19 OCTOBER 1996, page 48

Looking On The Bright Side

Raymond Carr EMERSON AMONG THE ECCENTRICS by Carlos Baker Liking, f25, pp. 608 A las, if we arc to understand the ide- als which still infuse the American mind, we must face......

. . . Plus C'est La Meme Chose

Nicholas Harman WINDS OF CHANGE by Trevor Boyle John Murray, £19.99, pp. 308 I t is hard to describe what fun it was get- ting rid of the African empire. We danced and laughed......

Make Me Good But Not Yeti

Tom Hiney ESAU by Philip Kerr Chatto, £15.99, pp. 356 T here is a healthy fashion at the moment for informative novels. It is the shared propensity of such bestselling writ- ers......