Samuel Brittan has an unmistakable "voice". In political philosophy, he is an extreme individualist: it is individuals, not groups, who "feel, exult, despair and rejoice". A private person, intensely protective of his habits, he despises and fears crowds and manifestations of tribal passion. In economic philosophy, he calls himself a "redistributive market liberal". The emphasis is on the "market liberal" but some redistribution of capital and income is justified to compensate for the inherent defect in private property rights. In international relations, he is a Cobdenite non-interferer, believing that we do not have enough knowledge to reshape the world.

This compilation of his Financial Times columns, occasional essays and reviews is a splendid introduction to the UK's foremost analyst of current affairs. Brittan's writing is marked by wide reading and a curiosity that eschews disciplinary boundaries. He stands out not just as a "translator" of others' thoughts, like any good columnist, but by virtue of his own fine critical intelligence. He is always his own man. By training an economist who specialised in macroeconomics, he has become increasingly bored with narrow technical issues and has moved on to "ideas", which he discusses with enviable economy and elegance.