The Archipelago: Italy Since 1945 - Hardcover

It's an astonishing achievement, and structurally so innovative: a pointillistic portrait of a complicated country as the title suggests. It captures the sweep of post-war Italian history but is so precise and detailed as well. The assembling of great stories, anecdotes, quotations and characters makes reading it effortless but also immensely rewarding (Tobias Jones)

An enjoyable, highly readable history that manages to bring murky, often fiendishly complex events into the light, providing insight and clarity. That is no small achievement (Sunday Times)

[A] lively history . Superbly researched (Observer)

'[A] breathless and entertaining (or despairing) voyage through postwar Italy . A pleasure to read. It is not just about politics. It is also full of characters, vignettes and interesting facts (Donald Sassoon Literary Review)

Admirable . Foot's expertise in an illuminating range of subcultures is deep (Daily Telegraph)

This deft history book guides readers through Italy's turbulent, complicated (and corrupt) postwar history (The Times)

[A] fine, ambitious book ... A series of neatly written tableaux and portraits (Herald)

If you read only one sporting book this year, make it Pedalare! Pedalare! ... Absorbing, compelling and brilliant (Praise for 'Pedalare! Pedalare!', Evening Standard)

Sparkling ... alive with terrific characters ... The key to [Foot's] success lies with the larger-than-life characters who people these pages (Praise for 'Pedalare! Pedalare!', Spectator)

The first general account in English of the second biking culture ... As this year's Giro d'Italia hopefuls head out over a dramatic parcours, the ghosts Foot evokes will stir once more (Praise for 'Pedalare! Pedalare!', Independent on Sunday)