27 NOVEMBER 1993, Page 37

Eric Christiansen

Of the many interesting books that were published this year, the one I would most like to have read is Sir Isaiah Berlin's The Magus of the North: T. G. Hamann and the Origins of Modern Irrationalism. The intro- duction disposes of the notion current some 30 years ago that Hamann was a fic- tional character, invented by Berlin as a Joke. Unfortunately, John Murray have brought out this valuable but small (144 pages) monograph at £14.99 in hardback. It seems rather greedy; but if publishers have persuaded the public that 'this is what it cost', we deserve to be fleeced. All the same, it may be worth waiting for the paperback.