Six years after the much-heralded publication of , Clive James presents his “prequel”—forty-nine essays that he has selected as the best of his half-century career. Originally appearing as , examines the twisted cultural terrain of the twentieth century in one of the most accessible and cohesive volumes available. Divided into four sections—“Poetry,” “Fiction and Literature,” “Culture and Criticism,” and “Visual Images”—James comments on poets like W. H. Auden and Phillip Larkin, novelists like D. H. Lawrence and Raymond Chandler (not to mention Judith Krantz!), and filmmakers like Fellini and Bogdanovich. Throughout, James delights his readers with his manic energy and critical aplomb. This volume, featuring a new introduction, is a one-volume cultural education that few recent books can rival.