This week, the podcast takes a more optimistic turn, following in the footsteps of Simon Schama who delivers rich historical explorations on a grand scale. He is a magnetic writer, idiosyncratic and enjoyable as he displays his formidable breadth of knowledge and powers of synthesis in what remains an outstanding book, The Embarrassment of Riches. Even if you have not the slightest interest in 16th Dutch doings, this book is lively, engaging and full of ideas that resonate far beyond the narrow compass that it purports to examine.

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