BOOK OF THE DAY

In the second volume of The Origins of Totalitarianism, the political theorist traces the decline of European colonialism and the outbreak of WWI.

Since it was first published in 1951, The Origins of Totalitarianism has been recognized as the definitive philosophical account of the totalitarian mindset. A probing analysis of Nazism, Stalinism, and the "banality of evil", it remains one of the most referenced works in studies and discussions of totalitarian movements around the world.

In this second volume, Imperialism, Dr. Hannah Arendt examines the cruel epoch of declining European colonial imperialism from 1884 to the outbreak of the First World War. Through portraits of Disraili, Cecil Rhodes, Gobineau, Proust, and T.E. Lawrence, Arendt illustrates how this era ended with the decline of the nation-state and the disintegration of Europe's class society. These two events, Arendt argues, generated totalitarianism, which in turn produced the Holocaust.

"The most original and profound—therefore the most valuable—political theorist of our times."—Dwight MacDonald, The New Leader

THE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE WORLD-2: THE BIBLE, A BOOK OF LOVE

THE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE WORLD — 2

THE BIBLE

There are books that delight the mind, books that enrich the intellect — and then, there are books that awaken the soul.

This ongoing series, “The Greatest Books of the World,” celebrates timeless works that have shaped human thought and inspired generations across cultures and centuries.

Our first in the series was The Bhagavad Gita. The second — equally luminous and universal — is The Bible.

There are few books in the world that have touched as many hearts, stirred as many consciences, or offered as much comfort as The Bible. It is not merely a religious text, but a vast ocean of wisdom — a book of faith, poetry, history, and above all, love.

It begins with the dawn of creation and journeys through the struggles and triumphs of humankind — stories of courage, betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption. Through every page runs a golden thread — the unbroken faith that life has meaning and that love conquers all.

One need not be a Christian to feel its power. The Psalms sing to every heart that has ever known sorrow. The Proverbs guide those who seek wisdom. And the Gospels shine with the message of compassion, forgiveness, and the triumph of good over evil. In a few simple words, Jesus spoke truths that transcend creed and time — “Blessed are the peacemakers.” “Love your enemies.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

To millions, The Bible has been a companion in solitude, a light in darkness, and a refuge in despair. In moments when all seems lost, even a single verse — “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” — can restore strength and serenity.

Mahatma Gandhi, who found inspiration in many faiths, once remarked:

“The New Testament produced a different impression, especially the Sermon on the Mount, which went straight to my heart.”

That is the secret of The Bible’s greatness — its power to reach straight to the heart.

In an age of uncertainty and noise, this ancient book continues to whisper to humanity — not through dogma, but through tenderness; not through command, but through compassion. It reminds us that love is still the greatest power in the world, and forgiveness, the purest form of strength.

The Bible, in truth, is not a book to be argued about — it is a book to be lived.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its generous help and support in creating this blogpost!

BOOK OF THE DAY

The Boundless Deep by Richard Holmes.

 This is a biography of the young Alfred Tennyson, as opposed to the old guy with the beard.

Holmes does a remarkable job because when I think of Tennyson, I do think of him as the Victorian grandee with the stern countenance and frightening beard. It didn’t help that he became Poet Laureate. We don’t think of Victorians having a good time. He represents the Victorian era, in all of its grandeur and all of its stuffiness.

Tennyson is like a statue that symbolises that age, and I think Richard Holmes has done a terrific job of getting rid of the cobwebs and seeing the young, beardless man, who was quite dashing in his own way. Our reviewer in the Times described Richard Holmes as being like Trinny and Susannah (who do makeover programs on British TV) doing a literary revamp on him. He’s done a very elegant job on that.

Holmes also shows the intellectual ferment of the time. This is before Darwin, but you’ve got other scientific discoveries with geologists digging up fossils, etc. It was a faith-shaking era, and it’s interesting to see Tennyson engaging with these scientific controversies in his poetry. It’s like modern poets engaging with AI, how it’s going to change everything, and what it means to be human.

Tennyson’s family story is also absolutely intriguing. There was a lot of mental illness. His father was violent and even tried to kill Tennyson’s brother. Tennyson always had this fear that the madness would catch up with him. It’s quite something for someone with a creative mind to want to engage with the world, and yet always be worrying about the dark recesses of that mind and what was going on there.

There was also the death of his friend, Arthur Hallam. Tennyson had this death-stalked life. After you read it, you’re amazed that Tennyson got up in the morning to write his poetry.

So there’s myth-busting going on in the book. The humanizing of this Victorian monument drew all the judges in.

One of Holmes’s books, The Age of Wonder, has been recommended a number of times on Five Books. What does he normally write about?

He’s written a couple of very good biographies of Romantic poets. But as one of my colleagues—who’s a big fan of Richard Holmes—said, it’s much harder to make Tennyson fun. With Coleridge, you’ve got drug-taking; if you’re writing about Byron, there’s sex. Tennyson is a harder character to get to grips with, but nonetheless, he’s given us the man in full.

BOOK OF THE DAY

This jaw-dropping study shows how much money and global influence is concentrated in the hands of a tiny group . . . A remarkable book . . . As the authors roam from oilfield to wheatfield, they reveal information so staggering you almost gasp . . . The colour is fantastic . . . Tracking down some of the biggest names in the business to their German castles and stud farms and persuading them to talk is a rare scoop. ― Sunday Times

A fascinating and revealing story . . . There are tales in the book of breathtaking trades, such as shipments of rebel oil from war-torn Libya or deals bartered amid the brutal "aluminium wars" in the Russia of the 1990s . . . A gripping book. ― Economist

Javier Blas and Jack Farchy probe the hard-knuckle and secretive world of commodity trading. -- What to Read in 2021 ― Financial Times

A globe-spanning corporate thriller, full of intrigue and double dealing . . . Changes how we see the world, often in horrifying ways . . . The book weaves together years of reporting experience in the field with access to many of the key figures in an industry dominated by huge characters . . . New insights and reporting mean that even seasoned observers will be amazed. -- James Ball ― Spectator

Anecdotally rich . . . A highly readable study in world economics and a valuable primer for would-be oil barons. ― Kirkus

Blas and Farchy compellingly lay out how a handful of secretive traders have had a hand in directing not only the world's commodities, but also its politics and history. The World for Sale draws back the covers on a sector where civil wars, dubious regimes and the collapse of states have often been just another business opportunity - and what that has meant for the rest of us. Intriguing and, at times, alarming. -- Helen Thomas, Business Editor, BBC Newsnight

A colorful and alarming exposé of the shadowy world of global commodity trading . . . Hair-raising anecdotes . . . An engrossing look at an obscure yet consequential corner of the financial world. ― Publishers Weekly

A virtuoso depiction of the globe's top oil, food and metals traders . . . Javier Blas and Jack Farchy should be awaiting the call from Hollywood. The World for Sale contains at least half a dozen narrative threads that would form the basis of a good thriller. But the authors' main achievement is to subject the biggest commodity players, and their impact on the real world, to proper critical scrutiny . . . The depth of the reporting by the Bloomberg journalists, who previously worked for the Financial Times, is impressive . . . Fascinating. ― Reuters

Some of the stories beggar belief . . . A fascinating story, it's just incredible some of the routes that the money takes. -- Lawrence Pollard ― BBC Newsday

Could there be a better moment for Javier Blas and Jack Farchy's rollicking new account of those markets' recent history to land on investors' desks? . . . A rich archive of ripping yarns . . . . . . The high level narrative is gripping enough. But it is the details of what these freewheeling companies actually got up to that give the book a thriller-like quality . . . Educational and entertaining. ― Financial Times

Javier Blas and Jack Farchy are two of the world's best-known journalists covering energy, commodities and trading houses. They both work for Bloomberg News, where Blas is chief energy correspondent and Farchy is a senior reporter covering natural resources. Previously, they covered commodities for the Financial Times.

Blas and Farchy have interviewed most of the key figures in the commodity trading industry - in some cases, the first time the traders had ever spoken publicly. They've published the financial accounts of many of these secretive companies for the first time. And they've reported on oil, food and war from countries as diverse as Kazakhstan, Ivory Coast, and Libya.

The pair frequently appear on TV and radio as experts on commodities. Blas has been interviewed on BBC News, CNN and Al Jazeera, and Farchy regularly appears on BBC Radio 4 Today. The World for Sale is their first book.

BOOK OF THE DAY

Captives and Companions by Justin Marozzi. Could you tell us what this one is about?

This is a history of slavery and the slave trade in the Islamic world. It goes back to the time of the Prophet and some of his more contentious teachings, which are still used to justify slavery today. It’s book-ended with reports of modern slavery in Mali.  It’s a great, epic, sweeping history that takes us through 1500 years.

The story is told with real panache. Marozzi will take us inside an Ottoman sultan’s harem. If you have many concubines, you also need to have many slaves to guard them, including eunuchs.

One of the reasons why we, the judges, all liked it was that it took a certain amount of courage to write it. It’s obviously a tricky subject. There are a lot of books about the Atlantic slave trade and slavery in the Americas, but there hasn’t been a huge amount of literature—certainly in the English-speaking world—about the slave trade in the Islamic world, which has been more enduring. As many people were enslaved over a longer period of time, so they are certainly comparable, but the size of the literature isn’t. He managed to write about it in a very candid way without being cheaply provocative or trying to score points.

I read the prologue, where he’s outside Bamako in Mali talking to somebody who’s enslaved. That was a shock, reading about slavery today.

It’s an incredibly resonant book. He also knows how to tell a story. So he will take contemporary accounts, which are often over the top and fanciful with made-up numbers, and give that story. Then, more soberly, he’ll read between the lines. It’s a hard job for him to do, and I think he’s achieved it.

One of the problems with history about slavery is that the enslaved people rarely have a voice, and he does a good job of trying to ensure they do.

He’s also very good at the nuance of it. Enslaved people could actually rise up the ranks, for example, at the Ottoman court, and have quite distinguished positions, despite being enslaved. It’s a fascinating picture, and he’s written it with real confidence.

THE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE WORLD: THE BHAGAVAD GITA — SONG CELESTIAL OF ETERNAL WISDOM

THE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE WORLD

Series Introduction

Down the centuries, certain books have stood apart — not merely as works of art or philosophy, but as guiding lights for the human spirit. They have shaped civilizations, inspired revolutions, and comforted the hearts of millions. This new series, “THE GREATEST BOOKS OF THE WORLD,” seeks to revisit these immortal creations — one book at a time — exploring their timeless wisdom and their continuing relevance in our lives today.

THE BHAGAVAD GITA — SONG CELESTIAL OF ETERNAL WISDOM

Among the greatest books ever written, The Bhagavad Gita stands as a radiant jewel — timeless, universal, and profound. For over two millennia, it has guided seekers, philosophers, and ordinary men and women in their quest for meaning and inner peace. Its name literally means “The Song of the Divine,” and its music has never faded.

A Dialogue of the Soul

The setting of the Gita is the battlefield of Kurukshetra — a symbol of life itself, where every human being must face moral dilemmas and inner conflicts. Prince Arjuna, overwhelmed by sorrow and doubt at the thought of fighting his kinsmen, lays down his bow. At that crucial moment, his charioteer — none other than Lord Krishna — becomes his teacher and friend, revealing to him the supreme wisdom of life.

Through eighteen chapters, the Gita unfolds a magnificent dialogue between man and God, between confusion and clarity, between bondage and liberation. Krishna’s words do not merely address Arjuna; they speak to all humanity. They remind us that duty (dharma) performed without attachment, and action done in the spirit of surrender, lead to the highest freedom.

The Way of Action, Knowledge, and Devotion

The Bhagavad Gita presents a balanced philosophy of life — not escapism, but engagement; not renunciation of the world, but transformation through selfless action. It reconciles the paths of karma (action), jnana (knowledge), and bhakti (devotion) into a unified vision of spiritual harmony.

Krishna teaches that every human being must act, but action should be rooted in detachment — “Work alone is your privilege, never the fruits thereof.” When work is performed as an offering to the Divine, the mind becomes pure, and the heart serene.

Equally powerful is Krishna’s assurance of love: “Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness prevails, I manifest Myself.” This eternal promise gives hope to all who struggle in the darkness of confusion and despair.

A Living Scripture

The greatness of the Gita lies in its universality. It belongs not only to Hindus or Indians but to the entire human race. Thinkers like Emerson, Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Gandhi found in it an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Mahatma Gandhi called it “my spiritual dictionary,” turning to it in moments of doubt for strength and clarity. Albert Einstein once remarked that when he read the Gita, he felt his own problems “diminished to nothingness.”

The Eternal Message

The Gita does not preach withdrawal from the world but the art of living in it with wisdom and serenity. It teaches us to act without selfish desire, to love without attachment, and to live without fear.

In its luminous verses, we find the secret of inner freedom:

> “When a man lets go of all desires, and moves without longing, without the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ — then he finds peace.”

The Bhagavad Gita thus remains the eternal companion of all who seek truth. It is the song of the soul — a song that continues to echo across centuries, calling us to awaken, to act, and to realize the divinity within ourselves.

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its great help and support in creating this blogpost.

BOOK OF THE DAY

The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s by Jason Burke, which looks at terrorism in the years 1967 to 1983. Could you tell us what it’s about and why it’s such a good book?

Jason Burke has done an impressive job with many different sources, crossing the whole of Europe and the Middle East.

The book is about the links between Palestinian and Western European terrorism. So you get the Red Army Faction playing a role. But the real focus, I think, is on the various off-shoots of the PLO, like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It’s looking at these groups, trying to understand their motivations and what they were doing.

Do you remember when 9/11 happened, there was talk of the attack being ‘spectacular’ because Osama bin Laden had done this really attention-grabbing work of terrorism by flying two planes into the Twin Towers? It was these Palestinian terrorists and their sympathizers in the West who started that.

The very fact that getting on an airplane now involves what seems like an hour of going through detectors is down to these people, who came up with the idea that seizing airliners was a spectacular and eye-grabbing way of getting attention. So there’s a lot about airlines…I mean, I wouldn’t read this book on a plane, because it will only unnerve you.

There are some very interesting characters along the way. For instance, Carlos the Jackal, who became a gun for hire. He was from a rich Venezuelan background, a very left-wing family, but by the end, he’d been corrupted by the violence and was doing it for money. So the East Germans, the Bulgarians, and the like might have hired him to do freelance terrorism jobs.

These terrorists were some kind of idealists, but there’s a story of corruption there as well, which was interesting. There’s a bit of nuance.

BOOK OF THE DAY

With insight, humor and fascinating detail, Lacey brings brilliantly to life the stories that made England -- from Ethelred the Unready to Richard the Lionheart, the Venerable Bede to Piers the Ploughman.

The greatest historians are vivid storytellers, Robert Lacey reminds us, and in Great Tales from English History, he proves his place among them, illuminating in unforgettable detail the characters and events that shaped a nation.

In this volume, Lacey limns the most important period in England's past, highlighting the spread of the English language, the rejection of both a religion and a traditional view of kingly authority, and an unstoppable movement toward intellectual and political freedom from 1387 to 1689.

Opening with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and culminating in William and Mary's "Glorious Revolution," Lacey revisits some of the truly classic stories of English history: the Battle of Agincourt, where Henry V's skilled archers defeated a French army three times as large; the tragic tale of the two young princes locked in the Tower of London (and almost certainly murdered) by their usurping uncle, Richard III; Henry VIII's schismatic divorce, not just from his wife but from the authority of the Catholic Church; "Bloody Mary" and the burning of religious dissidents; Sir Francis Drake's dramatic, if questionable, part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and the terrible and transformative Great Fire of London, to name but a few.

Here Anglophiles will find their favorite English kings and queens, villains and victims, authors and architects - from Richard II to Anne Boleyn, the Virgin Queen to Oliver Cromwell, Samuel Pepys to Christopher Wren, and many more.

Continuing the "eminently readable, highly enjoyable" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) history he began in volume I of Great Tales from English History, Robert Lacey has drawn on the most up-to-date research to present a taut and riveting narrative, breathing life into the most pivotal characters and exciting landmarks in England's history.

BOOK OF THE DAY

Every act of kindness, every moment of cruelty, every leap of courage or failure of nerve can be traced back to ten fundamental patterns woven into the fabric of human nature. This is the bold premise of Dexter Dias's The Ten Types of Human, a work that reads less like an academic treatise and more like a riveting investigation into the soul of our species.

Dias, a human rights barrister who has witnessed humanity at its most vulnerable and monstrous, spent a decade gathering stories from courtrooms, war zones, and intimate encounters with survivors, perpetrators, and heroes. The result is a framework that refuses to sanitize or simplify. Grounded in neuroscience, historical evidence, and raw human experience, this book forces us to confront the uncomfortable truth that we contain multitudes, and that understanding these contradictions might be our best hope for survival.

The Ten Types: Who We Are When Everything Is at Stake

1. The Rescuer

Why does one person dive into freezing water to save a drowning stranger while another stands frozen on the shore? The Rescuer reveals the mystery of selfless courage—the force that compels us to act when every instinct screams retreat. Dias explores the neuroscience of heroism and discovers that bravery isn't the absence of fear but something far more complex: a moral reflex that overrides self-preservation.

2. The Aggressor

This is the type we pretend doesn't live in us. But Dias forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality: violence isn't confined to psychopaths or sadists. Ordinary people, under the right (or wrong) circumstances, can inflict extraordinary harm. Through harrowing accounts of genocide, abuse, and everyday brutality, he maps how fear, power, and dehumanization can awaken our darkest impulses.

3. The Believer

What makes someone follow a cause to the death? The Believer thrives on conviction, finding meaning in ideologies, faiths, and movements. Dias shows how this type can inspire profound good—or catastrophic evil. It's about the human need for purpose, the comfort of certainty, and the danger of unquestioning devotion.

4. The Conformer

We like to think we're independent thinkers, but The Conformer tells a different story. Social pressure is one of the most powerful forces shaping human behavior, capable of turning bystanders into accomplices or igniting collective action. Dias unpacks famous psychological experiments and real-world tragedies to show how easily we mirror those around us—sometimes for connection, sometimes at a terrible moral cost.

5. The Nurturer

If The Aggressor is our capacity for destruction, The Nurturer is our capacity for repair. This is the part of us that cradles the wounded, feeds the hungry, and sits with the dying. Rooted in parental instinct but extending far beyond it, The Nurturer represents the radical act of caring for those who cannot care for themselves. Dias argues it's the quiet force that holds civilization together.

6. The Survivor

What does it take to endure the unendurable? The Survivor emerges in extremity—in concentration camps, natural disasters, abusive homes. Dias chronicles stories of resilience that defy comprehension, revealing how humans adapt, persist, and sometimes even find meaning in the midst of suffering. This type is about more than just staying alive; it's about the refusal to be broken.

7. The Manipulator

Manipulation gets a bad reputation, but Dias reveals it as morally neutral—a tool that can serve diplomacy or deception, healing or harm. From con artists to master negotiators, The Manipulator understands influence and wields it with precision. This type reminds us that persuasion is part of our social architecture, and its ethics depend entirely on intent.

8. The Tinker

In the face of problems, The Tinker asks: "What if we tried this?" This is humanity's creative spark, the drive to experiment, invent, and improve. Whether developing life-saving vaccines or engineering escape routes from impossible situations, The Tinker represents optimism in action—the belief that things can always be made better.

9. The Fighter

The Fighter doesn't accept injustice quietly. Fueled by righteous anger and moral conviction, this type marches, protests, and demands change even when the cost is steep. Dias connects this pattern to every major liberation movement in history, showing how The Fighter transforms outrage into action and suffering into progress.

10. The Seeker

Why do we climb mountains, ask impossible questions, and search for meaning in a chaotic universe? The Seeker is our restless hunger for truth and transcendence. This type explores not just the world but the self, forever asking: "What else is there? What does it all mean?" It's the force behind scientific discovery, spiritual quest, and personal transformation.

Dias presents a framework for understanding the contradictions within us—how the same person can be both cruel and kind, cowardly and brave, selfish and sacrificial. The power of these types lies not in their separation but in their coexistence, constantly competing for dominance depending on circumstance, culture, and choice. This is a book that stays with you long after the final page, not because it tells you who you are, but because it forces you to ask: Who do you want to be? Which types will you nurture? Which will you resist? In a world that feels increasingly fragmented and hostile, Dias offers a language for talking about our shared humanity, in all its terrifying beauty and beautiful terror.

BOOK: https://amzn.to/46YvBLp

GREETINGS!