Reflections on a year's action compiled with meticulous care

Racing Post Annual 2019, edited by Nick Pulford
Published by Racing Post, price £12.99

When I first pick up a book, I always seem to skim through it from the back. I suppose if you're righthanded, you pick it up with your right hand and flick from the back cover forwards, the pages rapidly skimming over your left thumb.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but the 2019 Racing Post Annual is a very flickable piece of work: foolscap, chunky at 208 pages and with a nice soft spine. Encouragingly, there is plenty within its malleable covers to divert your attention and to make you think a little harder than your average festive stocktake.