Latest Reviews

Book Review

Henry Reece, The Fall: Last Days of the English Republic

Henry Reece’s The Fall: Last Days of the English Republic has a simple premise: to provide a narrative account of the last eighteen months of the English republic, from the death of Oliver Cromwell in September 1658 to the restoration of the monarchy in May 1660.

Book Review

Nicholas Radburn, Traders in Men

'Traders in Men' is eye-opening and thought-provoking; it is a brilliant synthesis of the available information in all its forms; and it is a firm reminder about the lengths the greedy will go to in the pursuit of wealth.

Book Review

Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain, Steve Tibble

'Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain' is a welcome addition to the sizeable body of literature available on the subject. Its narrower focus and sober analysis of British affairs shines a light on the importance of the Templar Order's lesser-known members and their activities, and, as with all good primers, leaves the reader keen to branch out and read more.

Book Review

Victory to Defeat, Richard Dannatt and Robert Lyman

'Victory to Defeat' asks a very simple, but rarely considered, question: how did Britain and her army go from victory in 1918 to crushing defeat at the hands of the same enemy in 1940?

Book Review

The Weimar Years, Frank McDonough

'The Weimar Years' is the story of clashing cultures and opposing outlooks, of international relations and internal explosions. It is, quite simply, a book that must be read.

Book Review

Women in Intelligence, Helen Fry

Helen Fry's 'Women in Intelligence' is the work of years of incidental surprises and shocking discoveries made in the course of other research. It is, in essence, a compendium of the vast and complex array of roles undertaken by women working for the British secret services during the two world wars.

Book Review

The Eagle and the Lion, Adrian Goldsworthy

In 'The Eagle and the Lion' Adrian Goldsworthy has set out to achieve the almost impossible: to provide a complete history of the relationship between Rome and Parthia/Persia across seven centuries.

Book Review

Robert Hutchinson, After Nuremberg

In 'After Nuremberg', Robert Hutchinson provides an entirely new interpretation of the American pursuit of 'justice' for Nazi war criminals, with surprising results.

Book Review

Tony Spawforth, What the Greeks Did for Us

'What the Greeks Did for Us' is a personal, subjective, and selective look at ancient Greece through the lens of modern culture. And it's wonderful.

Book Review

Peter Stothard, Crassus

Since the days of Plutarch, if not before, Marcus Licinius Crassus has been viewed as the ultimate exemplar of folly and dishonesty in the super-rich.