Reviews

Review

When everything is empire

A superficial reckoning with the history of the British Empire is blind to the realities of class and inequality.

Pratinav Anil January 17, 2024

Review

A magical Renaissance

Anthony Grafton's study of the occult and Renaissance thought offers powerful lessons in our age of disenchantment and technological progress.

Mathew Lyons January 15, 2024

Review

Medieval wanderlust

Pilgrimage was a hugely popular, yet expensive, activity in Medieval Europe with an entire industry - from clothing to souvenirs - built up to support travellers.

Helen Carr January 4, 2024

Review

Spinoza’s radical enlightenment

Jonathan Israel's monumental biography of Spinoza characterises the philosopher as a foundational thinker for the modern world. To what extent is that the case?

David Wootton January 3, 2024

Review

Books of the Year 2023

Contributors to Engelsberg Ideas highlight the books they’ve enjoyed in 2023

Engelsberg Ideas December 21, 2023

Review

The unmaking of Julius Caesar

A landmark BBC/PBS documentary attempts to tell Julius Caesar's story in contemporary terms. In doing so, it obscures and simplifies a more complex — and fascinating — history.

Andrew Sillett December 12, 2023

Review

Minority report

American political institutions, from the Senate to the Electoral College, have an inbuilt bias against majoritarianism that exacerbates polarisation and hinders effective governan..

Joseph Stieb December 11, 2023

Review

Flights of fantasy

Many early modern individuals were able to do impossible things. Teresa of Ávila claimed she could levitate. What did these beliefs illustrate about the religious and scientific li..

Katherine Harvey December 7, 2023

Review

A French Revolution in fragments

Robert Darnton compellingly evokes the atmosphere of pre-revolutionary France, but a focus on short anecdotes over grand narrative means his new book is sometimes less than the sum..

David Wootton December 6, 2023