21 SEPTEMBER 1991, page 37

Lying Down With The Kid

John Wells THE LIAR by Stephen Fry Heinemann, £13.99, pp.277 A drian Healey, Fry's bisexual hero, has just been introduced to real foie gras: You'll find the Carton Charlemagne......

With Jane Austen As Patron Saint

Alethea Hayter THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN: WORLD SOCIETY 1815-1830 by Paul Johnson Weidenfeld, £25,pp.1095 O n 8 January 1815 British troops unsuccessfully attacked New Orleans; on......