It's a fascinating form, isn't it? I mean, nominally they're book reviews. And they will at least mention and comment on the book. But the best of them are real

It's a fascinating form, isn't it? I mean, nominally they're book reviews. And they will at least mention and comment on the book. But the best of them are really a special kind of literary essay written by someone who knows the subject (of the book and of the essay) very well and is making their own argument. Sometimes the books 'reviewed' are merely a parenthetical jumping-off point. So the LRB, for instance, might publish a review by Hilary Mantel of a book about Danton [0] which is actually a meditation on what it means to be a revolutionary and how place might fit into that. Mantel, having researched and written A Place of Greater Safety[1], is not exactly a historian but does have some fascinating things to say. I subscribe to the LRB. I don't know tons about most of what is written, but having smart people who can write well pitching engaging pieces about all kinds of randomiana is, as you say, a wondrous thing. [0]: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n15/hilary-mantel/he-roared https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v31/n15/hilary-mantel/he-roa... [1]: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/A-Place-of-Greater-Safety-by-Hilary-Mantel/9780007250554 https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/A-Place-of-Greater...