David Runciman is Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge. His previous books include The Handover, Confronting Leviathan, Where Power Stops and How Democracy Ends. He writes regularly about politics for the London Review of Books, and hosts the acclaimed podcasts Talking Politics and Past Present Future.
Runciman is a superbly lucid and conversational guide - this is a perfect starting place for anyone who wants to get their teeth into the history of political philosophy * The Times * The History of Ideas still feels like the best book about modern politics I've read in ages ... a splendid book: economical, invigorating and surprising -- James Marriott Timely ... [Runciman's] page-turning volume of essays - a study of intellectuals who sought to improve the politics and societies of their day - makes you feel a little more learned than you did before ... he has that gift, both as a podcaster and as a writer, to illuminate abstruse and abstract ideas with human charm * Observer * Timely ... important * Irish Times * Praise for Confronting Leviathan and David Runciman: 'Bracingly intelligent ... a wonderful read -- Mark Mazower * Guardian * Incredibly timely ... wonderful elegance and clarity through which complex ideas are presented ... That the book helps make thinking about the state enjoyable is just the least of its many exceptional qualities -- Pascal Donohue * Irish Times * A brilliant introduction for anyone looking to engage with political debates beyond the headlines ... Excellent -- Joshua Pugh Ginn * Herald * One of the great modern writers of democracy -- Anne Applebaum In our time of Trump and Putin, the re-emergence of far-right fascism and the consolidation of global kleptocracy, the ideas Runciman explores have never been so pertinent -- Ian Hughes * The Irish Times *