Hitchens is one of the world's best-known essayists, with his provocative observations on religion and politics appearing in print and online magazines such as Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, and Slate before his death in 2011. Many of these essays have been published in the more voluminous Arguably (2011), which takes up over 700 pages and covers such large political and literary figures as Abraham Lincoln, Edmund Burke, and André Malraux, with whole sections devoted to sweeping topics such as Orientalism and totalitarianism. Fans of Hitchens's prose will appreciate the pieces provided here on topics and personalities that are absent in the larger volume, which supplies only his more essential writings. This collection includes additional reviews of notable contemporary works, including historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.'s posthumously published Journals: 1952-2000 and a critical review of Barack Obama's books in the -Atlantic published soon after the 2008 election. Other subjects of Hitchens's analysis include criticism of Colin Powell's foreign policy and harsh criticism of Hillary Clinton's experience in an essay from Slate unambiguously titled "The Case Against Hillary Clinton." VERDICT This book cannot necessarily be reduced to a simple appendage to -Arguably, which is perhaps best for readers who are already familiar with Hitchens's main writings but want more. [See Prepub Alert, 6/29/15.]-Jeffrey J. Dickens, Southern -Connecticut State Univ. Libs., New Haven © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Even several years removed from Hitchens's death in 2011, the provocative, probing, and prolific writer remains one of this era's most mesmerizing and combative social commentators and public intellectuals, as this collection vividly reminds readers. Brimming with laconic wit, drollery, and unapologetic, fiercely held viewpoints, these reviews and articles mostly originate from the '00s and first appeared in publications such as Slate, Vanity Fair (where he was a contributing editor), the Atlantic, and the New York Review of Books. The period was a tumultuous one for Hitchens: the staunch liberal dismayed many of his leftist friends by supporting the Iraq war; a committed atheist, he published his controversial but bestselling book, God Is Not Great, in 2007; and he was diagnosed with his fatal illness in 2010. Yet not even this last blow could stifle his prodigious output of wide-ranging observational essays. This collection includes glorious Wall Street Journal rant against Christmas; his insightful exploration of what makes the American South so distinctive; an unsentimental, wonderfully wry series on "self-improvement" as undertaken by the notoriously hard-drinking heavy smoker; and other examples of his ever-incisive, sometimes controversial opinions on society, world affairs, politicians, and authors. They add up to a fitting addition to Hitchens's legacy. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.