contents

july / august 2020 • issue 488

Editor Nancy Sladek Deputy Editor Tom Fleming Assistant Editors Frank Brinkley • David Gelber Contributing Editors Jonathan Beckman Michael Burleigh • Sara Wheeler • Philip Womack Editorial & Marketing Assistant Michael Delgado Marketing Manager Constance Watson Advertising Manager Terry Finnegan Classified Advertising David Sturge Founding Editor Dr Anne Smith Cover Illustration Chris Riddell

summer double issue This year we have combined our July and August issues to create a special summer edition of Literary Revview. We hope you enjoy it. We will be extending all subscriptions by a month. The next issue will appear at the start of September.

diary 1 Joanna Kavenna

politics & power 6 Richard V Reeves

Greed is Dead Paul Collier & John Kay 7 Michael Burleigh

Soft Power: The New Great Game Robert Winder 9 David Goodhart

Twilight of Democracy Anne Applebaum 11 Jeremy Warner

Angrynomics Eric Lonergan & Mark Blyth

the life aquatic 12 Fran Bigman

Splash! Howard Means • Why We Swim Bonnie Tsui • Lido Christopher Beanman 13 Helen Bynum

The Seaweed Collector’s Handbook Miek Zwamborn 14 Patricia Fara

Merpeople: A Human History Vaughn Scribner

Literary Review | july / august 2020 2

philosophy 16 John Banville

Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life John Kaag 17 Michael Tanner

Time of the Magicians: The Invention of Modern Thought, 1919–29 Wolfram Eilenberger 18 Jonathan Rée

Humankind: A Hopeful History Rutger Bregman

ancient world 20 Philip Parker

Alaric the Goth Douglas Boin 21 David Abulafia

The Life and Death of Ancient Cities Greg Woolf 23 Paul Cartledge

Thermopylae: Great Battles Chris Carey

footprints 24 Sean O’Brien Philip Larkin and Hull

yes, minister 26 Richard Vinen

The Churchill Myths Steven Fielding, Bill Schwarz & Richard Toye 28 Abhimanyu Arni

Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism Dinyar Patel 29 Jane Ridley

Haldane: The Forgotten Statesman Who Shaped Modern Britain John Campbell

history 30 Jonathan Meades

Prisoners of History: What Monuments to the Second World War Tell Us About Our History & Ourselves Keith Lowe 32 John Guy

The Book in the Cathedral: The Last Relic of Thomas Becket Christopher de Hamel 33 Rory Cormac

Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation & Political Warfare Thomas Rid

through the keyhole 35 Will Wiles

Bunker: Building for the End Times Bradley Garrett 37 Thomas Blaikie

Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy & How to Make It Work for You Capricia Penavic Marshall