Begins with a Perec epigraph: "De l'autobus, je regarde Paris" - and Elkin does, in a diary of vignettes about the 'infra-ordinary' (Perec again): fellow commuters, a diversion, a girl with ... read more
'The lion of Panjshir' was the Afghan politician and military commander who fought brilliantly against the Russians during their occupation, and led the Northern Alliance that resisted the T... read more
The Director of the V&A looks at how the great ceramicist and Lunar man transformed society by creating an early form of international mass market, while also significantly contributing to t... read more
Following renewed interest in one of Britain's most popular Prime Ministers, this new biog draws attention to his considerable achievements instead of dwelling on Munich to the exclusion of ... read more
Born in Dublin in 1934, McGahern has corresponded with all his contemporary Irish writers. The letters are wonderful, and form a snapshot of late C20 Irish literature.
The Director of the V&A looks at how the great ceramicist and Lunar man transformed society by creating an early form of international mass market, while also significantly contributing to t... read more
An entertaining group-biog of the American babes who inherited money and married titles. The usual line-up: Mary Davies (Grosvenor), Consuelo Vanderbilt (Marlborough); Singer, Fellowes, de J... read more
An outstanding evocation of living in London in the late '70s and early '80s, with its curious mix of modernity and grit, analogue but on the cusp of the digital age.
Ronald Knox, in his sermon at GKC's funeral, said "All of this generation has grown up under Chesterton's influence so completely that we do not even know when we are thinking Chesterton", y... read more
In February 1938 Georg Klaar, a Jewish lad of seventeen, went to his first ball in Vienna, staying until the band's last waltz. A month later came the Anschluss. The ensuing years brought ch... read more
Translated from the Italian, this biography marks the 700th anniversary of Dante's death. It brings to life the context in which he wrote. (Barbero's book on Waterloo was excellent.)
From France to the American Revolution, then back again to join the French Revolution, whose firebrands threw him into prison for five years, whence he emerged to spar with Napoleon. In 1830... read more
A biography of the Swiss tennis divinity, champion of sweetie-coloured blazers, master of self-possession, likened by fellow tennis players to Michelangelo for his skill.
Beautifully attuned to her subject, CA unravels Sebald's work from his life with subtlety and sympathy. She has previously written a marvellous biography of Primo Levi.
Who was John Lewis? His father died in a Somerset workhouse; he opened his first business in Oxford Street in 1864. Subsequent family feuds are detailed here, as well as the Partnership that... read more