20 SEPTEMBER 1997, page 40

Clerihew Corner

William Whiteley Was known as 'the Universal Provider' — and quite rightly. At short notice he once supplied A halberd, a bird-eating spider, and an ophicleide. James Michie......

Fingers On The Button

Anthony Howard ONE HELL OF A GAMBLE: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS by Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali John Murray, £25, pp. 420 T he tale of the 'eyeball......

She Knows, You Know

P. J. Kavanagh THE MAGICIAN'S WIFE by Brian Moore Bloomsbury, £15.99, pp. 215 h e country and date are specified: France, 1856. A young married woman lays down her sewing to......