Catherine Clarke A History of England in 25 Poems400pp. Allen Lane. £25. Mark Forsyth Rhyme and ReasonA short history of poetry and people (forpeople who don’t usually read poetry)368pp. Allen & Unwin

Kenneth R. Rosen Polar WarSubmarines, spies, and the struggle forpower in a melting Arctic320pp. Profile. £22. The Norwegian government once invited me on a guided tour of the country’s far north, inc

Frostlines Neil Shea (Picador, £20) A BOOK title ...

You wouldn’t guess from the cover design—three songbirds silhouetted over swatches of picturesque Englishness—but Catherine Clarke’s A History of England in 25 Poems hits one of its sweet spots with a

Giles Catchpole hopes for cool heads in cold climes

Blinding: The Left Wing Mircea Cǎrtǎrescu, trans. by ...