Toobin is the pre-eminent chronicler of the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Evolving over the centuries from an afterthought to the apex of the third branch of American government, the Court has now become in many respects the final arbiter of mores and conduct. In The Nine and its successor volume, The Oath, Toobin explores how this has come about. No longer are justices chosen for their life experience and political savvy---the current court consists entirely of lawyers, most with time on the bench. That does not, however, deter them from imposing their own ideological and highly political views on critical decisions shaping American society. In the Nine, we see this taking shape as a relatively balanced court starts to move to the right. In The Oath, this process reaches its culmination in the extreme, radical right wing, Roberts court with its dismissal of decades of precedent in favor of an "originalist" claim to divine and implement the true intentions of the Founding Fathers. The results have been revolutionary. The campaign finance decisions have given money, including corporate money, sway over the electoral process. The gun rights decisions have seeded assault weapons throughout the country. Upcoming decisions on civil rights could take the United States back to the nineteenth century. Toobin reports this clearly and dispassionately.

Toobin is the pre-eminent chronicler of the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court. Evolving over the centuries from an afterthought to the apex of the third branch of American government, the Court has now become in many respects the final arbiter of mores and conduct. In The Nine and its successor volume, The Oath, Toobin explores how this has come about. No longer are justices chosen for their life experience and political savvy---the current court consists entirely of lawyers, most with time on the bench. That does not, however, deter them from imposing their own ideological and highly political views on critical decisions shaping American society. In the Nine, we see this taking shape as a relatively balanced court starts to move to the right. In The Oath, this process reaches its culmination in the extreme, radical right wing, Roberts court with its dismissal of decades of precedent in favor of an "originalist" claim to divine and implement the true intentions of the Founding Fathers. The results have been revolutionary. The campaign finance decisions have given money, including corporate money, sway over the electoral process. The gun rights decisions have seeded assault weapons throughout the country. Upcoming decisions on civil rights could take the United States back to the nineteenth century. Toobin reports this clearly and dispassionately.

In a departure from their usual focus on openings, Everyman Chess's Move by Move presents an overview of the games of the great Capablanca by American IM Lakdawala. Much has been written about the player many considered the purest genius in the history of the sport. With his breezy, unconventional style and drawing judiciously upon the latest opening theory and computer analysis insights, Lakdawala makes a very significant contribution to understanding the Cuban master. Highly recommended for players of a wide range of strengths below master level.

This book staples together a series of lectures about the use of the traditional tools of Greek rhetoric in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It provides a very interesting insight into one facet of the art of the greatest english writer. Rather slim for the price but enjoyable none the less.

This book looked promising: the intimate account of one of England's great families in revolt against the monarchy. To add further spice, there is always the Shakespeare connection. Unfortunately, the source material is not remotely sufficient to carry the weight of such a lofty tome. Instead, there is much flowery and overblown rhetoric about "Arcadia", the poet's conception of the land of the Pembrokes. After a while, the reader begins to root for the monarch. Not recommended.

The Veresov has long been disdained by most chess theorists who cannot believe it can be good to block your c4 pawn break with your own knight. Recently, there has been an attempt to resurrect it, notably by former US open champ Lakdawala who made it the centrepiece of the pretentiously titled "Ferocious Opening Repertoire". Nigel Davies provides a much more balanced treatment which essentially concludes that the Veresov is principally useful against an unschooled opponent. If Black knows his stuff, White is generally struggling to hold his own. "Tricky," yes; "ferocious," hardly. On the other hand, many of the same criticisms are levelled against Chigorin's defence which has now enjoyed a resurgence at the hands of some very strong players. Of course, the resulting positions are, for Black, frequently very similar to those for White in the Veresov. Bottom line: at club level, investing time in mastering a Veresov repertoire may pay dividends in taking players out of the well worn main lines after 2. c4.

This is the most authoritative account to date of the rise of the Tea Party phenomenon in the United States. The authors are of a "liberal" persuasion themselves but do a credible and balanced job of dissecting the reality behind the media hype through polls, interviews and personal attendance at TP rallies. Among the revealing findings: there is an uneasy alliance between the social conservatives, with their hawkish views on abortion and foreign policy, and the libertarians, who just want government to get out of the way and let them lead their own lives; the older demographic means that while Tea Partiers want to slash government spending, especially on assistance to the undeserving (=young"), they are very attached to their own medicare and social security programs which they believe they have earned. In all, the book helped to explain why the Tea Party had limited inflouence on the 2012 Republican primaries and what influence it did have tended to be bifurcated between Ron Paul (the Libertarian) and the social conservatives (Bachmann, Santorum).

Korda has done a wonderful job of capturing the larger than life figure of T.E.Lawrence "of Arabia". The books written about Lawrence are already too numerous to count but Korda adds new material to the trove. Above all, he has woven his material together with a gripping narrative that brings this strange man back to life. After reading it, I was moved to dig out Lawrence's own Seven Pillars of Wisdom for a fresh look. A great character, well researched and superbly written by a master historian.

After I read this book, I compared notes with a friend who is both a strong chessplayer and a credentialed philosopher. His reaction was much the same as mine. Too many of the articles are written to impress other philosophers with the authorès command of the latest inwardness of the discipline. They had little or nothing to do with chess. There were a few exceptions. Garry Kasparov is a Cyborg is an exploration of the technology interface as reflected in the preparation of an American master using the ChessBase instruments---databases and analysis engines. It is an interesting perspective on the realities of modern computer-assisted chess. Finally, The Reviled Art is a reflection by former prodigy and American chess champion, Stuart Rachels, on his life in chess and the reasons why he left the competitive arena. In summary, this book will be of little interest to chessplayers but may be of passing interest to professional philosophers.

The author is a strong club player who applies his training as an anthropologist to the modern realities of chess players in North America. He has achieved a nice balance between anecdote and analysis. He covers the gamut, from online bullet chess to tournament play at a reasonably high level (USCF <2200). Among his most interesting observations and insights: how improving at chess provides a goal for the middle aged player; how chess teaches kids important life lessons ("life is touch move"); how important the social element is in a game that to the outsider appears impersonal and mechanistic. I believe this book will resonate with most adult amateur chessplayers. Much of this book struck a profound chord with me, including the closing chapter on how writing the book became something of a way of saying goodbye to the most fiercely competitive aspects of the game for the author. I loved this book and, most unusually, plan to read it again.