An empire of leftovers
Simon Winder has a politically incorrect style of presenting history, which makes it a refreshing, thought-provoking read. I loved his...
Brocade-trimmed orrery
The stereotype of the anally retentive chamberlain mechanically following a ritual timetable reminds me of Sourdust in Mervyn Peake's...
Futility worth reading about
I like the idea that something about futility is written so splendidly that it’s worth reading before you give up...
Germany does do some great food
Winder has a passionate attachment to Germany – nobody could have embraced its vast history and culture with such easy...
Intellect as desert
Prince Albert’s interests outshining his fellow royals to such a stark extent suggests an alarming intellectual aridity. Reminds me of...
Daft and marginal
I liked this description of a region being 'daft-and-marginal' before splitting in two, with one half somehow managing to rule...
Lacquer-black Vltava
Lovely vowel harmony in that 'lacquer-black', it deserves to entirely supplant the boringly bog standard 'pitch black'. Do me a...
Wine and conveyor belts
There must be a good study of wine in European trade and war.  England’s sometime claim to half of France...
Gum-burning brandy
A toothache-anaesthetizing solution gives a jaunty air to this fun concept of the Dullest Exhibition-case Award. But lest you think...
Mead-crazed ancestors
Since ancient Britain was steeped in German genes, not to mention mead, I fear these may be my ancestors too....
Salt-raddled farmland
Scientists are developing plant species that can cope with 'salt-raddled farmland', called 'halophytes'.
See the quote-mosaic review of this...
Alert to danger
This made me laugh out loud when reading Simon Winder's Danubia late one night. Parents ever-so-delicately trying to inveigle their...
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