Reviews Archive

'The Destruction of Roman Britain', 1926.

Review

The end of Romanitas and the coming of the English

In the centuries after the retreat of the Roman Empire in the West, the Britons who had thought themselves the inheritors of Rome were overcome by Germanic incomers, a story of mig..

Mathew Lyons September 7, 2026

Map showing the evolution of the Ottoman Empire between 1792 and 1878. By Paul Vidal de Lablache, Atlas Classique, Librerie Colin, Paris, 1894.

Review

An Ottoman age of experiments

Far from being the 'Sick Man of Europe', the late Ottoman Empire witnessed a period of extraordinary political adaptation.

Daniel Neep September 4, 2026

Soviet photographer Yevgeny Khaldei in the court room of the Nuremberg Trials while main defendant Hermann Goering covers his face with his hand. Credit: dpa picture alliance

Review

The struggle to capture the Nuremberg Trials

What is a trial for? Is it enough simply to establish guilt, or must that guilt then be communicated to the wider world?

Iain MacGregor September 3, 2026

Images showing Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing.

Review

A world captured by China

The aspirations of modern China are rooted in President Xi's historical fictions combined with Marxist beliefs, a Leninist mentality and fervent nationalism.

Michael Sheridan September 2, 2026

Helen Hyde's woodblock print, 'A Windy Ride'.

Review

How Japan raises its children

The West has long drawn on Asia's culture and philosophy to shape its own notions of 'lifestyle'. Japanese parenting is another rich vein of inspiration.

Christopher Harding September 1, 2026

A bronze portrait bust of Juba II, king of Numidia.

Review

King Juba in fragments

Reconstructing the life of the African ruler Juba II from 15 objects, as Andrew Kenrick does in 'Rex Juba', shows both the appeal and the limits of narrative history.

Orlando Gibbs August 28, 2026

Contemporary lithograph colour print showing an aerial view of the Paris Exposition universelle in 1900.

Review

Did globalisation cause the First World War?

The economic origins of the Great War warn that trading and financial links are not just a means to peace and prosperity – they can also be a source of tension and conflict.

Duncan Weldon August 27, 2026

Mrs Odette Sansom showing her George Cross medal to her daughter François after the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, on 19 November 1946.

Review

The women who waged secret war on the Nazis

The valiant contribution made by female secret agents to the resistance in Nazi-occupied Europe has been overlooked for too long.

Clare Mulley August 26, 2026

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera 'The Magic Flute'. Set for the Queen of the Night ('Königin der Nacht') by Karl Friedrich Schinkel - 1816 Berlin production.

Review

Mozart’s vision of life

Martha C. Nussbaum's study of opera and political freedom combines musical sensitivity with a philosopher's eye to argue that Mozart offers a template for living well.

Alexandra Wilson August 25, 2026