Times Literary Supplement (December 18, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Faithful unto Death’…
Tag Archives: Books
The Nation Magazine – January 2025 Preview
The Nation Magazine (December 17, 2024): The latest issue features ‘Code Red’ – On election night, our screens were a sea of red, suggesting that the US was more conservative than ever. But sometimes maps can be deceiving…
The Dead Hand of the Democratic Consultant Class
Breaking the grip of grifters who refuse to learn or leave won’t be easy. But it is essential to effectively opposing the coming plutocracy.
The Difference That Matters Most Isn’t Between Left and Right
But between candidates who are defenders of the system and those who are anti-system. Democrats lost because they allowed Trump to be the only voice of antiestablishment rage.
Progressives Can’t Afford to Spend the Next 4 Years Just Playing Defense
Or reflexively denouncing every Trump policy. While we mustn’t underestimate the danger he poses to our democracy, when he says he wants to end war, the left should call his bluff.
Design And Architecture: The Top Ten Books Of 2024
Dezeen (December 17, 2024): The top 10 architecture and design books of 2024 include:
Kiosk by David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka
Simply named Kiosk, this book features photos of more than 150 modernist, modular kiosks that brighten streets across central and eastern Europe.
Authors David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka aimed to draw attention to the surviving, unusual structures that were constructed in factories in the Eastern Bloc from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Written by academics Harriet Harriss, Naomi House, Monika Parrinder and Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft, 100 Women: Architects in Practice showcases the work of architects from 78 different countries.
The book contains interviews with some of the world’s best-known architects including Liz Diller, Tatiana Bilbao, Mariam Issoufou Kamara and Lina Ghotmeh, along with numerous women who have not yet received extensive global attention.
Find out more about 100 Women: Architects in Practice ›
Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces by Dominic Bradbury
Published by Phaidon, the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces is an encyclopedia featuring 450 mid-century-modern buildings from all across the world.
The book not only contains many of the key buildings created by the movement’s trailblazers but also those designed by more under-represented architects.
Find out more about Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces ›
Humanise by Thomas Heatherwick
The book that undoubtedly drew the most attention this year was Thomas Heatherwick’s Humanise.
In the book, along with a Radio 4 series and initiative of the same name, British designer Heatherwick takes aim at “boring” buildings.
Find out more about Humanise ›
Sacred Modernity by Jamie McGregor Smith
Sacred Modernity aimed to showcase the “unique beauty and architectural innovation” of brutalist churches across Europe.
The book contains 139 photographs of 100 churches taken by photographer Jamie McGregor Smith over five years, along with essays by writers Jonathan Meades and Ivica Brnic.
Find out more about Sacred Modernity ›
Simon Phipps’ follow up to his Brutal North and Brutal London books, Brutal Wales highlights architecture in the brutalist style across the country.
Alongside photography of 60 buildings, the book has explanatory texts in both Welsh and English, as well as an introduction by social historian John Grindrod.
Find out more about Brutal Wales ›
Donald Judd Furniture by Judd Foundation
The Donald Judd Furniture book contains photos of all the furniture pieces created by the artist for his New York and Marfa, Texas, properties that remain in production.
Along with the photos, the book contains archival sketches by Judd, newly commissioned drawings of each piece and several essays by the artist.
Find out more about Donald Judd Furniture ›
London Estates by Thaddeus Zupančič
London Estates documents the modernist council housing built in the UK capital in the post-war period.
Described by publisher Fuel as “the most comprehensive photographic document of council housing schemes in the capital”, the book was photographed by Thaddeus Zupančič.
Find out more about London Estates ›
Made in America by Christopher Payne
Photographer Christopher Payne’s Made in America book contains images taken over the past decade in the USA’s factories.
Payne created the book as a way of helping to preserve the legacy of industry in America, while documenting the skill of workers who are featured in the photography.
Find out more about Made in America ›
50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know by John Jervis
The latest book in the 50 ideas series, 50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know contains essays tracking the evolution of design from the 19th century to today.
Written by John Jervis, the book aims to make a broad range of design concepts accessible to a wide audience.
Find out more about 50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know ›
Arts & Culture: The New Criterion – January 2025
Siena splendor at the Met by Karen Wilkin
Life before death by Anthony Daniels
The scream of steam by Jeremy Black
Virgil Thompson at the Chelsea by David Dubal
The New York Times — Sunday, December 15, 2024
Syria Shudders as Assad’s Prison Atrocities Come Into the Light
At the country’s most notorious prison, Syrians confront their worst fears: that they will never know what happened to the loved ones who disappeared.
South Korea’s President Is Impeached After Martial Law Crisis
Some members of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s own party helped remove him from office. But the political uncertainty is far from over.
What Ever Happened to the Lady Jaguars?
When we met them a dozen years ago, they were teenagers in trouble, playing for a basketball team that always lost. Did they find a way to win at life?
Gas Could Mean Billions for Indigenous People in Canada. Some Fear a Cost.
New export terminals along the rugged Pacific coastline have reignited a generations-old debate over identity and environmental stewardship.
The New York Times — Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
How U.S. Firms Battled a Government Crackdown to Keep Tech Sales to China
An intense struggle has unfolded in Washington between companies and officials over where to draw the line on selling technology to China.
Joy Buoys Syria’s First Friday Prayers Since Assad Ouster, but Hardships Loom
In an impoverished, war-ravaged country, the first prayers after the fall of a brutal regime drew jubilant crowds, even in areas seen as regime strongholds.
The Fall of al-Assad Quickly Infuses Europe’s Debate Over Asylum
Nearly a million Syrians in Germany alone have made new lives. But after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, some politicians across the continent have suggested that refugees could return home.
McKinsey to Pay $650 Million in Opioid Settlement With Justice Department
A former senior partner will also plead guilty to obstruction of justice after destroying company documents.
The Economist Magazine – December 14, 2024 Preview
How the new Syria might succeed or fail
The end of the house of Assad. Much will go wrong. But for now, celebrate a tyrant’s fall
What Spain can teach the rest of Europe
Our number-crunching suggests it was the best-performing rich economy in 2024
America’s searing market rally brings new risks
Financial innovation is just as much to blame as the technological sort
Multilateral institutions are turning away from the poorest countries
Even bail-outs are getting expensive
The New York Times — Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024
Syria’s New Leaders Balance Huge Struggles Amid Disorder
The rebels who seized control called for foreign help in prosecuting atrocities, while trying to restore order in a fractured country.
Power, Intimidation and the Resurrection of Trump’s Support for Hegseth
The president-elect became convinced that letting Pete Hegseth fail would set off a feeding frenzy among senators. What followed was a MAGA swarm that helped salvage his bid, at least for now.
Recent Immigration Surge Has Been Largest in U.S. History
Under President Biden, more than two million immigrants per year have entered, government data shows.
The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War
Famine and ethnic cleansing stalk Sudan. Yet the gold trade is booming, enriching generals and propelling the fight.
Politics: The Guardian Weekly-December 13, 2024
The Guardian Weekly (December 11, 2024): The new issue features The fall of Syria’s brutal dictatorship. Plus The best books of 2024.
Not even the most optimistic of rebels could have predicted the rapid collapse, last weekend, of the Assad dynasty that ruled Syria with an iron fist for more than 50 years. Yet while there was relief and joy both inside Syria and among the nation’s vast displaced diaspora, it was also accompanied by apprehension over what might come next.
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Spotlight | Russia and Ukraine wait warily for Trump transition
The idea of the US president-election as a saviour for Ukraine, as unlikely as it may seem, holds an appeal for an exhausted nation without a clear path to victory. Shaun Walker and Pjotr Sauer report
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Environment | The jailed anti-whaler defiant in face of extradition threat
Capt Paul Watson talks to Daniel Boffey about his arrest on behalf of the Japanese government, his ‘interesting’ Greenland prison, and separation from his children
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Feature | The growing threat of firearms that can be made at home
One far-right cell wanted to use 3D-printed guns to cause ‘maximum confusion and fear’ on the streets of Finland. Could the police intercept them in time? By Samira Shackle
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Opinion | Farage is lying in wait. Britain can’t afford for Starmer to fail
It is not enough for the Labour leader’s ‘milestones’ to be achieved. Voters must feel the improvement in their daily lives, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
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Culture | The best books of 2024
From a radical retelling of Huckleberry Finn to Al Pacino’s autobiography, our critics round up their favourite reads of the year
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Dec. 12, 2024
Do you drink coffee? Ask your gut
Largest study of links between consumption of the beverage and gut diversity finds coffee-loving bacteria.
Has Venus ever had an ocean? Its volcanoes hint at an answer
Chemistry of the planet’s atmosphere suggests that its interior has never held water.
Ancient stacks of dishes tell tale of society’s dissolution
Artefacts from a Mesopotamian archaeological site suggest that people in the region founded and later rejected an early form of the organized state.
Boomers Daily 