‘Dissatisfied’ summarises in a single word how I felt after reading Backstage at the Revolution. Dissatisfied not by John Bryson’s undoubtedly eloquent prose but by the publishing and marketing concept of the book.

As a politics and current affairs publisher, collections of essays arrive on my desk many times each year and are inevitably rejected. The authors are often well known, with an established literary or political reputation, and one or more books to their credit.