1 DECEMBER 1973, page 19

The Party That Exploded

Quentin Bell Poiret Palmer White (Studio Vista £6.95) "Corsets are quite exploded," exclaimed a fashion journal of the early nineteenth century. Other equally dramatic things......

Dynasty And Rituals

Magnus Magnusson The First Great Civilisations — Life in Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley and Egypt. Jacquetta Hawkes (Hutchinson £5.50). Quite simply, this is a splendid book. As......