Reviews

Significant works reviewed by Engelsberg Ideas writers.

Nineteenth century map of Iran.
Review

Great Books: Sir John Malcolm’s Sketches of Persia

Sir John Malcolm's seminal ethnography is unrivalled in its critical appreciation of the Iranians at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Ali Ansari November 25, 2022
Pope Pius XII
Review

Between Hitler and Mussolini: The agony of Pope Pius XII

David Kertzer’s The Pope at War is a compelling historical account of a Catholic Church and its Pope caught up in the totalitarian experiments of the twentieth century.

Elisabeth Braw November 11, 2022
Still from a film production of I Viceré, a novel by Federico De Roberto.
Review

Great Books: I Viceré by Federico De Roberto

De Roberto's familial saga lyrically charts the decline of the Sicilian aristocracy during the Unification of Italy.

Alexander Lee November 11, 2022
Laurence Olivier plays Marcus Licinius Crassus in the film Spartacus.
Review

What was it like being Rome’s richest man?

In this biography of Marcus Licinius Crassus, the first in nearly fifty years, Peter Stothard avoids getting bogged down in the tortuous politics of Late Republican Rome and instea..

James Barr November 4, 2022
Opera Nazionale Balilla, an Italian Fascist youth organisation.
Review

Seeing through Mussolini’s lies

Paul Corner’s academic take-down of Mussolini’s illusions and myth-making is a vital contribution to our understanding of modern Italian culture.

Tobias Jones October 28, 2022
The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli, 1895. Credit: Tibbut Archive / Alamy Stock Photo.
Review

Great Books: The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli

Marie Corelli’s best-selling novel is not just an old-fashioned romance but a sophisticated reflection on temptation and on the problem of evil.

Marie Daouda October 21, 2022
Marble statue beside the Scala Sancta in the Lateran Palace of Jesus and Judas. Credit: Svabo / Alamy Stock Photo.
Review

The Gospel according to Judas

Review: David Brakke’s sober-minded commentary on the recently discovered Gospel of Judas is an intelligent insight into this quixotic text's literary and spiritual quality.

Lance Jenott October 14, 2022
Winnetou books from the personal estate of Winnetou actor Pierre Brice.
Review

Great Books: the Winnetou series by Karl May

The adventures of Winnetou and his German-American friend Shatterhand have delighted German children since publication over a century ago. The recent criticism of the series misse..

Katja Hoyer October 7, 2022
CDC 7600 Supercomputer, LLNL, 1970s. Credit: Science History Images / Alamy Stock Photo.
Review

Hip to be Square

Review: The rapidly changing social and political landscape of America in the 1970s is often associated with left-wing counter culture — but many mainstream scientists and engineer..

Ananyo Bhattacharya October 7, 2022

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