Prospect online this week: books, clothes, celebrities, words

Just before shutting up our online shop for the Christmas period, Prospect has four new pieces for your heterogeneous holiday delight. In books and politics, former spcial advisor to Tony Blair, Patrick Diamond, reviews a new history of the Attlee years, and weighs the consequences of Attlee's legacy for the modern Labour party. On the other side of the Atlantic, Radio 4 writer Adam Rosenthal takes a lighter look at the golden crop of verbal coinages the US elections have seen this year. In response to last month's piece by Toby Young on the modern cult of celebrity, historian Jonty Olliff-Cooper tells us all about a Victorian celebrity cult that puts the worst excesses of the present to shame. And, last but not least, writer and critic Hettie Judah takes a look at the world of fashion in Antwerp, and an exhibition celebrating 20 years of perhaps the most influential and innovative designer you've never heard of…

All thoughts and comments welcome below. And, although we'll be blogging from time to time over the festive period, I'll take this opportunity to wish very best seasonal wishes to all our readers from the whole editorial team.