Twice a week, a new dispatch from the corners of the continent worth knowing — and, on the shelf, the books worth keeping.
GastronomyIn the heart of Vienna, a restaurant of quiet ambition looks not to the past, but to the soil beneath its feet. Heinz Reitbauer’s temple of modern Austrian cuisine is a study in rigorous provenance and serene execution.
CigarsIn a world of ever-stronger cigars, this venerable robusto offers a compelling counter-narrative of subtlety and grace. It is a quiet lesson in the virtues of nuance, delivered with a gentle voice.
EscapesOn the shores of Lake Como, a sixteenth-century cardinal's summer villa turned grand hotel continues to define the very essence of civilized leisure. It is a place not of fleeting trends, but of deep, reassuring continuity.
MotoringWoking has spent fifteen years being correct. At Monterey it finally did something interesting instead — and gave Bruce McLaren's unfinished road car a third pedal.
Grand HotelsIn the elegant spa town of Baden-Baden, a certain grand hotel on the Lichtentaler Allee has cultivated a unique equilibrium of restorative calm and quiet consequence for more than 150 years.
The Screening Room · Film 1974A masterclass in parallel narratives, offering a profound exploration of legacy, power, and the corrosive nature of ambition across generations of the Corleone family.
The Screening Room · Film 1967Alain Delon as Jef Costello, a contract killer whose meticulously ordered world unravels after a job goes awry. A study in isolation, precision, and existential cool.
The Screening Room · Film 1949Carol Reed’s atmospheric masterpiece of post-war Vienna, where shadows conceal truths and allegiances are as fluid as the Danube.
The Library · Ernest HemingwayA profound novella of man’s struggle against nature and himself, rendered with Hemingway’s stark elegance
The Screening Room · Film 1995A masterclass in urban procedure and the lives that orbit its unforgiving demands, Mann’s opus remains a benchmark.
The Screening Room · Film 1942A timeless exploration of duty, romance, and sacrifice amidst the tumult of war, where choices resonate long after the final fade.
The Screening Room · Film 1999The most beautiful film ever made about wanting to be somebody else.
The Library · Giuseppe Tomasi di LampedusaThe greatest novel ever written about a class watching its own sun go down.
The Screening Room · Film 1984Leone's sprawling American elegy, a meditation on time, memory, and the dissolution of fraternal bonds amidst the rise and fall of Prohibition-era Jewish gangsters.
The Library · Mikhail BulgakovThe Devil and his retinue wreak havoc in Stalin’s Moscow, a darkly comedic and profoundly imaginative exploration of good, evil, and artistic freedom
GastronomyIn Midtown Manhattan, Eric Ripert’s temple to the sea continues to operate on a plane of its own, quietly asserting that the most profound statements are often the most direct.
The Screening Room · Film 1990A masterclass in American gangster life, chronicling the rise and fall of Henry Hill with unflinching style and breathless pace.
The Library · Ian FlemingBefore gadgets and global peril, James Bond was a grim, gambling man in a world of stark moral choices
The Screening Room · Film 2017A film about tailoring that is really a film about who is permitted to interrupt breakfast.
The Library · Eric AmblerThe novel that invented the modern thriller — Istanbul, Athens, Geneva, and an ordinary man asking too many questions
The Library · F. Scott FitzgeraldA short book about money, longing and the American refusal to accept a closed door.
The Screening Room · Film 1973Fred Zinnemann's meticulous procedural of an assassination attempt remains a masterclass in tension and understated elegance.
The Library · John le CarréGeorge Smiley's grim world of moral ambiguity, where loyalty is a luxury and heroism a fatal flaw
MotoringAs the final evolution of the storied 250 GT platform, the Lusso was never a racing car. It was something more refined: a masterpiece of automotive sculpture and a definitive statement on the art of the grand tour.
The Screening Room · Film 1963Stalag Luft III: A testament to the indomitable human spirit, where meticulous planning and sheer grit transcend the confines of wartime internment.
The Library · Tim WeinerA forensic, Pulitzer-winning examination of the Central Intelligence Agency's clandestine operations from its inception to the post-9/11 era
The Screening Room · Film 1998De Niro, Jean Reno, and a team of international operatives navigate post-Cold War Europe in pursuit of a mysterious attaché case, all underscored by thrilling, practical automotive pursuits.
The Screening Room · Film 2006The film that reminded everyone Bond was a blunt instrument in a very good dinner jacket.
The Library · Frederick ForsythYou know the ending, yet you will still not put it down
The Library · John le CarréThe finest spy novel in English, and largely a book about paperwork and disappointment.
The Screening Room · Film 1974A master class in surveillance and paranoia, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" remains as unsettling and relevant today as it was upon its release.
The Library · Alan FurstAn atmospheric journey into the dangerous shadows of pre-war Europe, where ideology and survival intertwine
The Screening Room · Film 1968Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, an unflappable San Francisco detective, navigates a conspiracy while leaving an indelible mark on cinematic cool.
The Library · Len DeightonA bracingly unglamorous Cold War spy thriller with a working-class anti-hero and an abundance of dry wit
CigarsIn an era that often prizes strength above all, this classic Panetela is a welcome reminder of a different virtue. It speaks not in a roar but in a confident, measured tone of pure Dominican elegance.
The Screening Room · Film 1973A masterclass in elaborate deception, cloaked in vintage American style.
The Screening Room · Film 2011Espionage as paperwork, betrayal as office politics, and not a single car chase.
The Library · Graham GreeneGreene in Saigon: opium, journalism, and the terrible damage done by good intentions.
The Library · Graham GreeneA vacuum-cleaner salesman invents an agent network; a comedic, yet incisive, look at intelligence
The Screening Room · Film 1971New York at its filthiest, and pursuit at its purest.
The Library · Ben MacintyrePhilby, betrayal and the clubland trust that made it possible. Reads like fiction; is not
The Screening Room · Film 1969A brazen gold heist, three Mini Coopers, and a cliffhanger for the ages. This is British insouciance refined.
The Library · John le CarréGeorge Smiley’s protégé revisits a career’s worth of espionage, reflection, and quiet regret
EscapesOn the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur, a singular hotel eschews old-world formality for a more profound luxury—one rooted in architectural harmony, elemental forces, and the quiet contemplation of the continent's edge.
The Screening Room · Film 1987A stylised, operatic examination of law and order clashing with organised crime during America’s Prohibition era.
The Screening Room · Television 2016Le Carré relocated to the world's best addresses, and rather enjoying itself.
The Library · Mary BeardAn incisive, erudite, and refreshingly un-pompous account of Rome's enduring legacy, from its republican origins to its imperial zenith
The Library · Robert A. Caro1,200 pages on a man who never held elected office and rebuilt New York anyway.
The Screening Room · Film 1967A young man adrift in post-collegiate ennui finds himself entangled with an older woman, setting the stage for a comedic and poignant exploration of ambition and disillusionment.
The Library · William L. ShirerShirer’s monumental account, shaped by his eyewitness perspective in Berlin and exhaustive archival access, chronicles the Third Reich’s swift ascent and cataclysmic collapse
The Screening Room · Film 1960Fellini's epic vision of Rome's high society, where glamour and existential ennui dance beneath the city's eternal gaze.
The Screening Room · Film 2013Rome at sixty-five, wondering whether the party was worth it.
The Library · Alice SchroederThe authorised Buffett, and rather less flattering than the legend allows.
The Library · Simon SchamaA sweeping, opinionated and often dramatic account of the French Revolution, focusing on its personalities and cultural shifts
Grand HotelsPerched above Portofino, a former monastery continues its centuries-long vigil, trading monastic silence for the civilised hum of a world in pursuit of beauty.
The Screening Room · Film 1963Fellini’s cinematic labyrinth, a meta-narrative of an artist in crisis, remains an unmatched exploration of creativity, memory, and the elusive nature of inspiration.
The Library · Christopher ClarkA masterly investigation into the diplomatic blunders and personal failings that ignited the Great War
The Screening Room · Film 1962An impromptu road trip along the Roman coast offers a poignant dissection of post-war Italian society and the allure of unrestrained idleness.
The Library · Jack WeatherfordHow a nomadic warlord forged an empire that shaped the geopolitical and cultural landscape for centuries
The Screening Room · Film 1970Jean-Pierre Melville’s stoic masterpiece of criminal professionalism, where meticulous planning and quiet competence define a world of honour among thieves.
The Screening Room · Film 1960Delon, twenty-four, sunburnt and entirely without conscience.
The Library · Marcus AureliusA Roman emperor's private notebook, never intended for you, which is exactly why it works.
The Library · Caroline FinkelAn authoritative and engaging history of the Ottoman Empire, spanning six centuries of its formidable power
HorologyIt defined the luxury sports watch category in 1972 with its radical steel case and integrated bracelet. Spending an afternoon with the latest "Jumbo" reveals an icon that has lost none of its disruptive, elegant power.
The Screening Room · Film 1955Jules Dassin’s seminal 1955 caper establishes the template for all cinematic heists, a meticulous ballet of criminal endeavour underscored by an enduring sense of melancholy.
The Library · Niall FergusonAn elegant and accessible account of financial history, from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern era
The Screening Room · Film 1969A study in quiet defiance and inescapable peril during the French Resistance.
The Library · Barbara TuchmanA vivid, meticulously researched account of the calamitous fourteenth century, seen through the life of a French nobleman
The Screening Room · Film 1960A study in desperation and meticulous execution, Jacques Becker’s final film is the apotheosis of the prison break genre, executed with an almost forensic precision.
The Screening Room · Film 1963Everything must change so that everything can stay the same.
The Library · Patrick Leigh FermorAn eighteen-year-old walks from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople in 1933. This is the first leg.
The Library · John Lewis GaddisA masterful, concise narrative of the Cold War's origins, evolution, and denouement
The Library · William ManchesterThe definitive, multi-volume biography of Winston Churchill, presenting his monumental life with meticulous detail and a palpable sense of grandeur
The Screening Room · Film 1974A detective’s journey into the murky depths of Los Angeles’s water supply and the insidious machinations behind it.
The Library · Ron ChernowThe definitive biography of John D. Rockefeller, charting the architect of modern capitalism from humble origins to unparalleled wealth
The Screening Room · Film 1997A masterful evocation of 1950s Los Angeles, where ambition and corruption intertwine with sartorial elegance.
The Screening Room · Film 1972A film about a family business, which happens to be murder.
The Library · Brock YatesThe unauthorised life of the most difficult man in motor racing.
The Library · Ron ChernowTracing a century of American finance through the familial and institutional saga of the Morgan dynasty, revealing the intricate dance of capital and power.
The Library · Willi FrischauerAristotle Onassis, a colossal figure of mid-century enterprise, whose life charted the tumultuous waters of ambition and acquisition
MotoringMore than a cinematic footnote, the DB5 remains one of the most accomplished grand tourers ever to emerge from Newport Pagnell. A recent drive through the Cotswolds in the lengthening days of early summer served as a potent reminder of its enduring grace.
The Screening Room · Film 1963A seminal entry in the Bond canon, offering intrigue, glamour, and a masterclass in Cold War espionage with an unparalleled sense of style.
The Library · Richard WilliamsAn unsentimental portrait of Enzo Ferrari, revealing the man behind the myth
The Screening Room · Film 1964007 faces off against a gold-obsessed magnate and his formidable henchman, establishing the definitive Bond formula.
The Screening Room · Film 2019Two men, one racing car, and an entire corporation getting in the way.
The Library · Alan FriedmanThe definitive account of Italy's most powerful industrial dynasty and their enduring influence
The Library · Alfred LansingTwenty-eight men, a crushed ship, and the finest leadership case study ever recorded.
The Screening Room · Film 1969George Lazenby’s solitary turn as James Bond, marked by a palpable sense of melancholic realism and an unforgettable Alpine setting.
The Library · Katharine GrahamThe extraordinary life of Katharine Graham, who inherited and transformed The Washington Post into a journalistic titan during a period of profound upheaval
The Screening Room · Film 1965A masterpiece of Cold War espionage, stripping away glamour to reveal the bleak, morally corrosive reality of intelligence work.
The Library · Walter IsaacsonAn exhaustive and unvarnished account of one of the most influential figures of the modern age.
GastronomyAlain Passard’s three-star temple to vegetables on the Rue de Varenne demonstrates that the highest form of culinary art lies not in addition, but in sublime, reverent subtraction.
The Screening Room · Film 2006Stasi surveillance in East Berlin, and the quiet arrival of a conscience.
The Screening Room · Film 1966Filmed at the real circuits, with the real cars, when the sport still killed people every season.
The Library · Barbara W. TuchmanHow Europe walked into 1914 — the month that made the century.
The Library · David NivenA life recounted with self-deprecating wit and boundless charm, from Sandhurst to Hollywood
The Screening Room · Film 1975A bookish CIA analyst finds his quiet world upended and himself a hunted man in 1970s New York. Robert Redford, directed by Sydney Pollack.
The Library · Andrew RobertsA comprehensive and unflinching portrait of Britain's wartime leader, meticulously researched and compellingly told
The Screening Room · Film 1965Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer, a working-class spy for the Ministry of Defence, navigates a labyrinthine plot of brain drain and double-dealing in a decidedly unglamorous Cold War London.
The Library · Benjamin GrahamA foundational text that champions disciplined, long-term investing over speculative fervour
CigarsA compact vitola that contains the entire mythos of Cuba's most famous marque. A recent evening spent with this benchmark cigar offered a reminder that power and complexity need not shout to be heard.
The Screening Room · Film 2005An examination of the moral calculus of retribution, set against the disquieting glamour of 1970s Europe.
The Screening Room · Film 2015Pantelleria, a swimming pool, and a houseguest who will not stop talking.
The Library · William ManchesterChurchill before the fame: cavalry charges, prison breaks and a spectacular capacity for failure.
The Library · Charles T. MungerA compendium of practical wisdom from one of the sharpest minds in American business
The Screening Room · Film 2002A masterclass in modern espionage, redefining the genre with an unflinching pace and a memorable amnesiac protagonist.
The Library · Bryan Burrough & John HelyarThe definitive account of the largest leveraged buyout in history, an epic tale of ambition, greed, and corporate warfare
The Screening Room · Film 1946Grant, Bergman, and the most elegant espionage romance.
The Library · Michael LewisMichael Lewis’s rollicking and surprisingly perceptive memoir of Salomon Brothers at the height of its 1980s bond-trading excesses.
The Screening Room · Film 1959An advertising man, a case of mistaken identity, and a trans-continental chase for secrets that defined the genre.
The Screening Room · Film 1955The Côte d'Azur as travel brochure, crime caper and flirtation, in that order.
The Library · Peter L. BernsteinA sweeping intellectual history of humanity's quest to understand, measure, and tame uncertainty
The Library · Patricia HighsmithThe novel behind the film, and considerably colder.
Grand HotelsOn a peninsula of pines and rock between Nice and Monaco, a palace hotel has for over a century defined the Côte d’Azur’s particular blend of tranquil elegance and discreet glamour. It remains a world unto itself.
The Library · Phil KnightThe intensely personal and surprisingly vulnerable story of Nike’s formative decades
The Screening Room · Film 1963A playful thriller set in the heart of Paris, where a widow uncovers her late husband’s mysterious past, and a charming stranger may or may not be her salvation.
The Library · Daniel KahnemanA profound exploration of the two systems that shape our thoughts and decisions
The Screening Room · Film 1974F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age tragedy, rendered with a meticulous eye for the opulence and underlying melancholy of 1920s Long Island.
The Screening Room · Film 1993A lifetime of impeccable service, and the one conversation he never had.
The Library · Daniel YerginHow a single commodity shaped nations, fuelled wars, and defined the global order of the 20th century
The Library · G. Bruce BoyerThe best book on men's dress, written by the only man who never sounds like a salesman.
EscapesOn the shore of Lac Léman, Lausanne’s grand dame continues to define Swiss hospitality, balancing its Belle Époque soul with a quietly contemporary spirit. It remains a bastion of civilized retreat.
The Library · Roger Fisher & William UryA concise yet profoundly influential guide to principled negotiation, bypassing positional bargaining for mutual gain
The Screening Room · Film 2009The meticulous anguish of a man undone, yet impeccably attired.
The Library · Roger LowensteinThe cautionary saga of Long-Term Capital Management and the perils of financial hubris
The Screening Room · Film 2014A stylishly sun-drenched cat-and-mouse chase across Greece, where two Americans on the run find their lives increasingly entangled.
The Screening Room · Television 2018The best-dressed cruelty on television, in extremely quiet cashmere.
The Library · E. H. GombrichThe one art history book to own, written for an intelligent adult rather than an examiner.
The Library · SenecaSeneca’s counsel on resilience, virtue, and living a good life, delivered from the heart of the Roman Empire
The Screening Room · Film 1969A scorching summer in Saint-Tropez brings desire and destruction to the fore, forever changing the lives of four elegant idlers.
The Library · Michel de MontaigneMichel de Montaigne invented the essay as a form, offering a candid exploration of the human condition that remains profoundly relevant
MotoringMore than three decades after its debut, Gordon Murray’s masterpiece remains the purest expression of a supercar. A recent drive through the Cotswolds in late May served as a potent reminder of what we have lost to the digital age.
The Library · Albert CamusCamus’s seminal essay explores the absurd condition of human existence and the rebellion against it, without recourse to false hope or despair
The Screening Room · Film 2017A summer in Lombardy, 1983, where languid days and blossoming affection are scored by classical music and sun-drenched Italian vistas.
The Screening Room · Television 1981Eleven hours of Oxford, Venice, faith and regret. Take your time.
The Library · Jeffrey LimerickThe great palace hotels photographed properly, with the architecture taken seriously.
The Library · EpictetusStoic wisdom from a former slave on distinguishing what is within one's power and what is not, offering a robust philosophy for living
The Library · Viktor E. FranklA profound and concise account of finding meaning amidst unimaginable suffering, offering enduring lessons on human resilience
HorologyBorn of sporting necessity on the polo fields of colonial India, the swiveling case has evolved from a simple shield into a canvas for complication, a discreet testament to travel, and a study in Art Deco grace.
The Screening Room · Film 1988A poignant ode to film, memory, and the passage of time, set against the evocative backdrop of post-war Sicily.
The Library · Friedrich NietzscheNietzsche’s potent critique of morality, society, and the human condition remains as provocative today as it was upon its publication
The Screening Room · Film 1970Bernardo Bertolucci’s chilling portrait of conformist ideology, rendered in exquisite chiaroscuro.
The Screening Room · Film 2014A comedy about hospitality, and a genuine elegy for a vanished Europe.
The Library · Alain de BottonAncient wisdom to navigate the vicissitudes of modern existence.
The Library · Primo LeviA chemist's account of Auschwitz, written without a raised voice.
The Screening Room · Film 1970A chilling examination of power and impunity in 1970s Italy, as a police inspector orchestrates his own murder to prove his untouchability.
The Library · AristotleAristotle’s foundational treatise on practical ethics, character, and human flourishing
The Screening Room · Film 2008A masterwork of political theatre, Sorrentino’s portrayal of Giulio Andreotti is a compelling study of power, isolation, and the indelible stain of history.
GastronomyIn Girona, the three Roca brothers—Joan, Josep, and Jordi—preside over a restaurant that is more than a temple of gastronomy. It is a living dialogue between memory, landscape, and the avant-garde, a lesson in how the future of food is found by looking back.
The Screening Room · Film 2008Matteo Garrone’s stark portrayal of the Camorra offers a bracing antidote to romanticised organised crime, presenting a world of brutal banality in the Neapolitan hinterlands.
The Screening Room · Film 1971The Hôtel des Bains, a cholera epidemic, and the collapse of a very disciplined man.
The Library · Henry David ThoreauA profound meditation on simple living, solitude, and self-reliance that remains strikingly relevant
The Library · Evelyn WaughOxford, wine, Catholicism and the slow extinction of an English family.
MotoringA thousand miles of pre-war Italy rolled past our lakeside village yesterday afternoon — and the whole town stepped out to meet it.
The Screening Room · Film 1995A sprawling epic of greed, power, and betrayal in the glittering, yet brutal, heart of 1970s Las Vegas.
The Library · Henry MillerGreece as revelation: the most joyful travel book ever written
The Screening Room · Film 2019Three and a half hours on loyalty and its bill.
CigarsThe iconic Pirámide is more than a benchmark for the format; it is a pillar of the Cuban cigar tradition, a testament to the power of shape in defining a sensory experience.
The Screening Room · Film 1993A former drug lord's earnest, and ultimately futile, endeavour to forsake his past for a legitimate future.
The Screening Room · Film 1968A bored millionaire robs a bank for something to do, in a three-piece suit.
The Library · W. G. SebaldA walk along the Suffolk coast that becomes a meditation on everything that has been lost.
The Library · Jan MorrisA timeless and elegiac portrait of Venice, penned by a writer of uncommon sensitivity and erudition, capturing the city's essence.
Grand HotelsSome arrivals are destinations in themselves. A recent excursion by water to the historic Punta San Vigilio peninsula offered a lesson in the quiet art of reaching one of Italy’s most storied lakeside inns.
The Screening Room · Film 1980Harold Shand’s audacious vision for London’s Docklands confronts the brutal realities of a changing criminal landscape.
The Library · Wilfred ThesigerA profound journey through the Empty Quarter, undertaken with an unparalleled spirit of endurance and respect for a vanishing way of life
The Screening Room · Film 1971Michael Caine's most brutal turn as a London gangster returns to his Newcastle hometown for a reckoning.
The Library · Bruce ChatwinA vivid, fragmented account of a journey to the ends of the earth, where history, myth, and personal encounters intertwine
The Screening Room · Film 1987A cautionary tale of ambition and avarice in 1980s New York, proving that some lessons, however sharply delivered, are perpetually misunderstood.
The Screening Room · Film 1962The largest film ever made about one very complicated man.
The Library · Niccolò MachiavelliNinety pages of unsentimental advice from an unemployed Florentine diplomat.
The Library · Patrick Leigh FermorA profound meditation on the monastic life, solitude, and silence, observed by a perpetual traveller
EscapesComo has the glitter, but Garda has the soul. Italy’s largest lake remains a bastion of Mitteleuropean discretion, a place of quiet grandeur where the Alps descend to meet the Lombard plain.
HorologyA reflection on the elusive physical phenomenon of resonance, and how one of modern watchmaking's masters harnessed it to create a timepiece of singular precision and intellectual beauty.
The Screening Room · Film 2011A single, calamitous night in the life of an investment bank on the precipice.
The Library · Paul TherouxFollowing the ancient route from Gibraltar to Syracuse, Theroux offers a dyspeptic yet insightful tour of the Mediterranean littoral.
The Screening Room · Film 2015A darkly humorous and incisive account of the 2008 financial crisis.
The Library · Peter MayleA delightful, often humorous account of an Englishman’s first year navigating the idiosyncrasies of life in rural Provence.
GastronomyIn a quiet corner of the Place des Vosges, Bernard Pacaud's three-star temple to haute cuisine eschews trends in favor of a timeless, product-driven perfection that feels more relevant than ever.
The Screening Room · Film 1992An unvarnished portrait of desperation in the cut-throat world of Chicago real estate, where men are made and broken by the monthly sales board.
The Library · Paul TherouxA vivid, unsparing account of an epic rail journey from Europe to Asia, setting the standard for literary travelogue
The Screening Room · Film 2016Ray Kroc, a struggling milkshake machine salesman, transforms a small Californian burger stand into a global empire, illustrating the relentless, often ruthless, pursuit of ambition.
The Library · Claudio MagrisA profound journey along the Danube, mapping the cultural, historical, and intellectual currents of Central Europe
The Screening Room · Film 1941The rise and fall of a publishing titan, a symphonic study of power, ambition, and the enduring enigma of a singular life.
The Library · Apsley Cherry-GarrardA harrowing account of exploration, endurance, and sacrifice in the Antarctic, told with a profound, understated power
EscapesMore than mere transport, the railway from Inverness to the sea is a slow-motion immersion into the wild heart of the Highlands, a journey best measured in landscapes revealed, not miles travelled.
HorologyIn 1999, a watch emerged from the small town of Glashütte that did more than tell time. It reset the standard for the modern chronograph, and its heartbeat can still be felt across the entire industry.
The Screening Room · Film 2007An epic of avarice and isolation, chronicling the rise and fall of an oil magnate in early 20th-century California.
The Screening Room · Film 1981Wolfgang Petersen's harrowing portrait of life aboard a U-boat, "Das Boot," remains a masterclass in tension and claustrophobia. The Director's Cut, in particular, offers an even more immersive and unsettling experience.
The Library · T. E. LawrenceAn enduring account of the Arab Revolt, blending military history with profound personal introspection
Grand HotelsOnce the private residence of a Doge, The Gritti Palace endures not merely as a hotel, but as the definitive Venetian salon. It offers a rare, intimate perspective on the life of the Grand Canal, a masterclass in civilized existence.
The Screening Room · Film 2003A masterclass in naval warfare and command, set against the vast, unforgiving canvas of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Library · Jon KrakauerA harrowing first-person account of the calamitous 1996 Everest climbing season, revealing the dangerous allure and harsh realities of extreme mountaineering
The Screening Room · Film 1977A grand, if ultimately tragic, undertaking captured on an equally grand scale.
The Library · Thor HeyerdahlA balsa raft across the Pacific because somebody said it could not be done
Grand HotelsA dispatch from the grand dame of Évian-les-Bains, where Belle Époque splendour, restorative waters, and a commanding view of Lac Léman conspire to stop the clock.
MotoringMore than just its iconic doors, the 300 SL was a triumph of engineering born from the racetrack. To pilot one today is a lesson in the enduring power of purposeful design and the demands it makes of its driver.
CigarsThe grand Double Corona of Partagás is not a casual affair, but a deliberate commitment. It is a benchmark of Cuban cigar craft, demanding attention and rewarding it in equal measure.
The Screening Room · Film 1957Stanley Kubrick’s searing critique of military hubris and the futility of war.
The Library · Freya StarkPersia alone, in the 1930s, with formidable composure
MotoringIn the pursuit of the ultimate air-cooled Porsche 911, one California firm collaborated with legends of motorsport to create not a restoration, but a technical and philosophical masterpiece.
The Screening Room · Film 1957A British prisoner of war in Japanese captivity finds himself meticulously overseeing the construction of a bridge for his captors, blurring the lines between duty, pride, and collaboration.
The Library · Peter NicholsNine men race solo around the world; one wins, one vanishes, one goes mad
DissentFerrari going electric was inevitable. Ferrari going anonymous was not. A critical look at the Luce — and the soul Ferrari risks trading away.
The Screening Room · Film 2017An intimate portrait of Churchill's leadership during Britain's darkest hour, showcasing the power of rhetoric and resolve.
The Screening Room · Film 1987Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic chronicle of Pu Yi, China’s last emperor, presents a life shaped by ritual and the inexorable march of history, all rendered with an unparalleled visual grandeur.
The Library · Antoine de Saint-ExupéryEarly aviation and what solitude at altitude teaches a man
Grand HotelsOn the shores of Lake Como, a sixteenth-century cardinal’s ambition and a nineteenth-century vision of hospitality converge. Villa d’Este is not merely a hotel, but a living monument to a certain kind of enduring, effortless Italian grace.
The Screening Room · Film 1975A cautionary tale of ambition and artifice in 18th-century Europe, presented with unparalleled visual splendour.
The Library · Peter MatthiessenA journey through the Dolpo region of Nepal, seeking a rare creature and inner peace
The Screening Room · Film 1971Steve McQueen in the 917 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Pure speed, pure style, pure cinema.
The Library · Joseph ConradA hundred pages up a river, and a century of argument afterwards
The Screening Room · Film 2019A true story of ingenuity, ambition, and the pursuit of automotive excellence at the highest echelon of motorsport.
The Library · W. Somerset MaughamA young American abandons his privileged life to seek profound meaning in a world scarred by war
MotoringA 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400 'Periscopio' in Bianco, trimmed in Blu Elettrico leather. On the connoisseur's Countach, Marcello Gandini's wedge at its most pure, and the particular drama of a white car with blue seats.
The Screening Room · Film 2023In the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari faces bankruptcy, marital strife, and the pressures of the Mille Miglia, all while grappling with profound personal loss. Michael Mann brings his signature intensity to a pivotal moment in the life of a titan.
The Library · Kazuo IshiguroA profound meditation on dignity, duty, and the crushing weight of unspoken emotion in post-war England
GastronomyAt the highest levels of dining, the sommelier is not merely a steward of wine, but a storyteller, a historian, and the quiet architect of the meal’s narrative.
The Screening Room · Film 2013James Hunt and Niki Lauda: A Riveting Study in Contrasting Ambition and Artistry on the Formula 1 Circuit.
The Library · Umberto EcoAmidst the arcane splendour of a medieval abbey, a Franciscan friar unravels a complex web of murders and forbidden knowledge
The Screening Room · Film 1967An enduring cinematic exploration of marriage, memory, and the meandering roads of the South of France.
The Library · Fyodor DostoevskyA profound psychological and philosophical exploration of guilt, redemption, and the nature of morality
The Screening Room · Film 1968A man’s poolside odyssey through suburban America reveals the hollowed core of a once-golden life.
The Library · Leo TolstoyTolstoy’s sprawling masterpiece of Russian society and the tragic affair that ripples through its rigid moral landscape.
The Screening Room · Film 2000A retired safecracker’s tranquil life in the Spanish sun is violently interrupted by the arrival of an old acquaintance with an unrefusable proposition.
The Library · Gabriel García MárquezA sprawling, hallucinatory saga of a family and a forgotten town, weaving myth and reality into the fabric of Latin American history
MotoringIn an age ofodyne automatons, the classic GT reminds us that the journey, not just the arrival, is the thing.
The Screening Room · Film 2008Two Irish hitmen, holed up in a picturesque Belgian town, grapple with guilt, fate, and the peculiar charm of medieval architecture.
The Library · Cormac McCarthyA stark, unflinching vision of a post-apocalyptic world, profoundly exploring the enduring bond between a father and son
The Screening Room · Film 1962In the shadowy Parisian underworld of Jean-Pierre Melville, trust is a currency spent quickly, and betrayal, an art form perfected in the silence of rain-slicked streets.
The Screening Room · Film 1970Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo epitomise post-war Marseille gangster chic in Jacques Deray’s enduring crime drama.
The Library · Andrew NahumA profound exploration of Ferrari through the lens of engineering and design, offering a rare glimpse into its formative years
The Screening Room · Film 1953A princess seeking freedom, a journalist seeking a scoop, and the eternal city as their confidante.
The Screening Room · Film 1975Ambition, empire and two magnificent scoundrels.
The Library · Michael CannellThe perilous 1961 Formula One season, marked by a fatal rivalry and extraordinary skill
The Screening Room · Film 1959Two jazz musicians, on the run from the mob, disguise themselves as women and join an all-female orchestra heading to Florida. Mayhem, romance, and some of cinema's most indelible comic performances ensue.
The Library · Quentin SpurringThe definitive, meticulously documented chronicle of the world's most enduring endurance race, from its inception to its modern era
The Screening Room · Film 1960Billy Wilder's 1960 masterpiece, a poignant and sharply observed commentary on corporate life and moral compromise, remains as relevant today as it was six decades ago.
The Library · Richard AndersonA candid, witty account of life and craft on Savile Row, from the perspective of an apprentice turned master tailor
HorologyIn a world of sweeping seconds, the discreet charm of the jumping hour offers a different, more deliberate appreciation of time's passage. We look at the history and modern revival of this captivating complication.
The Screening Room · Film 1950A cautionary tale of Hollywood illusion and delusion, narrated by a man already lost to its machinations.
The Library · Nicholas FoulkesOne hundred watches of the twentieth century, in Assouline's most extravagant format
The Screening Room · Film 1944A masterpiece of cynical noir, where a smooth-talking insurance salesman is lured into a murderous plot by a calculating femme fatale.
The Screening Room · Film 1941Bogart, a trench coat and no illusions at all.
The Library · Peter MurrayA comprehensive and accessible survey of Italian Renaissance architecture
The Screening Room · Film 1979A black-and-white ode to New York City and the complexities of human connection, set to a timeless Gershwin score.
The Library · Ralph LaurenForty years of an invented, magnificently consistent world. Whatever you think of the label, the eye is undeniable
CigarsThe character of a great cigar is not merely a matter of brand or band, but of the earth from which it springs. A gentleman’s inquiry into the hallowed soils of Cuba’s Vuelta Abajo and the Dominican Republic’s Cibao Valley.
EscapesIn an age of instant gratification, the Bernina Express offers a more refined proposition: a four-hour passage across the sublime theatre of the Alps, where the journey itself is the destination.
GastronomyBeyond the pomp and ceremony, the world’s most famous dining guide is slowly adapting to a new, more authentic definition of luxury. But what does a star truly signify in the modern culinary landscape?
MotoringThe De Tomaso Mangusta was a flawed masterpiece of breathtaking beauty and Italo-American ambition. Its story is one of breathtaking design and dynamic intransigence.
HorologyThe sector dial, a paragon of Art Deco restraint, is quietly enjoying a return to the fore. We examine its enduring appeal.