Since the early 1970s, Marina Warner has been one of the most challenging, subtle and profound commentators on the culture of past and present, unravelling our webs of images, ideas and beliefs, and making new and provocative connections.

This resonant collection draws together essays written over twenty-five years, offering a wide-ranging retrospective of her developing ideas. Whether writing on Vietnam, Mrs Thatcher, the dollar sign and the twin towers, Queen Elizabeth I and incest, weeping Madonnas, zombies or fairytales, Marian Warner displays a rare gift for blending historical and anthropological insights with deft and perceptive readings on individual works.