Book
What actually is money? A new book examines early civilisations to find out
The central insight of David Birch's "Before Babylon" is that money is essentially a technology, just like any other and that technologies change—and improve—over time
A new book makes the intellectual as well as a moral case for diversity
Scott Page's "The Diversity Bonus" argues that seeking out employees with different experiences, preferences and identities can ultimately deliver dividends
"Full of rich, strange anecdote": Review—Alastair Bonnett's "Beyond The Map"
Theresa May once said, “if you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere.” This book might be read as a subversion of the prime minister’s statement
The secret negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal
Trita Parsi's new book "Losing An Enemy" is the most detailed examination of the nuclear deal so far written
What happened when 133-ft waves swept in? A new book documents the Tohoku tsunami
The story continued long after the news cameras left
Colson Whitehead's new slavery novel contains misery—but is crisply unsentimental about plantation life
Whitehead’s boldest stroke is to make the historical underground railroad a literal secret railway line
Why are some people so reluctant to have their children vaccinated?
As a new book explains, some wrongly fear that vaccination programmes serve only the interests of big pharma
A new novel explores the awkwardness that comes with ageing
Francesca Segal’s second novel is exuberant and entertaining
Fiona McFarlane’s new short story collection explores secrets—and the terrors of childhood
This exciting collection, which takes the reader from English country roads to sweltering Greece and Australia, proves McFarlane has a knack for disconcerting her reader
How the Second World War helps explain our world
A new book argues that in coping with what they had witnessed, traumatised populations in 1945 adopted new ways of thinking
Books in brief: Balancing Acts by Nicholas Hytner
Hytner presided over one of the most successful periods in the National Theatre’s history; this book is a satisfying explanation of how he did it
Anthony Burgess at 100: unearthly powers
His critics accused him of being a mere entertainer with highbrow airs. But Anthony Burgess was one of the most astonishing writers of the 20th century