Stephen’s Lockdown

C.J. Sansom – Dissolution. Pb. $23.00.

I thought I was Tudor History-ed out after finishing Hillary Mantel’s superlative Wolf Hall trilogy (2009, 2012, 2020), Diarmaid McCulloch hefty but illuminating Thomas Cromwell (2018) and (Australia’s own) John Guy – Tudor England (1990).

But no. Having recently discovered this series of outstanding historical thrillers. The first of which was published in 2003. Better late than never.

This – the first of seven – is set in 1537 during the turbulent reign of Henry VIII. They feature hunchbacked lawyer Mat- thew Shardlake as a private investigator to the great: Cromwell, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Catherine Parr (last wife of Henry VIII) and Princess Elizabeth.

John Kenneth Galbraith – The Great Crash 1929. Pb. $23.00.

One of my favourite historical works – originally published in 1954 – now reissued in a handsome Penguin Modern Classics edition. John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006), a Canadian born American public servant, diplomat, presidential adviser (to Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Johnson) was also one of the most influential and widely read economists of the 20th Century.

This now classic account of the causes, effects and aftermath of 1929 Stock Market Crash remained a favourite of the author: “I never enjoyed writing a book more. It is the only one I remember in no sense as a labour but as a joy.” It shows in this crisp, illuminating work – shot through with a dry, mordant wit:

“By the summer of 1929 the market not only dominated the news. It also dominated the culture. That minority which at other times acknowledged its interest in Saint Thomas Aquinas, Proust, psychoanalysis… spoke only of United Corporation, United Steel… Only the most aggressive of eccentrics maintained their interest in autosuggestion or communism.”

Galbraith lived long enough to witness the global financial crises of 1987 and 1997. He just missed that of 2007-08.

Having written the definitive book on the boom-and-bust cycle, he may have allowed himself a wry smile.

Harry G. Frankfurt – On Bullshit. Hc. $17.99.

Historians (and others) once used to assign grandiose titles to various historical epochs: The Age of Democracy, The Age of Exploration, The Age of Revolution, The Age of Technology.

Are we now living in The Age of Bullshit?

A re-reading of this concise – 65 pages – monograph by the Princeton Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, convinces me we certainly are. Recent events – particularly in the United States between 2016-2020 – also persuade me it is inexorably on the increase.

Originally a 1986 essay, this book first appeared in 2005. It sets out an enduring philosophical framework to distinguish between lies and BS. It now seems ever more prescient. Reading it ever more necessary.

Dave Goulson – Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse. Pb. $35.00.

I looked at the subtitle of this book and misconstrued what it might be about. I thought it would tell of a nightmare scenario of destructive insects overrunning the world and how humans could prevent this. In fact, the reverse is the case. Silent Earth graphically relates how we destructive humans are now wiping out insect species at an appalling rate.

David Goulson wants to show us why insects matter and why they should be protected and – if not loved – respected. He has no illusions about the task ahead: “I fear the majority of people don’t like insects…I think many people loathe insects or are terrified of them, or both.”

Insects – to the contrary – are beautiful, clever, mysterious and vital to our own survival. We cannot live without them. Insects pollinate. They break down waste – the dung beetle. Insects are invaluable in controlling invasive plants.

A chapter entitled: “A View from the Future” set in 2050 gives a dystopian view of an impoverished, degraded almost insect-less Earth. The now elderly author stands guard over the family vegetable garden and orchard at night. Having to hand pollinate entire crops throughout the year is exhausting. A warmer temperature all year round (climate change) has led to plagues of flies, mosquitos and slugs.

Bleak indeed. However, like numerous books, the author ends with a hopeful Chapter entitled: “Actions for Every- one.” Numerous, specific, insect-centric suggestions are offered to halt our slide towards catastrophe. Read them.

Then go outside, look around in wonder and reacquaint your- self with the insect world.