Reviews

Augustus the Strong, attributed to Johann Joachim Kretzschmar, c. 1713. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Augustus the Strong’ by Tim Blanning review

In Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco, Tim Blanning looks for a legacy for the ‘incorrigible Saxon’.

Two angels, by Pierop di Cosimo, c. 1510-15. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Public Domain.

‘The Grammar of Angels’ by Edward Wilson-Lee review

The Grammar of Angels: A Search for the Magical Powers of Language by Edward Wilson-Lee finds in Giovanni Pico della Mirandola a case for the Rennaissance as a triumph not of individuality, but of universal experience.

A beehive scene, by Fedor Flinzer, 1902. Mary Evans Picture Library.

‘Man-Devil’ by John J. Callanan review

Man-Devil: The Mind and Times of Bernard Mandeville, the Wickedest Man in Europe by John J. Callanan revels in the making of the controversial satirist and philosopher.

‘Dancing at the New Carlton Hotel, Shanghai’, block print by Toyonari, 1924. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Public Domain.

‘The Worlds of Victor Sassoon’ by Rosemary Wakeman review

Rosemary Wakeman’s The Worlds of Victor Sassoon: Bombay, London, Shanghai, 1918-1941 is a tale of three cities linked by globalisation and a singular global citizen.

‘A Perspective View of the City of Naples’, by Thomas Bowles III, 18th century. Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection. Public Domain.

‘Naples 1343’ by Amedeo Feniello review

Naples 1343: The Unexpected Origins of the Mafia – Amedeo Feniello’s history of the Camorra – has this much in common with the case against them: it’s all about the evidence.

Monkey puzzle tree, from Louis van Houtte and Charles Lemaire’s Flowers of the Gardens and Hothouses of Europe, 1862-65. Florilegius/Bridgeman Images.

‘The Tree Hunters’ by Thomas Pakenham review

In The Tree Hunters: How the Cult of the Arboretum Transformed Our Landscape, Thomas Pakenham reveals the discoveries of Britain’s buccaneering botanists.

‘The Gulf Stream’, by Winslow Homer, 1899, reworked by 1906. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Ocean’ and ‘Tracks on the Ocean’ review

Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus by John Haywood and Tracks on the Ocean: A History of Trailblazing, Maps and Maritime Travels by Sara Caputo search beyond the swell.

A British staff car passes refugees, by Geralf Spencer Pryse, 1914. Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. Public Domain.

‘Disputing Disaster’ by Perry Anderson review

Disputing Disaster: A Sextet on the Great War by Perry Anderson relitigates the causes of the conflict through some of their key proponents.

Triptych panel with Saint Sebastian, c. 15th-16th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Lower than the Angels’ by Diarmaid MacCulloch review

Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch reminds us that when it comes to sexuality and gender, scripture is often contradictory.