Beowulf by J.R.R.Tolkien; The Italians by John Hooper; The Petworth Book of Country House Cookery by Peter Brears, paperback reviews

Christopher Hirst reviews a must for Tolkien addicts, and a heartfelt portrait that offers revelations on every page

Beowulf by J.R.R.Tolkien (Harper Collins, £8.99)

Dating from 1926, Tolkien's translation is not his most lucid work: "Anguish he endured oppressed with fire who aforetime was ruler of his folk." After 92 pages of such spine-tingling stuff, we get a 216-page commentary drawn from lectures. For example, Tolkien explains "hronràde" is a kenning ("pictorial descriptive compound"), which he translates as "the sea where the whale rides" rather than the more literal "whaleroad" ("suggests a… semi-submarine steam engine running along submerged metal rails"). Though a must for Tolkien addicts, it is debatable whether fans of ITV's gory Beowulf will be hooked.

The Italians by John Hooper (Penguin, £10.99)

As enlightening as the Pantheon's oculus, as satisfying as spaghetti alla puttanesca, this heartfelt portrait offers revelations on every page. On the Italian love of conspiracy theory, Hooper says, "Nothing – but nothing – is ascribed to chance… The fact is that Italians are conspiratorial." While "certainly not lazy", it is rare for Italians "to view work as anything but a necessary evil". Less surprising is Italy's reluctance with fast food. The country has only 450 McDonald's compared with 1,200 in both France and the UK, while Starbucks "has never even ventured into Italy". Eccellente!

The Petworth Book of Country House Cookery by Peter Brears (Prospect, £10)

In his introduction, Lord Egremont, current custodian of Petworth House, sums up aristocrat preferences with the late Duke of Gloucester's inquiry to the UK ambassador in Rome after being presented with an elaborate pud of spun sugar: "I say, Fred, have you got any cheese?" This preference for simplicity pays off in the recipes. Oeufs Monte Carlo turns out to be poached egg on French fries with Hollandaise. Prunes in Gin is just that ("simple but remarkably satisfactory"). Bizarrely, dishes at Petworth were delivered via a long underground tunnel. Baked Alaska "presented an enormous challenge".