Recent paperbacks

James Hughes-Onslow

John P Mackintosh on Parliament and Social Democracy Edited by David Marquand (Longman £7.95) Essays, some previously un- published, by a Labour maverick who might, but for his untimely death, have become a leading light in the SDP. (Also from Longman, Mackin- tosh on Scotland, £6.95) Ash on a Young Man's Sleeve Dannie Abse (King Penguin £2.25) An autobiographical ac- count of childhood in the Thirties in the Jewish community in Cardiff. The young poet takes a humorous and irreverent view of these turbulent times, while brother Leo becomes a revolu- tionary.

Coningsby Benjamin Disraeli (OUP £2.95) The first of Disraeli's novels (1844) to take politics as its central theme and the first since he became an MP. The future PM replies to Peel's Tamworth Manifesto with his vision of the Tory Party and shows that he is a master of political intrigue.

George Orwell: A Life Bernard Crick (Penguin £2.95) Orwell asked that no biography be written which is why so many unofficial lives have already appeared. Here is the authorised (by his widow) version with access to archives putting the record straight.

France in the 1980s John Ardagh (Penguin £4.95). Dramatic change has taken place since Ardagh's The New France was published 10 years ago and French politics have never looked less predictable than they do now. A brave at- tempt which should make good reading in 10 years' time.

The New Pelican Guide to English Literature Edited by Boris Ford. Vol 1, Medieval Literature: Chaucer and the Alliterative Tradi- tion, £2.95, Vol 2, The Age of Shakespeare, £2.95, Vol 3, From Donne to Marvell, £1.95, Vol 4, From Dryden to Johnson, £2.50. Updated and expanded versions of the original Pelican Guide with historical background and indices.

The Greeks Kenneth Dover (OUP £3.50) A by- product of Dover's BBC television series. 'I have cut a lot of corners in the effort to be definite, clear and simple, even when the truth is com- plicated and disputable' he says. 'All the same, I have not said anything that I do not believe to be true.'

Really Bad News Glasgow University Media Group (Writers and Readers Publishing Co-op £2.95). After six years watching the news on the telly with a grant from the Social Science Research Council, GUMP shows how the media legitimises the status quo, upgrades Healey and attacks Benn.

The Neck of the Giraffe, or where Darwin went wrong Frances Hitching (Pan £2.50) Short giraf- fes are just as fit as tall ones so the survival-of- the-fittest theory is in doubt. Anyway most Americans, including President Reagan, still believe in the Genesis version of the creation. Darwin Jonathan Howard (OUP £1.25). A pro- Darwin book to mark the centenary of his death. Darwin's thinking may lack consistency but it is still crucial to the development of biology and consequently to all social and political philosophy.

Vegetarian Restaurants in England Lesley Nelson (Penguin £2.50). How to find lentil soup and nut cutlets with the aid of a handy row of beans symbol. Watch out for beans and rice combined: they release more protein than when eaten separately.

P.S. I Love You Michael Sellers (Fontana £1.75). A biography of Peter Sellers by his son. A bit late to be expressing affection for the late goon because Lynne Frederick got most of the money. Young Sellers has no love for her, however.

Clausewitz on War Edited by Anatol Rapoport (Penguin £2.95). War is a rational instrument of national policy, Clausewitz said in his 1832 treatise based on the Napoleonic War. This volume concentrates on political aspects of war rather than strategic matters.

Birthstone D.M. Thomas (King Penguin £1.95). After the phenomenal success of The While Hotel here is D.M. Thomas's first novel, revised for Penguin. Slightly less explicit and erotic than his famous work, it contains more bizarre and violent goings-on in the West Country.

Madame Sousatzka Bernice Rubens (Abacus £2.25). An early Rubens (1962) re-issued in paperback because it is about to be made into a film. Mme S has carefully nurtured a child Pro' digy but an impresario wants to take the young pianist away and make him into a star.

Eastern Approaches Fitzroy Maclean (Paperrnac £5.95) The classic account of travels in Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the Thirties and, Forties, first published in 1949. Romantic and difficult journeys even then, but impossible now Movies on Video Roy Pickard (Muller £3.95)' Nearly 1,000 films with the author's star rating' synopsis, Oscar nominations, director, stars and cast, running time, year of release, box office take and an index of stars and video companies.

The Chinese: A Portrait David Bonavia (Pelican £1.95). 'Admirable, infuriating, humorous, prig- gish, modest, overweaning, mendacious, loyal, mercenary, ethereal, sadistic and tender' says The Times's Peking correspondent, sparing us no complexities — and in rather small print.

The Continuing Heritage: The Story of the Civic Trust Awards Lionel Esher (Franey £7.95). An ll- lustrated tribute to the Civic Trust in its Silver Jubilee Year, it concentrates on the good news in architecture and landscaping without ignoring environmental aberrations that have happened since the war.

The Secret Battle A P Herbert (OUP £2.50). Firsi published in 1919, this novel is about a patriotic soldier who is gradually broken down by his ex- perience at Gallipoli and on the Western Front and finally shot for cowardice. An effusive preface by Sir Winston Churchill.