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Spies and Scholars: Chinese Secrets and Imperial Russia’s Quest for World Power, by Gregory Afinogenov, Belknap Press, RRP£36.95/RRP$45, 384 pages
From the mid-17th century, the Russian empire outdid other European powers in gathering political, industrial and commercial intelligence about China under the Qing dynasty. It is a little-known chapter of Sino-Russian relations, and Afinogenov, a Georgetown University scholar, tells the story beautifully.
The Jews and the Reformation, by Kenneth Austin, Yale University Press, RRP£30/RRP$45, 288 pages
Austin’s examination of Christian attitudes to Jews during the Reformation throws fascinating new light on the turbulent history of early modern Europe. Bringing Catholics as well as Lutherans and Calvinists into his story, Austin shows that virulent anti-Semitism coexisted with a growing interest in the Hebrew language, stimulated by debates about the Bible’s meaning.
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