20 NOVEMBER 1993, Page 37

Richard Cobb

The book that I most enjoyed reading this year was Michael Bloch's biography of Ribbentrop (Bantam, £14.99). His subject, both as ambassador and as foreign minis- ter, raised stupidity to the near-perfection of an art form. He was also greedy and servile. His servility was such that it caused its object, Hitler, to attempt to keep him at

a distance: 25 kilometres in the war years. The author acknowledges many debts to his informants; these do not include Ribbentrop's children.