Many guests at the Spectator’s summer party on Wednesday night expressed their admiration for the magazine’s books section, which is edited by Mark Amory and Clare Asquith. Consistently strong, they said. What a cracking section, said an excited Australian gentleman. It’s a tremendous honour to have such support, and we’re grateful to all our readers. Here is a taste of what they’re going on about:
Jonathan Keates, author of Handel: The Man and his Music and Purcell, has reviewed David Starkey’s latest book, Music and Monarchy, which ties in with the forthcoming TV series:
‘Whatever made the Hanoverian and Saxe-Coburg Gotha melomane genetic inheritance disappear so completely during the 20th century and why, oh why is the existing royal family, with one or two honourable exceptions, so resolutely uninterested in music?’
You can read more here.
The great literary journalist Allan Massie revisits William McIlvanney’s classic crime novel Laidlaw, which has been reissued.
Laidlaw was first published in 1977, 36 years back from now, 38 on from The Big Sleep.
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