Aristocracy: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle (OUP, £7.99) THE main conclusions to be drawn from this study are that the aristocracy, in one form or another, seems to be indestructible, and that it has an endless fascination for “lesser mortals”. Just witness the furore over the attack on Charles and Camilla during the students’ fees protests and the thrill of anticipation around the world over next year’s Royal wedding. The poor may be always with us, at the bottom of the heap, but the aristocrats will absolutely be around, to lord it over their “inferiors”.
■ Others in the Very Short Introduction series at £7.99 include Folk Music by Mark Slobin (much more than hairy sweaters and hands over the ears); Agnosticism by Robin Le Poidevin (sorting out every strand of belief and non-belief); and Michael Faraday by Frank AJL James (the truth about the bright spark who was the founding father of electrical engineering).
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