Reviews

Review

Izabela Czartoryska, Polish princess and patriot

A dazzling biography of the Polish princess Izabela Czartoryska traces her life alongside the long struggle for Polish freedom.

Daniel Johnson August 28, 2024

Review

Guercino and the business of art

Guercino's ascent from peasant boy to Italian Baroque master unveils a genius with both brush and business.

Alexander Lee August 21, 2024

Review

Unpicking imperial history

Historians of the British Empire are engaged in an often ill-tempered war of words that reveals more about the certainties of contemporary moral mores than it does about the past i..

Samuel Rubinstein August 19, 2024

Review

Mint condition

The forms, perceptions and uses of money over time convey a compelling narrative about wealth, morality, and cultural identity through the ages.

Alexandra Wilson August 19, 2024

Review

The hidden fractures beneath America’s Cold War triumph

In the final years of the 20th century, America's fringe ideologues and failed demagogues laid the groundwork for a future populist revolution.

Jonathan Esty August 14, 2024

Review

To top it with the best of them

Female British artists faced personal and institutional obstacles to practising their crafts. Their works convey a social history of women's changing roles in British society.

Cath Pound August 12, 2024

Review

Hydro-imperialism

The imperial ventures of European powers were about the struggle for water almost as much as they were for land.

Michael Ledger-Lomas August 12, 2024

Review

The miracle of Tristan und Isolde

Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde remains a timeless testament to the searing power of forbidden love and artistic genius.

Paul Lay August 6, 2024

Review

Beowulf’s Scandinavia of the mind

Beowulf is a mysterious and misunderstood work of Anglo-Saxon literature, but, once delved into, it offers a rich glimpse into the worlds of early medieval Scandinavia.

Mathew Lyons August 5, 2024