nhisautobiographyInterestingTimes,theeconomichistorianEricHobsbawmused an unforgettable image when he spoke of writing books. He referred to‘the desert island on which we usually sat, writing messages for unknown re-cipients in unknown destinations to be launched across the oceans in bottlesshapedlikebooks.’1IthasbeensohardtogetATaleofTwoUnionspublished,thatIfeellikesomeonewhosebottleislaun…