Not PC

“ I t is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they wil...

I’ve been trying to write a tribute to one of my favourite novelists, who died this week . Can’t do it. Instead, I can only point you to m...

Greece is in many ways the dead end of Keynesian economics; of the idea that aggregate demand alone, regardless of its source , is what fire...

A while back a friend on Facebook 1 challenged me to list for her the Ten Books That Changed Your Life. So I thought long and I thought har...

I’m pinching this idea from Craig Ranapia , who pinched it from the “ Shelf Life ” feature from The Spectator ’s Book Blog . 1) What are y...

by Peter Cresswell Strong is a king who destroys all, stronger still is a woman who obtains all, but strongest is wine, which drowns reaso...

My regular weekend ramble has been stymied by Firefox losing my session with all the tabs ready to go. Bugger. So instead, let's do boo...

According to Umberto Eco, who's the sort of chap who knows this sort of thing, this , by Augusto Monterroso, is the world's shortest...

There is more thrill in the Dan Brown copyright infringement case than there is in his book, but at least it has finally become a thriller. ...

Have you ever wanted to track down all those books that appear in other books? You know, books like Panther Without Eyelashes by Adeodato ...

Some current or recent reading material, all of which I can recommend: The Hope , by Herman Wouk. Called "magnificent" by Anthony ...

Umberto Eco's latest novel 'The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana' is another delightful and encyclopaedic cornucopia of reference...

A striking illustration from the Italian 'Corrieriono' from 1936, taken from Umberto Eco's 'Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana...

Google have done it again. Google Blog Search is one recent boon. Google Scholar allows us, as the slogan says, to "stand on the sho...

I'm as eager to get my teeth into Umberto Eco's latest as so many others were to get into the latest Harry Potter. Eco writes with...