Category: Books

Djinns are spirits, representng pagan beliefs, which were integrated into Islam. The name was anglicised as genie. This is a wonderful book by a wonderful writer. Dalrymple lived in Delhi, with his young wife, the artist Olivia Fraser, who provided the book’s numerous sketches. Some passages are very funny covering their relationships, including with their … Continue reading Review: City of Djinns; a Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple (1993) Assessment 10 out 10

This is a great book. It reads like a thriller. It is at the same time a study of legal theory, territorial and urban history and a multiple cross generational biography. The legal theory concerns the formulation in international law of crimes against humanity and genocide. Both can be committed by states, but are visited … Continue reading Review: East West Street; On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity by Philippe Sands (2016) Assessment 9 out of 10

This is a beautifully written book with a wonderful cover and colour illustrations. My only reservation about marking it 10 to 10 was that I knew little about the subject so was unable to assess its originality. After reading Entangled Life , I hope I know more It is concerned with ecology the relationship between … Continue reading Review: Entangled Life – How fungi make our worlds, change our minds and shape our futures by Merlin Sheldrake (2021) Assessment 9 out of 10

I absolutely loved this book, it is an easy read of big ideas, reflecting a life’s work of study and thought. I have set out below notes I took whilst reading it, and occasionally, in italics , my commentary, so you can either skip the notes, skip the commentary or both. Price doesn’t say so … Continue reading Review of “The Children of Ash and Elm; a History of the Vikings” By Neil Price (2020)Assessment 10 out of 10

Christofi writes “Even though [Dostoevsky] never wrote his memoirs, those who knew him could unearth them” [in his novels.] This is what Cristofi tries to do. He had previously written two novels. You are left asking, “Is this a biography or a novel?” “Many of Dostoevsky’s ideas remain disconcertingly relevant, [including] that a society without … Continue reading Review: Dostoevsky in Love – An Intimate Life by Alex Christofi (2021)Assessment 7 out of 10

This is the work of a professional historian relying on detailed reading of documents to reach long researched but quickly written (or at least quickly read) conclusions. To begin with I thought just the introduction would be like that. It all was. It was breathless. The story is illustrated both on the pages and in … Continue reading Review: The Origins of Sex by Faramerz Dabhoiwala (2012) Assessment 8 out of 10

A Moral Economy is the web of shared values within an economy which is based on justice, contrasted with untrammeled markets. Faith describes the shift from an unfeudal Anglo-Saxon (AS) to a feudalised Anglo-Norman countryside, as change away from the moral economy. The AS position was complex. On inland the primary aim was to supply … Continue reading Review: The Moral Economy of the Countryside; Anglo-Saxon to Anglo-Norman England by Rosamond Faith (2020) Assessment 8 out 10

This is a great book, although I don’t say it is an easy read. It seems unbelievable that Sack is not included amongst the 52 “Key  Thinkers on Space and Place” listed by Hubbard, Kitchin & Valentine (2004) or the book included in their 26 “Key Texts in Human Geography”(2008).That he and it aren’t included … Continue reading Review; Human Territoriality: Its Theory and History by Robert D Sack (1986) Assessment 9 out of 10

I scored it as highly as I did because I was genuinely impressed by the thesis that the health of women and men is different and that women are stronger at both the beginning and end of life. Moalem ascribes this to women having 2 XXs and men the XY chromosome. The X chromosome contains … Continue reading Review: The Better Half; on the Genetic Superiority of Women by Sharon Moalem (2020) Assessment 4 out of 10

Robert Sack is an Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin. My favourite Geographer who is also a writer, Yi Fu Tuan, also taught there, so this was clearly a power house. Like Tuan, Sack is a philosopher as much as he is a Geographer. I read the Book once and wasn’t sure … Continue reading Review; Place, Modernity and the Consumer’s World by Robert D Sack (1992) Assessment 8 out of 10