Significant works reviewed by Engelsberg Ideas writers.
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary was the most significant cultural achievement of the 18th century, a landmark work of great skill, effort and erudition.
William Blake, the poet-painter who created a mythology all his own, is also the central figure in biographer Philip Hoare’s private cosmos. Such a personal obsession is a major fl..
The KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin's painstaking records of the Soviet Union's espionage activities offer insights that are just as relevant now as when they were first released 35 ..
Helen Carr’s compelling account of 14th-century England retells a familiar story with style. Yet it also provides a keen sense of the humanity of those who experienced this turbule..
Two popular histories of the British empire combine compelling storytelling with scholarly judgment, showing how historians can handle morally complex subjects with flair, nuance a..
A new exhibition foregrounds the enduring role of flowers in the life of the photographer Cecil Beaton, and how they cross-pollinated their way into his creative imagination.
The American poet Dana Gioia writes for the public, a vanishingly rare trait.
The idea of privacy is a surprisingly modern notion, but one worth defending.
A fascinating exhibition at the London Museum Docklands shows vividly how the River Thames has always been a wild place at the heart of urban civilisation. Its tides are constantly..
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