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David Lipsey's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books David Lipsey recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of David Lipsey's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

The English Constitution

Chronicling the past is much easier than chronicling the present, which was exactly Walter Bagehot's project when writing The English Constitution, first published in 1873. His ambitious undertaking was to describe the British government as it actually worked during 1865 and 1866. Government as it functions is very different from the government as it is spelled out on paper. Many factors, including the mindset of the people and the habits of those already in government, affect how a country is run. Political scientists and historians will find Bagehot's commentary on the living English... more
Recommended by David Lipsey, and 1 others.

David LipseyBefore I went into the House of Lords, I used to write ‘Bagehot’, The Economist’s weekly column on British politics. I am therefore biased when I recommend, as the finest book on the subject ever written, The English Constitution by Walter Bagehot, a Victorian editor of the magazine. Of course, it is a bit quaint now from the title on: if you talked of the English constitution in Glasgow or... (Source)

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2

Cooking in a Bedsitter

Katharine Whitehorn's classic cookbook for the inexperienced cook with limited space has been fully revised and updated for the health-conscious 1990s.

It admirably demonstrates that restrictions on time, money and cooking facilities need not reduce the quality of the meals you create - either for yourself or for guests. Here is a tremendous range of dishes,from easy snacks and starters through to main meals and delicious puddings, that won't put you out of pocket. This versatile collection includes recipes for stirr-fry, casseroles, vegetable dishes and pasta as well as ingenious ways of...

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Recommended by David Lipsey, and 1 others.

David LipseyNone of these books competes however as the most influential in my life. One that does is Katharine Whitehorn’s Cooking in a Bedsitter. Sent at the age of 18 to teach English to newly arrived immigrants in Bradford, this was the book that accompanied me into my bedsit – basin, gas ring, tiny fridge. Not all the recipes are good but they kept me alive. Meanwhile, the advice – how a well-regulated... (Source)

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3

The Heat Of The Kitchen

Bernard Donoughue has been a leading figure in British politics for three decades. This book talks frankly of his relationships with such big political beasts as Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Crosland - and in particular with Robert Maxwell, for whom Donoughue worked in a senior position in the late 1980s. less
Recommended by David Lipsey, and 1 others.

David LipseyWell, Bernard Donoughue’s The Heat of the Kitchen, an autobiography by a former policy adviser to Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan (in the 1970s) complements Crosland. Lord Donoughue combines a brilliant mind with strong emotion and beliefs. Reading the extraordinary story of his rise from nowhere provides an insight into the latter which is more important with politicians than... (Source)

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4

Tony Crosland

Recommended by David Lipsey, and 1 others.

David LipseyI have spent most of my adult life in or hanging around British politics, so perhaps it is natural to start with the two books that, to me, best reflect what political life is like. Both, it is true, are from a few years back. They thus perhaps understate one of the dominant factors of modern politics – the ubiquitous power of the media – and overstate the importance of Westminster life. But... (Source)

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5

The Skeptical Environmentalist

The Skeptical Environmentalist challenges widely held beliefs that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse. The author, himself a former member of Greenpeace, is critical of the way in which many environmental organisations make selective and misleading use of the scientific evidence. Using the best available statistical information from internationally recognised research institutes, Bjørn Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental problems that feature prominently in headline news across the world. His arguments are presented in non-technical, accessible... more
Recommended by Matt Ridley, David Lipsey, and 2 others.

Matt RidleyMost of the environmental trends in the world are getting better not worse. There is more forest now than there was 50 years ago. (Source)

David LipseyThis is for those more interested in politics than politicians. Environmentalists hate Lomborg, who dares to questions their all-or-nothing ideology. Economists on the other hand love him, since he (unlike most environmentalists) understands that environmental decisions can involve costs as well as benefits. For example, take Lomborg’s position on global warming. It probably is happening, he... (Source)

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