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Sunday Best: 80 Great Books from a Lifetime of Reviews
A collection of John Carey’s greatest, wisest, and wittiest reviews—amassed over a lifetime of writing
In 1977, newly installed as a professor of English at Oxford, John Carey took the position of chief reviewer for the Sunday Times . In a career spanning over 40 years and upwards of 1,000 reviews, Carey has kept abreast of the brightest and best books of the day, distilling his thoughts each week for the entertainment of Sunday readers.
Contained in this volume is the cream of that substantial crop: a choice selection of the books which Carey has most cherished. Covering subjects as diverse as the science of laughter, the art of Grayson Perry, the history of madness, and Sylvia Plath’s letters, this is a collection of treats and surprises, suffused with careful thought, wisdom, and enjoyment. The result is a compendium of titles that have stood the test of time, offered with Carey’s warmest recommendation.
In 1977, newly installed as a professor of English at Oxford, John Carey took the position of chief reviewer for the Sunday Times . In a career spanning over 40 years and upwards of 1,000 reviews, Carey has kept abreast of the brightest and best books of the day, distilling his thoughts each week for the entertainment of Sunday readers.
Contained in this volume is the cream of that substantial crop: a choice selection of the books which Carey has most cherished. Covering subjects as diverse as the science of laughter, the art of Grayson Perry, the history of madness, and Sylvia Plath’s letters, this is a collection of treats and surprises, suffused with careful thought, wisdom, and enjoyment. The result is a compendium of titles that have stood the test of time, offered with Carey’s warmest recommendation.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 11, 2022
Sunday Best, the long-overdue sequel to Original Copy, harvests the best of John Carey’s reviewing over more than three decades for The Sunday Times. It is a crop of unequalled richness, clarity and interest. Carey warns us early on not to expect the ‘constant point scoring’ of his last selection. He has grown up since, and no longer feels, he says, the same compulsion to be as caustic or funny. On that count, this book is an abject failure. Carey can’t help it; being funny and incisive comes to him as easily as blinking. Few would wish it otherwise.
One thing that lingers is the book’s feeling of moral integrity. Carey knows the impact a bad review has on an author, aspiring or otherwise. Carey’s review of Ted Hughes’ Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being led to a public falling-out between the two men that lasted until just before Hughes’ death. When visiting the terminally ill Clive James, Carey recalls the bad review he once gave his host’s first book in The New Review. James’ wife confirms what Carey has by now already sussed: almost half a century later, James can still quote it verbatim. This perhaps explains a change in Carey’s self-imposed rules for reviewing. Before, it was never be afraid of losing a friend. Now, it’s never review a book by someone you know.
Unlike many academics, Carey values practical skills. It’s fortunate this volume starts at roughly the same time as the boom in popular science writing. One of his heroes is William Perkin. Perkin’s family lived in a Shadwell slum. But his Father encouraged his son’s passion for science. At age eighteen, working in a makeshift lab near his parents’ home, Perkin accidentally discovered how to make synthetic dyes from coal tar. The colour mauve was his first breakthrough. By 1858, Empresses and Queens were among Perkins’ customers, and his fortune was made. The discovery had wider scientific benefits. Coal-tar preparations led to the development of aspirin and more potent explosives, and enabled pioneers in chemotherapy and immunology. Through it all Perkin remained a modest man, devoted to public works and shunning publicity. His last words were ‘Proud? Who could be proud?’ It’s the modesty and ingenuity Carey has in mind when he says the lower middle class often prove the most useful cards in the social pack - far wiser, more inventive and altruistic than the landed and inherently wealthy. It is a lesson English society has forgotten at its peril.
Carey reserves special favour for people who make things other than books, or grow food, farm animals, or teach - and the last two are not so dissimilar. Marie Stubbs, the Headmistress who took over infamous St. George’s Roman Catholic School in London, is the Florence Nightingale of the British educational system, and justly celebrated here. He embraces the amateur as well as the professional. Daniel Smith’s The Spade as Mighty as the Sword details how The Dig for Victory campaign swept through wartime Britain ‘like a wave of hope’’. The campaign showed the ingenuity of ordinary citizens as it helped to stave off starvation. If before you thought the Women’s Institute was a club founded purely to occupy the bored, boring, and bossy, you may think otherwise after.
The urge to open new perspectives and ways of seeing is more prominent than before. Carey’s regard for people who tidy up and order the universe does not blind him to writers who do the opposite. Michael Frayn’s The Human Touch argues that number is just a human invention, with no independent reality. ‘To believe that number has always existed and was waiting for humans, says Frayn, is like believing the works of Shakespeare have always existed, but were waiting for Shakespeare.’ Joseph Mazur skilfully argues time is illusory in a book that makes even Carey’s head hurt - which probably bodes ill for us.
Purists may fault Carey for recycling material, as with The Unexpected Professor before it. Two essays from Pure Pleasure are reprinted, on Keith Douglas and Jaroslav Hasek (though we now know he refers to Paul Selver’s translation, not Cecil Parrott’s). But to complain that a collection of book reviews reprints old work is as worthwhile as wagging your finger at a Porsche on the grounds it isn’t mint flavoured. And the return of his wise, lyrical essay ‘Vegetable Gardening’, which closes out the selection, is worth anyone’s time.
Carey praises a biography of John Betjeman for moving beyond its subject and growing into a grand expose of his society. I don’t think it daft to say these 296 pages subtly encode the hopes, dreams, and values of post-war Britain. If attack they must, critics do best when they do so in defence of a value. Carey’s values, to which this book is a monument, are worth defending.
One thing that lingers is the book’s feeling of moral integrity. Carey knows the impact a bad review has on an author, aspiring or otherwise. Carey’s review of Ted Hughes’ Shakespeare and the Goddess of Complete Being led to a public falling-out between the two men that lasted until just before Hughes’ death. When visiting the terminally ill Clive James, Carey recalls the bad review he once gave his host’s first book in The New Review. James’ wife confirms what Carey has by now already sussed: almost half a century later, James can still quote it verbatim. This perhaps explains a change in Carey’s self-imposed rules for reviewing. Before, it was never be afraid of losing a friend. Now, it’s never review a book by someone you know.
Unlike many academics, Carey values practical skills. It’s fortunate this volume starts at roughly the same time as the boom in popular science writing. One of his heroes is William Perkin. Perkin’s family lived in a Shadwell slum. But his Father encouraged his son’s passion for science. At age eighteen, working in a makeshift lab near his parents’ home, Perkin accidentally discovered how to make synthetic dyes from coal tar. The colour mauve was his first breakthrough. By 1858, Empresses and Queens were among Perkins’ customers, and his fortune was made. The discovery had wider scientific benefits. Coal-tar preparations led to the development of aspirin and more potent explosives, and enabled pioneers in chemotherapy and immunology. Through it all Perkin remained a modest man, devoted to public works and shunning publicity. His last words were ‘Proud? Who could be proud?’ It’s the modesty and ingenuity Carey has in mind when he says the lower middle class often prove the most useful cards in the social pack - far wiser, more inventive and altruistic than the landed and inherently wealthy. It is a lesson English society has forgotten at its peril.
Carey reserves special favour for people who make things other than books, or grow food, farm animals, or teach - and the last two are not so dissimilar. Marie Stubbs, the Headmistress who took over infamous St. George’s Roman Catholic School in London, is the Florence Nightingale of the British educational system, and justly celebrated here. He embraces the amateur as well as the professional. Daniel Smith’s The Spade as Mighty as the Sword details how The Dig for Victory campaign swept through wartime Britain ‘like a wave of hope’’. The campaign showed the ingenuity of ordinary citizens as it helped to stave off starvation. If before you thought the Women’s Institute was a club founded purely to occupy the bored, boring, and bossy, you may think otherwise after.
The urge to open new perspectives and ways of seeing is more prominent than before. Carey’s regard for people who tidy up and order the universe does not blind him to writers who do the opposite. Michael Frayn’s The Human Touch argues that number is just a human invention, with no independent reality. ‘To believe that number has always existed and was waiting for humans, says Frayn, is like believing the works of Shakespeare have always existed, but were waiting for Shakespeare.’ Joseph Mazur skilfully argues time is illusory in a book that makes even Carey’s head hurt - which probably bodes ill for us.
Purists may fault Carey for recycling material, as with The Unexpected Professor before it. Two essays from Pure Pleasure are reprinted, on Keith Douglas and Jaroslav Hasek (though we now know he refers to Paul Selver’s translation, not Cecil Parrott’s). But to complain that a collection of book reviews reprints old work is as worthwhile as wagging your finger at a Porsche on the grounds it isn’t mint flavoured. And the return of his wise, lyrical essay ‘Vegetable Gardening’, which closes out the selection, is worth anyone’s time.
Carey praises a biography of John Betjeman for moving beyond its subject and growing into a grand expose of his society. I don’t think it daft to say these 296 pages subtly encode the hopes, dreams, and values of post-war Britain. If attack they must, critics do best when they do so in defence of a value. Carey’s values, to which this book is a monument, are worth defending.
March 12, 2023
"Sunday Best" was a pleasure to read. I must admit that I haven't heard about John Carey before. My bad! The reviews he has chosen for this collection are fascinating. The author writes skilfully, he is knowledgeable and opinionated with a healthy dose of snark. And most importantly? He has a sense of humour, which is not a given when it comes to old boys from the Oxbridge club. My only complaint? After reading these brilliant reviews I feel no need to read the actual books, that were reviewed. I am sure I couldn't enjoy the books as much as I enjoyed the reviews. A paradox? Maybe.
This book is also a marvellous course in writing reviews. I am a reviewer myself, but not a pro like John Carey. Obviously. If you are a reviewer or enjoy reading reviews you should definitely give this book a chance.
I received "Sunday Best" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
This book is also a marvellous course in writing reviews. I am a reviewer myself, but not a pro like John Carey. Obviously. If you are a reviewer or enjoy reading reviews you should definitely give this book a chance.
I received "Sunday Best" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
November 11, 2022
John Carey has been the lead reviewer for the London Sunday Times for over 40 years. He is also a prolific and serious critic who has written important books on John Milton, Charles Dickens, John Donne and others.
This is a collection of his reviews of nonfiction. They are organized by type. We get books on cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropology, biography, literature, nature and books on one big idea, or "mind benders" as he calls them. This is a guy with a wide palette.
He uses most of his review as an opportunity to give a short overview of the subject. We get helpful summaries of the history of circuses, English gypsies, Samuel Beckett, owls, IQ tests and more.
He is a voice of common sense. He enjoys using biographical facts to show what a shit an author or artist is. He skewers V. S Naipaul, Eric Gill, Robert Graves, and the publisher Tom Maschler simply by laying out the facts of their life.
How about this line from a biography of the creator of the beloved Tintin children's books? "Tintin's creator was, in fact, an emotionally retarded workaholic who cared for nothing but his art, disliked children and collaborated with Nazis."
Carey tends to deal more with the substance of nonfiction than the style. We get a summary of the stuff in the book and then a few general comments about the writing, organization and tone.
One of the pleasures of this kind of book is the miscellaneous, useless but fun, information you pick up. In a review of a book about Elizabethan science, Carey discusses a scientist and then mentions, in an aside, "A neighbor was the naturalist Thomas Muffett whose interest in spiders is commemorated in the nursery rhyme about his stepdaughter Little Miss Muffett."
Carey can also zing. While discussing the novels of the Victorian writer Bulwer Lytton, he mentions his "heroines so pure and childlike they appear mentally retarded."
This is an enjoyable potpourri. Carey has a wide interest in science, sociology, history and literature. Very few of these books are "Great Books". They are interesting well-done nonfiction. Ironically many of these reviews satisfy me that now I have no need to read the book because Carey has given me enough of what I would want from it.
This is a collection of his reviews of nonfiction. They are organized by type. We get books on cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropology, biography, literature, nature and books on one big idea, or "mind benders" as he calls them. This is a guy with a wide palette.
He uses most of his review as an opportunity to give a short overview of the subject. We get helpful summaries of the history of circuses, English gypsies, Samuel Beckett, owls, IQ tests and more.
He is a voice of common sense. He enjoys using biographical facts to show what a shit an author or artist is. He skewers V. S Naipaul, Eric Gill, Robert Graves, and the publisher Tom Maschler simply by laying out the facts of their life.
How about this line from a biography of the creator of the beloved Tintin children's books? "Tintin's creator was, in fact, an emotionally retarded workaholic who cared for nothing but his art, disliked children and collaborated with Nazis."
Carey tends to deal more with the substance of nonfiction than the style. We get a summary of the stuff in the book and then a few general comments about the writing, organization and tone.
One of the pleasures of this kind of book is the miscellaneous, useless but fun, information you pick up. In a review of a book about Elizabethan science, Carey discusses a scientist and then mentions, in an aside, "A neighbor was the naturalist Thomas Muffett whose interest in spiders is commemorated in the nursery rhyme about his stepdaughter Little Miss Muffett."
Carey can also zing. While discussing the novels of the Victorian writer Bulwer Lytton, he mentions his "heroines so pure and childlike they appear mentally retarded."
This is an enjoyable potpourri. Carey has a wide interest in science, sociology, history and literature. Very few of these books are "Great Books". They are interesting well-done nonfiction. Ironically many of these reviews satisfy me that now I have no need to read the book because Carey has given me enough of what I would want from it.
November 20, 2022
I would first like to warn readers that there is not a single novel among those reviewed in this book, and then, unfortunately and due to my supreme ignorance, there were like 5 books that I had read as well. Apart from that, I found out that horrible people were Orwell and Naipaul and the story of Ted Hughes' mistress and other more or less interesting things.
Vorrei innanzitutto avvertire i lettori che non c'é nemmeno un romanzo tra quelli recensiti in questo libro e poi, purtroppo e per via della mia somma ignoranza, erano tipo 5 i libri che avevo letto anche io. A parte questo, ho scoperto che persone orribili erano Orwell e Naipaul e la storia dell'amante di Ted Hughes e altre cose piú o meno interessanti.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Vorrei innanzitutto avvertire i lettori che non c'é nemmeno un romanzo tra quelli recensiti in questo libro e poi, purtroppo e per via della mia somma ignoranza, erano tipo 5 i libri che avevo letto anche io. A parte questo, ho scoperto che persone orribili erano Orwell e Naipaul e la storia dell'amante di Ted Hughes e altre cose piú o meno interessanti.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
February 21, 2023
Now I must confess I think I partly hold the blame for not loving this book as I probably am not the target market.
I read the synopsis and saw that it was a collection of book reviews from John Carey who is in addition to being a leading English professor also reviews books weekly in the times but I was unaware this book would be focusing purely on non-fiction.
Non fiction is one of those things I have to be in the mood for and im very selective in which subjects Grab me and I find interesting and sadly the non fiction mood didn’t take me.
This book did give me a great perspective on how to structure my own reviews and a couple of books have been added to my wishlist such as singles out: how two million women survived by Virginia Nicholson.
I just wish it had been dispersed a bit more across both fiction and non fiction .
I read the synopsis and saw that it was a collection of book reviews from John Carey who is in addition to being a leading English professor also reviews books weekly in the times but I was unaware this book would be focusing purely on non-fiction.
Non fiction is one of those things I have to be in the mood for and im very selective in which subjects Grab me and I find interesting and sadly the non fiction mood didn’t take me.
This book did give me a great perspective on how to structure my own reviews and a couple of books have been added to my wishlist such as singles out: how two million women survived by Virginia Nicholson.
I just wish it had been dispersed a bit more across both fiction and non fiction .
January 10, 2023
I did not think that I could enjoy a non-fiction piece as much as I enjoyed hearing the reviews from John Carey's "Sunday Best", and his latitude with a variety of topics, ranging from philosophy, history, as well as biographies and vegetable gardening. Each section brought me with a new level of enjoyment and investment into whatever novel he was speaking about next, and I can only wish to write with a quarter of the gusto, enthusiasm, and dedication as he does. Carey's way of being able to meticulously describe details of a novel, while also adding his own opinions and insights throughout the book made each review easy to follow and investing to read about (some of the novels that he spoke about have already been added to some of my "to read" shelf). Ergo, I believe that Carey's reviews would be a piece greatly enjoyed by those who are able to keep pace with the seamless transitions from one book to the next; one topic that may be of less interest to the reader, but one that they are willing to read about from the perspective of Carey. Overall, this book helped me to find a perspective I would have been lost without, and is definitely one of my more recent favorite non-fiction pieces.
November 23, 2022
Thank you so much, Professor Carey, as now thanks to you, I’ve read about fascinating books, some of which I’ve already borrowed from my local library.
After reviewing books each month for the London Sunday Times, over the past three decades, Sunday Best: 80 Great Books from a Lifetime of Reviews is just that, and it’s wonderful.
This is a book to go back to, time and again, for reading inspiration.
I view lists like this, not as something to be disappointed by, since I’ve read only a minute number of the books here, but more as something to learn from, in that, hey, I’ve found a ton of books I’ve never heard of or considered before, read intelligent and thoughtful reviews of, and was able to add a lot of books to my TBR list.
Carey’s writing is honest, brutal, wonderfully caustic in places, and gives so much of the gist of many books, that often like with a film trailer, you’re getting the most salient and important bits. I enjoyed this one a lot.
eARC kindly provided by Yale University Press and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
After reviewing books each month for the London Sunday Times, over the past three decades, Sunday Best: 80 Great Books from a Lifetime of Reviews is just that, and it’s wonderful.
This is a book to go back to, time and again, for reading inspiration.
I view lists like this, not as something to be disappointed by, since I’ve read only a minute number of the books here, but more as something to learn from, in that, hey, I’ve found a ton of books I’ve never heard of or considered before, read intelligent and thoughtful reviews of, and was able to add a lot of books to my TBR list.
Carey’s writing is honest, brutal, wonderfully caustic in places, and gives so much of the gist of many books, that often like with a film trailer, you’re getting the most salient and important bits. I enjoyed this one a lot.
eARC kindly provided by Yale University Press and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.
February 24, 2023
It would have never ever occurred to me that someone might publish a book containing nothing but book reviews. Yet, here we are. The idea might seem odd, but it turns out to be a good one.
This is a collection of reviews of books published mostly within the last two decades. They are organized into sections by type, such as cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropology, etc.
All the reviews are spot on. John Carey is a fine reader and an acute observer. He is not afraid to praise a book nor to criticize it when it's needed and he does so in such a gentle and respectful way, we could all learn from him a great deal. Humor across the reviews makes the reading experience even nicer.
Being a grumpy person as I am, the only thing I smirk upon is the number of titles I have written down after reading this brilliant collection. As if my TBR list isn't long enough. Smirk.
This is a collection of reviews of books published mostly within the last two decades. They are organized into sections by type, such as cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropology, etc.
All the reviews are spot on. John Carey is a fine reader and an acute observer. He is not afraid to praise a book nor to criticize it when it's needed and he does so in such a gentle and respectful way, we could all learn from him a great deal. Humor across the reviews makes the reading experience even nicer.
Being a grumpy person as I am, the only thing I smirk upon is the number of titles I have written down after reading this brilliant collection. As if my TBR list isn't long enough. Smirk.
November 27, 2022
This is a brilliant selection of reviews/essays by a Professor of English and a reader and writer of book reviews at the Sunday Times.
John Carey's writing is witty and entertaiing as he tackles subjects as diverse as slavetrading, scientific histories, Stonehenge and gardening..
Organised into sections; Cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropoology, biography, literature, nature and mind benders, Carey offers his perspective as well as providing detailed book reviews.
This is an excellent publication that will tempt many of its readers to buy the books mentioned.
John Carey's writing is witty and entertaiing as he tackles subjects as diverse as slavetrading, scientific histories, Stonehenge and gardening..
Organised into sections; Cultural history, science, memoirs, anthropoology, biography, literature, nature and mind benders, Carey offers his perspective as well as providing detailed book reviews.
This is an excellent publication that will tempt many of its readers to buy the books mentioned.
December 7, 2022
A book of two extremes. Some very interesting and fascinating reviews and some that switched me off . I skipped some of the reviews after reading the first few paragraphs of the review. Stick with it as there are lots to learn from this book and if you want to follow up afterwards be sure to thank John Carey
March 9, 2023
I found this quite interesting. I adore book reviews so this was right up my alley. I found the author fair and very concise in his reviews. His reviews (whether good or not) were well explained without being verbose.
December 9, 2022
I liked this well written and witty book reviews that made me discover some new to me authors and books.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
March 21, 2024
A collection of book reviews by the long time reviewer of the London Times. Many of the reviews are quite interesting and added more books to my reading list.
November 23, 2024
This just made me want to read every book. Such an obvious love of books for their own sake.
June 8, 2025
This is a collection of over 80 book reviews written for the Sunday Times over a 40-year career. The source emphasizes Carey's anti-elitist perspective and his knack for identifying "bullshit," often placing his most engaging phrases at the beginning of an article. The collection is presented as an easy read for a Sunday morning, highlighting a diverse range of topics from science and anthropology to biography and literature, offering readers access to books they might not otherwise discover. The book serves as both an intriguing compendium of cherished titles and a masterclass in the art of book reviewing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews