Highly readable and deeply researched

Tim Blanning's masterly biography guides the reader through all these wars and chicaneries with great skill and dry-eyed objectivity

It is sure to be the standard English-language account for many years. It instructs; it entertains; and it surprises

Tim Blanning is that rarest of scholars, as deft in his command of government and grand strategy as he is in his handling of philosophy and opera, and is rightly regarded as one of Britain's (indeed Europe's) finest historians. This biography finds him at the height of his powers and offers major reassessments of almost every aspect of Frederick's career

Potsdam, where the founding father of Prussian autocracy built the prettiest of palaces and picked the loftiest of guardsmen, [is] freshly and fascinatingly described by Tim Blanning

A similar mastery of topic is evident from the first lines of Tim Blanning's Frederick the Great: King of Prussia (Allen Lane), a virtuoso study of an exceptionally complex man who, through force of personality, helped to shape an equally complex moment in European history.

A superbly wise and accomplished biographer

Tim Blanning's Frederick the Great, is as enthralling on its subject's horribly abusive upbringing as on his bold, sometimes foolhardy military campaigns. Blanning is particularly acute in inquiring, without, prurience, into the notorious question of Frederick's sexuality.

Few finance ministers have such a talent for economics as Yanis Varoufakis

Highly readable. It is also important, outlining a perspective on global economics that influences policy thinking in broader circles than the radical left ... deeply instructive

The most interesting man in the world

The emerging rock star of Europe’s anti-austerity uprising

It is important to take note of the ideas that Varoufakis continues to espouse … the essence of [his] agenda was – and remains – largely correct

A man of integrity and intellectual honesty … a superb monetary economist whose credentials outshine those who have bewitched European governmental elites… His economic logic was irrefutable

He writes with great panache ... and in a gripping style … One of the things that makes this book enjoyable is that Varoufakis makes much of the role of personalities

An account of how the forces of capital have prevailed over the common good ... visionary

A global celebrity

The biggest disaster for any of the BBC’s news and current affairs slate would be The Yanis Varoufakis Show on another network

While this British Conservative minister might not agree with every single position adopted by this Greek radical socialist, I cannot but admire and applaud his courage and passion on behalf of genuinely progressive causes

The reason Varoufakis seems to have captured the imaginations of so many is that his words about the European crisis speak universal truths about democracy, capitalism and social policy

Like all great story tellers, Varoufakis’ literary flair is not just a function of stylistic prowess. He gets right inside the fears, desires and external constraints of the key players in the complex history of the Eurozone … Reading And The Weak Suffer What They Must? is like reading a gripping thriller. It is a page turner because the plot itself is a relentless sequence of astonishing twists and turns driven by the cunning ingenuity and hubristic folly of its key protagonists … This book is not just illuminating. It is a call to moral awakening and to intelligent, determined and humane political action

Beautifully illustrated… [It] overflows with entertaining detail.

Tinniswood uses lively local detail.

[It] combines a panoramic view of life and architecture in the interwar years with pin-sharp detail and the sort of springy prose that comes with complete command of the material.

This is a lively and hugely entertaining history… It’s packed with very funny anecdotes… A delight.

Tinniswood paints a vivid portrait of the period

A detailed and appreciated look at the phenomenon [of country houses]… Tinniswood writes elegantly, in complete charge of his material. The book is a joy to hold in your hand.

Wittily written and beautifully illustrated, Tinniswood’s book recreates a world far more peculiar, but at times rather more enviable, than any fictional version.

[A] compelling volume of social history.

[A] brilliant book about life in the English country house.

A scandal-packed glimpse into the glamourous Downton Abbey-esque world of English country houses… ****

A probing psychological account.