The quiet power of noble craft
James Fox’s stories of stonewalling and lettercutting take readers a world away from craft-shop kitsch.
ByBook reviews
Read all the latest book reviews from the New Statesman and discover the best novels, non-fiction, essays and biographies. If you’re looking for something more specific, explore our sections dedicated to politics books and history books.
Do youth clubs still matter?
British youth clubs began as social experiments and ended up safe havens for creativity and culture. What happens when they…
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The struggle for Greenland
As Elizabeth Buchanan’s new history shows, Donald Trump is not the first foreigner to covet the Arctic territory. But his…
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Christianity’s political ascent
Alice Roberts’ history of the late Roman empire dispels the notion of a faith for the poor and oppressed –…
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Constantine Cavafy’s melancholy and majesty
The 20th-century Greek-Alexandrian poet wrote of a faded grandeur that stood for all humanity.
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Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventures in storytelling
A new biography reveals the author as shaped by conflicting influences – and affirms his status as a serious writer.
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Asa Briggs, professor of everything
The historian and educator’s achievements were as long and varied as his contacts book.
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RF Kuang’s descent into the abyss
The American author’s sixth novel struggles to satirise chronic illness and pain.
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The wonderful world of Prince Andrew
Queen Elizabeth’s second son had everything he ever wanted. That was the problem.
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It-girl literary heroines are all cannibals now
The newest publishing trend is a long way from the universe of Sally Rooney.
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Nicola Sturgeon is finally free
In her new memoir, Scotland’s former first minister reckons with the failures and pain of a career in politics –…
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The best children’s books for summer 2025
Our action-packed list will thrill readers whether they’re three or 13.
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From Ruth Larsen to Pirkko Saisio: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring Pan by Michael Clune and Refuge: Stories of War (And Love) by Sunny Singh.
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The history of nuclear science
Two new accounts of the atomic age overlook its deadly past.
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Kevin Keegan’s visions of the future
The footballer was restless, as if he never quite found what he was searching for.
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English cricket’s greatest record
One wet summer over a century ago, Gilbert Jessop gave the country something to be cheerful about.
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The politics of murder
The history of assassinations, as Simon Ball points out in his book Death to Order, is one of myth-making, bungled…
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From Andrea Long Chu to Alayo Akinkugbe: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring Among Friends by Hal Ebbott and The Place of Shells by Mai Ishizawa.
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150 years of the bizarre Hans Christian Andersen
His oddball stories were driven by his outsider status and strange appearance.
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From Xenobe Purvis to Jeffrey Wasserstrom: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring Moveable Feasts by Chris Newens and Monsieur Ozenfant’s Academy by Charles Darwent.
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