Reviews

Review

The medieval roots of modern antisemitism

The word antisemitism was coined amid the racial politics of 19th-century Germany, but, a new study argues, it could equally be applied to the religious persecution of Jews widespr..

Samuel Rubinstein July 31, 2024

Review

Spies, lies and empires

In the twilight of empire, the CIA waged the Cold War in many of the same locales and with many of the same strategies as its imperial forebears.

Ronan Mainprize July 29, 2024

Review

What will remain of us if the machines take over?

The machine god could be no friend of ours. It's time we took the implications of AI development seriously.

Bryan Appleyard July 24, 2024

Review

Operetta’s world of invention

Operetta has multiple roots and many registers: it draws on pantomime, the stock horseplay of the commedia dell’arte, vaudevillian comedy, melodrama, as well as the symphonic sweep..

Benjamin Poore July 15, 2024

Review

Gardens for all

The transformative impact of suburbia on the British landscape between the wars is often viewed in negative terms. But the development of the suburban garden is indivisible from th..

Mathew Lyons July 10, 2024

Review

The Habsburg world we have lost

The Habsburg monarchy’s political culture persisted in odd and varied ways, following the disintegration of the Austria-Hungarian state. The failures and mendacity of the succeedin..

Luka Ivan Jukic July 9, 2024

Review

One family’s Chinese Odyssey

The clan saga is a common theme in Chinese literature and, in a new memoir, a journalist returns to his family's homeland and the history of China's turbulent 20th century.

Michael Sheridan July 8, 2024

Review

The medieval moment when England emerged from France

During the early years of the 13th century, Philip II of France tried to take the crown of England from a troubled and unpopular King John. The war that followed marked a crucial m..

Nicholas Morton July 2, 2024

Review

The true sources of Soviet conduct

The Soviet Union believed that they were manifestly destined to lead the world to a higher future yet that masked a profound insecurity about their status in the international orde..

Rodric Braithwaite July 1, 2024