An Economist Best Book of 2007, Jonathan Carr's The Wagner Clan was roundly acclaimed upon its publication in hardcover. Hailed as fiendishly enjoyable by Salon.com and masterly and enthralling by The Daily Telegraph, it proves that the history of Europe and that of the Wagners are inextricably intertwined. Carr presents not only Richard Wagner himself--composer, philosopher, philanderer, failed revolutionary, and virulent anti-Semite--but also a colorful cast of historical figures who feature in Wagner's story: Franz Liszt (whose illegitimate daughter Cosima married Wagner); the mad King...