie reports on how understanding the difference may help us slow down ageing April 1999	The benefits of congestion Kenneth T Jackson An awesomely erudite book about cities, including his home-town of Memphis, Tennessee April 1999
The Habsburg dilemma John Gray Ernest Gellner was a brilliant polemicist, but his partisan history of ideas is a crude caricature of modern European thought. April 1999	The big picture Richard Layard Richard Layard recommends the most illuminating of recent books on the wired society but draws more pessimistic conclusions than the author March 1999
A sticky conversation Kate Kellaway Kate Kellaway is disappointed by a little book about conversation which suffers from runaway enthusiasm undone by preciousness March 1999	The critical point Nicolas Walter Literary criticism is seldom of use to the common reader. This collection from one of the best of the younger critics is an exception, but not without its flaws. March 1999
The posture of contempt Ivan Hewett Roger Scruton's exhilarating tirade against modern culture recommends taking refuge in high art. But art won't tell you how to live February 1999	How to save the world Christopher Huhne The world may be returning to a pre-1929 condition of endemic financial instability. Christopher Huhne considers two proposals to bring order to the markets February 1999
American graffiti James Wood Tom Wolfe's latest novel, "A Man in Full," has earned him the title of America's new Dickens. But his realism is nothing like Dickens's. Wolfe's characters are grotesquely typical and monstrously melodramatic. We should not confuse Wolfe's cartoonish realism with life or literature February 1999	Having some of it Pamela Meadows Pamela Meadows welcomes an accessible overview of women and work, but is not convinced by its gloomy picture of a world of workless men and exploited women February 1999
The paradox of class David Willetts Britain's famous obsession with class is, paradoxically, the result of an unusually high level of social mobility February 1999	Brittan and Europe Nigel Lawson The former Chancellor, falls out with his old friend Samuel Brittan over Europe, but still finds much to applaud in his latest collection January 1999
Ulster's ghosts Nick Martin-Clark How should the Northern Irish peace process deal with the past? Reform of the RUC is even more urgent in the light of a book published in the US January 1999	Phallus in Wonderland Richard Jenkyns Richard Jenkyns pokes fun at a Freudian analysis of children's literature January 1999
Manufacturing a masterpiece Valentine Cunningham Valentine Cunningham tries to understand why a derivative debut novel has become a global bestseller December 1998	Irony and foreign policy Robert Cooper International relations is increasingly about values, identity and powerlessness December 1998
The Bible without God Edward Skidelsky The Canongate Bible books are the reductio ad absurdum of protestantism. Do we really care whether Fay Weldon likes St Paul? December 1998	Cowardly capitalism Daniel Ben-Ami Daniel Ben-Ami pays tribute to Susan Strange, the philosopher of "casino capitalism," but argues that the problem with financial markets is that they are not risky enough December 1998
...and his latest book Gunter Hofmann One of Germany's leading political commentators considers Oskar Lafontaine's Red-Green manifesto November 1998	In his nature John Gribbin John Maddox is right to rubbish the end of science thesis-but should have followed his own advice about fact-checking November 1998
Back to Dayton Pauline Neville-Jones Pauline Neville-Jones clashed with Richard Holbrooke at Dayton but finds his book a gripping, albeit anti-European, account of the Bosnian débacle November 1998	A better class of failure Nicolas Walter Nicolas Walter says that all anthologies are failures-but this is a good one November 1998
A tangled web Brian Winston Brian Winston finds that Kevin Kelly-internet propagandist and technological determinist-is wrong about everything November 1998	The overload disease Philippa Ingram There will never be an explanation for chronic fatigue syndrome October 1998
Right about the big things Martin Wolf Chris Patten is right about the universal superiority of liberal market democracy, but is wrong about the causes of the Asian crisis October 1998	No-good Norman Terry Teachout Norman Mailer is an egotistical has-been who became a celebrity too early in his career to write good novels October 1998
The clean smell of Orwell Nicolas Walter Nicolas Walter heaps praise on the definitive complete works. It adds little to our knowledge of Orwell, but at least reminds us of his consistent integrity October 1998	Sensibility without a subject Matthew Reisz WG Sebald's strains too hard for significance and even topples over into self-parody August 1998
Even briefer history of time Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking retraces the genesis of his Brief History of Time and considers what has happened in cosmology since the book was published August 1998	The price of philosophy AC Grayling AC Grayling finds it difficult to feel enthusiastic about Routledge's over-priced, 10-volume offering on philosophy August 1998
Glasnost at the FCO Archie Brown We can now read the official reflections of British diplomacy as it battled with the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. The documents reveal fascinating differences of opinion July 1998	The unity of knowledge Andrew Brown It is more than 20 years since Edward O Wilson first presented sociobiology as a Darwinian meta-theory. His latest book still aims to reconcile culture and biology and is as over-ambitious as ever July 1998
Was Hazlitt an Irishman? AC Grayling William Hazlitt was one of the great geniuses of English letters. AC Grayling, who is himself completing a biography of Hazlitt, generously recommends Tom Paulin's rival work but questions his claim that Hazlitt was an Irishman July 1998	The sewers of life Angela Lambert It is tempting to think that we do not need any more stories about the Holocaust. But Angela Lambert welcomes this extraordinary account of how a brother and sister survived July 1998
From Hitler to Hölderlin Desmond Christy Much has been written about Heidegger's involvement with the Nazis. But Desmond Christy welcomes a new biography which refrains from hasty judgements, and lets the life speak for itself June 1998	The black and the red Timothy Garton-Ash A French book on communism equates Hitler's "genocide of race" with Stalin's "genocide of class." Timothy Garton Ash considers the implications of comparing Nazism and communism June 1998
Leapfrogging the Tories Rick Nye Down with the public sector, long live public spending! Rick Nye considers a new book which argues that if Blair's active government is to make a difference it needs to go further than the Tories in reforming the state June 1998	Arguing with aliens AC Grayling How can we explain the ubiquity of alien abduction claims and other paranormal phenomena? AC Grayling is a philosopher who believes that science can explain both the stories and why some people need to believe them May 1998
The paranoid Pole Anatol Lieven Zbigniew Brzezinski belongs to that realist school of geopoliticians whose advice is best ignored. His hard-headed approach to American hegemony masks an irrational hatred and fear of Russia May 1998	Dead letters James Wood Ted Hughes's angry poems tell us almost nothing original about Sylvia Plath. But they do reflect his own self-image as calm, antique England to Plath's excitable American innocence May 1998
The Reader, once more AS Byatt In the last issue of Prospect, Frederic Raphael declared that anybody recommending The Reader must have a tin ear for fiction and a blind eye for evil. AS Byatt was incensed-The Reader, she argues, is a beautifully constructed fable about guilt April 1998	Walter on Walter Nicolas Walter Natasha Walter's book on the new feminism has been reviewed mainly by young women-not always kindly. Nicolas Walter is a man from an older generation and the author's father April 1998
The reactionary progressive Anthony Dworkin To the right, he is an apostate; to the left, a sinner who repented. Anthony Dworkin argues that John Gray's intellectual journey is more complex: he is a progressive who does not believe in progress April 1998	Judge not? Frederic Raphael In the clamorous world of modern high culture, people find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between good and bad art. Frederic Raphael regrets the decline of cultural judgement and is particularly distressed at the praise heaped upon a new book about the Holocaust March 1998
Sleepwalking to hell Derek Coombs It is usually the generals who carry the blame for the carnage of the first world war. Derek Coombs reconsiders Roy Jenkins's biography of Asquith and argues that the politicians have escaped lightly March 1998	Quashing speculation Ruth Kelly The international financial markets are suffering another wobble. Ruth Kelly asks whether we should consider a "Tobin" tax on foreign currency speculation - or does George Soros have a better idea? March 1998
Fire and ice Edward Skidelsky The end of the Soviet Union has released a flood of new histories of Russia and communism. Edward Skidelsky recommends two-one describes the tragedy of an idea, the other of a people March 1998	Too much Plato? Lesley Chamberlain Iris Murdoch has been a unique presence in British intellectual and literary life. Lesley Chamberlain says she has tried to teach us good and beautiful things, but fears that her legacy will be slight February 1998
A ghost at the talks Nick Martin-Clark Loyalist grievances have been threatening the Northern Ireland talks. But, says Nick Martin-Clark, attention will shift to an old nationalist wound-the unfinished business of Bloody Sunday February 1998	Bonfire still blazes Andrew Ferguson Ten years after its US publication Tom Wolfe's novel is worth another look. But its bleak vision of mid-1980s New York has fortunately not proved prophetic January 1998
Japan and the world David Howell Despite its current problems Japan still wields huge economic power. But the country should reject an appeal to use that clout to rebuild the international order. It ain't broke... January 1998	Useful stuff? Nicolas Walter It was the equivalent of the family Bible in many secular British households-but does Whitaker's Almanack still have its traditional authority? Nicolas Walter studies the 130th edition January 1998
Very bad boys Peter Wayne Blake Morrison's reflection on the murder of toddler James Bulger by two ten year olds is now out in paperback. Peter Wayne reports from prison on some of its themes: television's influence on crime, sexual abuse and the imperative of mercy January 1998	Sound and fury Simon Frith To his surprise Simon Frith finds he agrees with most of Roger Scruton's assertions about musical meaning and value. But why does Scruton hate popular music? January 1998
Global Claptrap Robert Taylor Two ill-informed books about globalisation have won acclaim by appealing to the prejudices of their respective audiences: continental Europe's political class and the US left. The facts suggest a more complex, and benign, reality December 1997	Wrong leader, right result Ian Gilmour For most of the 20th century the Tory party has chosen the wrong leader, but has nevertheless won elections. Labour, until recently, has done the reverse December 1997
Marquand's missing link Robert Skidelsky David Marquand attributes a succession of Britain's economic and social problems to its archaic state. The link between his politics and economics is not clear and that both have been overtaken by events December 1997	Brains, minds and books Andrew Brown Books on the brain and consciousness pour off the presses-from Daniel Dennett, John Searle, Susan Greenfield and others. Andrew Brown surveys the recent literature and asks why our knowledge remains so sketchy and contested November 1997
The History Man Daniel Johnson Richard J Evans's book is not so much a defence of history as of one school (left, populist, socially conscious) against another (conservative, elitist, high political) November 1997	Thinking about Christa W Anne McElvoy The best work of Christa Wolf evokes a lost world of betrayed idealism. Anne McElvoy defends the East German writer against crude post-unification attacks but finds she has not yet connected with the new Germany November 1997
Ever shrinking Beeb Samuel Brittan Samuel Brittan objects to a piece of high-minded special pleading for an ever rising BBC licence fee for an ever shrinking BBC. Quality programmes need a better defence October 1997	The men of rock Oliver Morton Richard Fortey has written an elegant and informative biography of life on earth. But his preference for the rock over the intriguing idea lets him down October 1997
Greens get real Hugh Raven Once there was cause for alarm about the environment, but no longer, claims Gregg Easterbrook; the greens can now go home. Not so. August 1997	Yellow peril repainted Jonathan Spence Is China a "rogue" country aggressively seeking hegemony in Asia, or a weakened one-party state desperately trying to control rapid social change? We may not know until it is too late August 1997
The unreconstructed Yvette Cooper An old Labour academic claims that lack of demand is the main cause of unemployment. Yvette Cooper, a new Labour MP, says this Keynesianism is as out of date as the monetarism which followed August 1997	Etzioni and his critics Melanie Phillips Libertarians accuse Amitai Etzioni of authoritarianism. But the populariser of communitarianism is in fact a classic liberal August 1997
Not completely Frank Nicolas Walter Anne Frank's diaries have appeared in at least three versions since her death in 1945. That even the latest "definitive" edition may not be so definitive August 1997	Guilt by association Michael Mertes Norbert J Prill European integration is not a cover for German hegemonic ambitions. It is the only alternative to the destructive power politics of the past July 1997
Norman Davies is innocent Anne Applebaum The historian Norman Davies is attacked for being "rightwing" and "anti-Semitic." His only crime is to contest the Allied Scheme of History July 1997	Russian bodies and souls Sally Laird Some of the greatest literature of the Soviet era is only now becoming available in fine English translations. Sally Laird finds similar themes reverberating in new Russian writing July 1997
The books AC Grayling The essential literature on the last great landslide June 1997	Still in her prime Malcolm Bradbury Muriel Spark has been writing superior fiction for 40 years. Malcolm Bradbury pays tribute and says her latest novel shows she has not lost her touch June 1997
Only connections Robert Cooper The wrongs of the past came from the absence of freedom, the wrongs of the present from its excesses. Robert Cooper is impressed by Geoff Mulgan's new book, but finds his answers less convincing than his questions June 1997	Regrets? I've had a few Charles Elton Charles Elton finds Mia Farrow's memoir follows the classic three-act structure of any Hollywood princess: dysfunctional family, bewildering marriages, messy splits June 1997
The German storyteller James Hawes Uwe Timm's deceptively light narrative is a mixture of Kazuo Ishiguro, Graham Swift, Woody Allen and James Joyce. He has saved German letters and written the reunification novel June 1997	Cosmology and evolution John Gribbin The US physicist Lee Smolin is proposing an extraordinary marriage of physics and biology. He argues that there are many universes and, like the laws of physics themselves, they are all evolving. Smolin has written the most important science book of 1997 May 1997
A worthless memoir Bruce Anderson The memoirs of former Conservative party treasurer, Alistair McAlpine, reveal a politically shallow egotist. Bruce Anderson says he contributed far less to Thatcherism than he imagines May 1997	Cold war closure Philip Gordon New research on the origins of the cold war is confirming the realist view that the Soviets were responsible for the conflict. Philip Gordon is impressed, but the revisionists have not had their last word May 1997
The Millbank moralist David Willetts Tony Wright is an impeccable New Labour Blairite, argues David Willetts, but his book has little to offer beyond outdated admiration for the German model and moral denunciation May 1997	Contradiction in terms Tony Wright David Willetts is one of the best of the Tory apologists, argues Tony Wright, but even he cannot conceal the tension between free market radicalism and Quintin Hogg's civic conservatism May 1997
There's a spy in my kitchen Lesley Chamberlain Markus Wolf, the former east German spy chief, has written a self-serving cook book cum autobiography. Lesley Chamberlain finds it fascinating but morally tasteless April 1997	Poverty and wickedness Ah Halsey Charles Murray's assertions about the underlcass in Britain do not stand up to scrutiny, says AH Halsey. Social policy should instead focus on how to make citizen's income feasible April 1997
We are all mongrels now Neal Ascherson A new generation of Irish intellectuals is exploring the hybrid nature of Irish and British identity. Neal Ascherson finds their views appealing but politically impractical April 1997	Biology and bile Steve Jones The eminent geneticist Steve Jones considers one of the great thrillers of modern science and places it in its social and scientific context March 1997
Lord Serota of Bankside Charles Saumarez-Smith Nicholas Serota has put a meat cleaver through a major institution without anyone complaining. Charles Saumarez Smith says a Labour government should appoint him minister of culture March 1997	A Franco-German dance Douglas Johnson The Franco-German defence relationship is entering a new phase. As France prepares to rejoin Nato, Douglas Johnson considers a timely survey of this uncertain alliance March 1997
Revising revisionism Dick Leonard In the 20 years since Tony Crosland's death his beliefs have been in retreat, even in the Labour party. Dick Leonard, a former Crosland adviser, says his revisionism is still Blair's best bet March 1997	Life in the footnotes Paul Barker The 27th edition of Social Trends is published at the end of January. Paul Barker, a compulsive browser since the first edition in 1970, celebrates the big trends and the small print February 1997
The books AC Grayling Hong Kong February 1997	The altruistic ape Samuel Brittan Matt Ridley has written a fine book on the nature of altruism, not a Blairite manifesto. But neither author nor reviewer has an answer to the "groupishness" problem February 1997
Anarchy postponed Alex De Waal Robert Kaplan's 1994 predictions of coming anarchy were based on spurious statistics and powerful metaphors. Alex de Waal welcomes a mellowing of his views February 1997	Classes for grasses Deborah Kellaway Deborah Kellaway enjoys a book about how class difference has found new expression in the gardens of Britain. The book has one drawback: it puts you right off gardening February 1997
A bluffer's guide to bluffers Howard Davies Bogus anecdotes and trite observations are the staple of management books. Howard Davies, deputy governor of the Bank of England, finds "The Witch Doctors" no exception. In fact, it is exquisitely dreadful January 1997	Shining Stalin's shoes PJ O'Rourke Are leftists crazy or are they charlatans? After wading through 769 pages of Mikhail Gorbachev's humourless memoirs, PJ O'Rourke thinks he has the answer January 1997
Don't quote me Nicolas Walter Is the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations as good as it claims? Nicolas Walter says that its revised fourth edition is still unable to distinguish between the essential, the pointless and the dubious January 1997	Babel Will Hutton Will Hutton on the visceral anti-Englishness that Andrew Neil shares with his former boss December 1996
The books AC Grayling Philosophy of history: AC Grayling surveys the essential literature from Thucydides to Popper December 1996	Excavating the mind Anthony Gottlieb The mind is best understood by examining what people actually did at different points in human evolution. Anthony Gottlieb finds that archaeologists are the most useful guides to consciousness December 1996
The good state Kenneth Minogue Octogenarian economist John Kenneth Galbraith no longer fulminates against consumerism. But, says Kenneth Minogue, his view of the good society is still irredeemably statist December 1996	Toppling the monument James Wood George Steiner is probably the most eminent literary critic writing in English. James Wood, a young pretender to his throne, launches a blistering attack on the critic's work December 1996
The unwanted review Duncan Fallowell Cioran is a Romanian genius, a philosopher who can turn extreme anguish into supreme elegance. But, as Duncan Fallowell finds out, no one seems to care November 1996	The books AC Grayling AC Grayling surveys the essential literature from Bacon to Orwell November 1996
The sibling theory of civilisation Matt Ridley Conflict between siblings is a more significant force in human history than class struggle, according to Frank Sulloway, a Harvard psychologist. He believes that first borns tend to be conformist and younger siblings rebellious-and offers a pile of statistics to support his case. Matt Ridley is intrigued but sceptical November 1996	The infinite longing Jeffrey Herf To the consternation of his scholarly peers, Daniel Goldhagen's book on the Holocaust has become a bestseller in Germany and the US. Jeffrey Herf says that the book is ahistorical and unoriginal November 1996
A biography of one's own Penelope Fitzgerald After six volumes of letters and five volumes of diaries we know what Virginia Woolf did and said on almost every day of her life. Penelope Fitzgerald considers why we care October 1996	No earthly paradise Stephen Tindale Our century has seen the triumph of Eduard Bernstein's evolutionary socialism against revolutionary utopias. Stephen Tindale says that we must now prepare for evolutionary environmentalism October 1996
The books AC Grayling AC Grayling surveys the essential literature from Aquinas to HLA Hart October 1996	The books AC Grayling AC Grayling surveys the essential literature from Homer to Thubron August 1996
Poetic pursuits Clive Wilmer Clive Wilmer says recent attacks on TS Eliot have been disproportionate and ignore the ubiquity of anti-Semitism before the Holocaust. Eliot was a man of his times August 1996	Rap around the clock Tony Parsons Has rock music become brutal and tuneless or are we just getting old? Tony Parsons says that the musical generation gap is more evident in the US than in Britain, with its tame and familiar sounding Britpop. But the real excitement is in dance music August 1996
Jeremiah from Jamaica Peter Popham Stuart Hall has been a central figure on the left for 40 years. The father of cultural studies-with its jargon-encrusted prose-is now in bleak mood, says Peter Popham August 1996	Tutti frutti Andrew Hill Italy boasts more than two thirds of the west's artistic heritage, but Italians do not read books or go to the theatre. July 1996
The great reckoning David Marquand The global free market economy will inspire a countermovement-just as it did 100 years ago. David Marquand and the political economists he reviews here agree about that. But will we have to chose between the free market and the free society? July 1996	The books AC Grayling AC Grayling surveys the essential literature from Plato to Bernard Williams July 1996
Beautiful metaphors, bad science Andrew Brown Richard Dawkins-God's own atheist-has become an academic celebrity thanks to his vigorous defence of classical science. Andrew Brown reviews his recent work and argues that his DNA-determinism merely substitutes one God for another June 1996	The books AC Grayling Mind and consciousness June 1996
The first man of France Douglas Johnson A definitive account of Albert Camus and tries to disentangle his fiction from his life June 1996	No muddle in the middle Stephen Pollard After 30 years of shuffling and blurring, the centre left in the US thinks it has established a new hard-edged progressive creed. Stephen Pollard considers the claim that it will dominate for a generation and asks whether New Labour can follow suit June 1996
Pound foolish Samuel Brittan Samuel Brittan reviews the Treasury's battles against impossible odds May 1996	Russell in the bushes Frederic Raphael Frederic Raphael assesses the life of Bertrand Russell, the philosopher who, if he was close to being a genius, was even closer to being a shit May 1996
It takes a village idiot PJ O'Rourke The latest book to come out of the Clinton administration is by the First Lady herself. It contains advice on entertaining toddlers (with a sock) and how girls should dress (comfortably). PJ O'Rourke wonders whether Mrs Clinton is really such a nitwit April 1996	Monsieur Butterfly David Lipsey The only alternative to social democracy is social democracy April 1996
An unexceptional book Alan Ryan Observations about American exceptionalism go back to the birth of the republic itself. Alan Ryan finds that Seymour Martin Lipset's latest book offers little new on the subject, but welcomes its conclusion that Americans worry a great deal more than they ought to April 1996	Left with no illusions Will Hutton Peter Mandelson and Roger Liddle have just written the unofficial New Labour manifesto for the next election. It is more coherent and less conformist than he had feared. But the book does not develop a political economy of stakeholding and it lacks the bite of the US Democrats' latest plans March 1996
Matter over mind Anthony Gottlieb Anthony Gottlieb admires a rigorous refutation of belief in the paranormal March 1996	It's foreign policy, stupid Godfrey Hodgson The collapse of communism has not led the US back to isolationism. Instead, argues Godfrey Hodgson, it has launched a new era of missionary interventionism-for the benefit of domestic audiences, not the US's allies January 1996
The beast in John Bull's jungle Bruce Anderson Michael Portillo alienated all sides in the Tory leadership contest and then made a crass conference speech. Yet he remains a crown prince of the new Tory party. Bruce Anderson wonders whether he ought to be January 1996	In pursuit of the unspeakable Anthony Barnett Constitutional reform is usually regarded as worthy but dull. Anthony Barnett of Charter 88 argues that this indifference has been challenged. Reform has found a voice. The simultaneous publication of several important books on constitutional themes seems to support his case December 1995
Borderline philosophy Vernon Bogdanor Should philosophers write novels? Vernon Bogdanor reads Steven Lukes's attempt to follow in the footsteps of Candide-and of Sophie's World December 1995	Gilding Victoria David Cannadine Victorian values are no longer so confidently promoted by conservatives in the UK, but their US counterparts are picking up the banner. David Cannadine discovers Republican nostalgia for the 1950s rather than the 19th century December 1995
Escaping the aerodrome Chris Patten Totalitarianism is on the run but liberalism's future is not assured. Chris Patten rediscovers the relevance of Rex Warner's wartime novel for Robert Skidelsky's World after Communism November 1995	The party's over Frederic Raphael Frederic Raphael considers 'Le passé d'une illusion'-François Furet's meditation on the bewitching influence Soviet Marxism had on so many French intellectuals. The British and others may have been less susceptible, but can the millennarian impulse ever be finally extinguished? October 1995
Austere Auster Kamran Nazeer