Back to the Land: Essays and Interviews Edited by Tom Hodgkinson, and Featuring David Hockney: No. 43 (The Idler)

The Idler has in the last couple of years found a nice new niche. The high-end look and feel of the book are fitting for the audience I think this will reach.The book is a collection of essays, interviews, cartoons and such like; all with a left wing slant. This edition has a great theme and (although I've not read it cover to cover yet) delivers thought provoking material. Not all of the book is successful, in particular the interviews (one with David Hockey, and another with Ian Bone and Ray Roughler-Jones) were ill judged and no so successful. Yes it's good to get a high-profile name like David Hockey, and perhaps in a different themed edition it may have worked, but it seemed to me out of place. The other interview was certainly thought provoking, I personally found it rather annoying and made me quite annoyed with the interviewees.The rest of the book, particularly the essays that make up the bulk of the pages, is worth the price alone. Full of contemporary issues mixed with philosophical thought, on the theme of 'back to the land'.So althought not 100% successful (a book/collection of essays like this never will be) it is a good read. Recommended.

As ever it's always interesting to see how The Idler has evolved, the latest incarnation being a high production values hardback book collecting a series of in-depth essays type set by Christian Brett around the theme of 'The Land'. Thought provoking, and I may be a little biased as my own piece on the history of orchards and apples is included. The heaviness of some of the essays is leavened by cartoons and some striking artwork, and the interview with Class War founder Ian Bone and his pal that made me laugh out loud! Thoroughly recommended!