The world of paperbacks

From LONGMAN we have new editions of two standard reference works on British political life. The first is a fifth edition of How Parliament Works ([pounds sterling]18.99) by Robert Rogers and Rhodri Walters. This replaces the 1998 edition and is dedicated to 'those who believe that Parliament matters', a presumably shrinking number given the lack of public respect for MPs, the destruction of the historic House of Lords, the corroding effects of a massive Government majority and the handover of power to Brussels that has marked Parliament in recent years. To keep abreast of these developments the authors have completely rewritten the book to ensure that it keeps its place as one of the standard works on government today. The second new title is another fifth edition, this time of Politics UK ([pounds sterling]24.99) edited by Bill Jones, Dennis Kavanagh, Michael Moran and Philip Norton. This new edition also replaces one issued in 1998 but, unlike How Parliament Works, this takes a far wider view of political life and looks at representation, the Constitution (or what remains of it), the executive and the creation of policy. All the contributions have either been substantially rewritten or updated to take account of recent changes.

PAN BOOKS has recently published a paperback edition of Henry Hobhouse's Seeds of Wealth: Four Plants That Made Men Rich ([pounds sterling]10.99), the most enjoyable and wide-ranging of recent 'plant' books. This one looks at the impact of timber, wine, rubber and tobacco. The author's dissection of modern 'political correctness' would be worth the purchase price in itself. A second Pan title is Marc Morris' Castle: A History of the Buildings that Shaped Medieval Britain ([pounds sterling]12.99) which grew out of a series broadcast on Channel Four. It is beautifully illustrated and will serve as a superb introduction to a fascinating subject. Finally Pan has published Brough Scott's Galloper Jack: A Grandson's Search for a Forgotten Hero ([pounds sterling]8.99), a biography of J.E.B. Seely, Liberal MP and imperial adventurer.

New titles from PHOENIX include A. C. Grayling's What Is Good? The Search for the Best Way to Live ([pounds sterling]7.99), a philosopher's examination of the values on which an individual's life can be based. In Revolutions in the Earth: James Hutton and the True Age of the World ([pounds sterling]8.99) Stephen Baxter gives readers a fascinating look at the work of an eighteenth-century amateur geologist who questioned the established date given to the age of the world. A final title is Andrew Roberts' Hitler and Churchill: Secrets of Leadership ([pounds sterling]7.99), an examination of the nature of leadership as seen in these two men.

The largest number of new titles reviewed this month come from PENGUIN BOOKS. The first two are historical: Peter Clarke's Hope and Glory: Britain 1900-2000 ([pounds sterling]11.99), the last volume in the Penguin History of Britain by the Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge and a balanced account of this extraordinary century; the second, The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland from Earliest Times to the Present Day ([pounds sterling]17.99) is edited by Simon Hall and Jonathan Haywood. This is a combined historical atlas and history prepared by a large team of experts and accompanied by an enormous number of photographs, drawings and maps. It will serve both as an introduction and as a handy reference book. The third new title is Michael McRae's In Search of Shangri-La: The Extraordinary True Story of the Quest for the Lost Horizon ([pounds sterling]8.99) which investigates the Tsangpo River in Burma and the fascination it has had over the years for explorers.

Penguin Books have also brought out, in their Modern Classics series, R. S. Thomas' Selected Poems ([pounds sterling]9.99). This selection was made by the poet shortly before his death and gives readers the best of his verse, famous for its insights into nature and religion and its glimpses of the intricacies of Welsh life. In the Penguin Classics series we have two of Charles Dickens' most famous novels: David Copperfield ([pounds sterling]4.99), whose plot and wonderful characters are among Dickens' best, and Martin Chuzzlewit ([pounds sterling]6.99) which, when first published in 1843-4, so annoyed his U.S. readers. It is introduced by Patricia Ingham who also provides helpful notes and appendices. A third 'classic' is Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex ([pounds sterling]9.99), edited by Doctors James Moore and Adrian Desmond. This 1871 study, which gave the world Darwin's thinking on man's place in his theory of evolution, affected wide areas of intellectual life, including theology, philosophy and the new phenomenon, psychology. The editors have included a long and far-reaching introduction.

Following the Darwinian theme we have, from FABER AND FABER, Rebecca Stott's Darwin and the Barnacle: The Story of One Tiny Creature and History's Most Spectacular Scientific Breakthrough ([pounds sterling]8.99) which takes a close look at one of the most intriguing aspects of Darwin's research for his book, On the Origin of Species. A second new title is Tobias Jones' The Dark Heart of Italy ([pounds sterling]7.99), an investigation into Italian life under the reign of Silvio Berlusconi.