This is a collection of Julian Barnes's writing for "The New Yorker". Since 1990, Barnes has written a regular "Letter from London" which has covered such subjects as the Lloyd's insurance disaster, the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher, the troubles of the Royal Family, and of Nigel Short in his battle with Gary Kasparov in the 1993 World Chess Finals. Barnes assesses Salman Rushdie's plight and the Harrods take-over, and also analyzes the implications of being linked to the continent via the Channel tunnel, and Tony Blair's prospects as the Labour leader. His essays aim to provide a portrait of 1990s Britain.