Decoding Adam Smith
A new history of The Wealth of Nations shows how the Scottish thinker’s legacy became an economic battleground.
ByNon-fiction
Discover the latest non-fiction books and must-reads with the New Statesman’s expert reviews. Including biographies, music books, political writing and more.
Surrender: praying in the church of Bono
In his account of being “saved” by love and religion, the U2 frontman’s sincerity overpowers the scorn of his critics.
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A new age of climate migration
In Nomad Century, Gaia Vince argues we must prepare now for environmental migration on an unprecedented scale.
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The women who made TS Eliot
Accounts of the poet’s brutal rejections of Mary Trevelyan and Emily Hale shed light on a man obsessed by posterity…
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How Donald Trump rose to power
Maggie Haberman’s Confidence Man is the best account yet of Trump’s path to the presidency – and a crucial guide…
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The bonfire of the Middle East
Jeremy Bowen’s personal history shows how hopes of peace failed and the region entered a new era of instability.
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The cutting wit of Alan Rickman
In the late actor’s diaries, his merciless verdicts on showbiz idiocy are tempered by a deep loyalty and humanity.
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Football’s data delusion
A new book by Rory Smith looks at why the English Premier League is still searching for its Moneyball moment.
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What Harold Wilson can teach Keir Starmer
A new biography shows how one of Labour’s most successful leaders kept the party united at all costs.
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Agatha Christie’s secret worlds
After her infamous 11-day disappearance in 1926, the author retreated from public view. Lucy Worsley’s new biography claims to solve…
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Blue Labour: A rallying cry for a return to inclusive politics
Maurice Glasman’s book is an urgent reminder that statecraft is not about immediate victories but securing well-being for all.
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The Last Colony exposes a deep injustice at the heart of the British state
Fifty years ago the UK forcibly removed the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands. Will they ever be allowed to return?
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What is to be done about money?
A new economic history examines how and why money has always been inextricably linked to politics and power.
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From spy to journalist to celebrated poet: the curious life of Basil Bunting
The letters of the Northumbrian modernist reveal an idiosyncratic career and an exacting critical mind.
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British diplomacy in the dock
A former diplomat’s new book reveals that, for 25 years, UK foreign policy has left mainly harm and disorder in…
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Reviewed in short: New books by Guy Standing, Stu Hennigan, Jessica Andrews and Don Paterson
The Blue Commons by Standing, Ghost Signs by Hennigan, Milk Teeth by Andrews and The Arctic by Paterson.
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Rebecca May Johnson’s Small Fires is a radical analysis of cooking
This lively, conversational book insists that following a recipe can be a creative process.
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The 15 best books for summer
The New Statesman’s selection of essential recent releases.
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Why Gone with the Wind is American culture’s original sin
Sarah Churchwell’s book is a 458-page indictment of the Civil War-era romance. Frankly, should we give a damn?
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Who wants to be “normal”?
Often what we consider “normal” is, statistically speaking, abnormal. And wouldn’t most of us prefer to be extraordinary anyway?
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