Reviews

Monkey puzzle tree, from Louis van Houtte and Charles Lemaire’s Flowers of the Gardens and Hothouses of Europe, 1862-65. Florilegius/Bridgeman Images.

‘The Tree Hunters’ by Thomas Pakenham review

In The Tree Hunters: How the Cult of the Arboretum Transformed Our Landscape, Thomas Pakenham reveals the discoveries of Britain’s buccaneering botanists.

‘The Gulf Stream’, by Winslow Homer, 1899, reworked by 1906. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Ocean’ and ‘Tracks on the Ocean’ review

Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus by John Haywood and Tracks on the Ocean: A History of Trailblazing, Maps and Maritime Travels by Sara Caputo search beyond the swell.

A British staff car passes refugees, by Geralf Spencer Pryse, 1914. Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. Public Domain.

‘Disputing Disaster’ by Perry Anderson review

Disputing Disaster: A Sextet on the Great War by Perry Anderson relitigates the causes of the conflict through some of their key proponents.

Triptych panel with Saint Sebastian, c. 15th-16th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public Domain.

‘Lower than the Angels’ by Diarmaid MacCulloch review

Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity by Diarmaid MacCulloch reminds us that when it comes to sexuality and gender, scripture is often contradictory.

Books of the Year 2024: Part 2

Cook and Colombia, mathematics and motherhood, wealth and warfare: 13 more historians choose their favourite new history books of 2024.

‘Rest: Aldenham Church’, by Sir Hubert von Herkomer, 1876.Yale Center for British Art, Dr. Lee MacCormick Edwards Collection, Gift of Alison Edwards Curwen. Public Domain.

‘Church Going’ by Andrew Ziminski review

In Church Going: A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isles, Andrew Ziminski deconstructs the humble parish church.

Books of the Year 2024: Part 1

Imperialism and India, spies and seafarers, paganism and the polis: the first 12 of 25 historians choose their favourite new history books of 2024.

The extended Taft family with US president William H. Taft, 18 June 1918. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

‘The Tafts’ by George W. Liebmann review

In The Tafts, George W. Liebmann celebrates an American political dynasty dedicated to public service. Why are they often overlooked?

Diogenes in the Book of Good Morals, by Jacques le Grant, 15th century. Musée Condé, Chantilly/Bridgeman Images.

‘The Green Ages’ by Annette Kehnel review

Can The Green Ages: Medieval Innovations in Sustainability by Annette Kehnel find anything worth recycling in medieval modes of living?

Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, from the Regensburg Pentateuch, c.1300. Israel Museum, Jerusalem/The Ridgefield Foundation, New York, in memory of Henry J. and Erna D. Leir/Bridgeman Images.

‘Who Really Wrote the Bible’ by William M. Schniedewind review

Who Really Wrote the Bible: The Story of the Scribes by William M. Schniedewind asks what authorship meant to the hidden hands behind the Old Testament.