Hasta La Ideas

Stephen Bayley, design critic for The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, refers to his home’s garden as “a space where we can sit with a book and a glass of wine,” an attitude that I appreciate but might interfere with the clarity of any future book reviews. Fortunately, lacking a garden, the pairing most likely won’t be occurring any time soon. Perhaps in the relaxed frame of mind owing to a tipple or two in his garden, he recently released two books about subjects near and dear to his heart: women and cars. With a brief note of full disclosure that I too love both Women and Cars , let’s commence with an actual discussion of both books, but first to telegraph my conclusion: Each book would have been far more interesting if its subject matter had been tackled with the other book’s thesis.

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