Reviews

Review

The Great Siege of Malta through Ottoman eyes

A new study makes a considerable contribution to our understanding of the events of 1565 by emphasising Ottoman testimonies and deploying a global perspective.

Roger Crowley January 13, 2025

Review

Music at the end of time

The austere beauty of Morton Feldman's settings of Samuel Beckett shows how art can escape and reshape time itself.

Benjamin Poore January 8, 2025

Review

A deep history of games

A new book argues that our fascination with playing games is neither a luxury nor an amusement, but a necessity.

Caroline Eden January 7, 2025

Review

Books of the Year 2024

Contributors to Engelsberg Ideas highlight the books they’ve enjoyed in 2024.

Engelsberg Ideas December 18, 2024

Review

Versailles’ splendour unbounded

The institutions of old Europe were at the forefront of intellectual and technological innovations that still shape our lives today.

Mathew Lyons December 17, 2024

Review

In search of Mitteleuropa’s lost nobility

The fate of the Austro-Hungarian nobility after the fall of the Habsburg Empire raises interesting questions about what ‘old’ elites should do when politics changes.

Anna Parker December 16, 2024

Review

Uplifting India

India’s thriving dissident art scene during the late-20th century addressed the social ills facing a growing nation.

Pratinav Anil December 11, 2024

Review

Wild stories of medieval women

Four remarkable medieval women writers challenge a world dominated by male voices, offering vivid insights into female power, creativity, spirituality, and ambition in an era that ..

Helen Carr December 10, 2024

Review

The spectacular disasters of Augustus the Strong

One of the 18th-century’s most colourful princes, Augustus 'the Strong' combined disastrous military expeditions with an instinct for art and culture.

Luka Ivan Jukic December 3, 2024