R OBERT S ALISBURY This year seems to have taken a Gallic
turn, perhaps appropriately in view of the gathering storm in France. Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey (Viking, £25) is particularly good on low life, as he proves that ‘the corpse of the old whore’ still casts a powerful spell. La Vie en Bleu by Rod Kedward (Penguin, £30) is a complex study of a complex subject: France and the French since 1900. It provides an interesting contrast to Hussey and is an absorbing read.
The French inevitably figure prominently in The Oxford Companion to Military History edited by Richard Holmes with his usual authority and lucidity (£22.99). Finally, an oldish book: Sasha Bonsor wrote a short account of what it is like to escape death from serious illness on the threshold of adulthood. It is touching, courageous and unsentimental. Dipped into Oblivion (Rider, £9.99) appeared in 2004. It was worth re-reading in 2006.
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