Books of the week, by Booksmith

“If, however, you’re a mainstream reader looking for a good stocking-filler for your political geek friends, I would recommend Politipedia: A Compendium of Useful and Curious Facts about British Politics by Nick Inman (£6.49+pp). It’s the ultimate quirky reference book for students of the Westminster village. It covers backbench revolts, cliches, Downing Street, techniques for saying nothing in interviews, nicknames, quangos, think tanks, and Yes Minister.”