Is there any Schadenfreude more exquisite than seeing a prophet take a pratfall? When George Santayana wrote that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, he should have added: those who claim to know the future are condemned to make fools of themselves.

There is Schadenfreude galore to be had from this exhilarating book, in which the Canadian journalist Dan Gardner muses on the imbecility of professional pundits. Though most of his examples come from America, British readers will be pleased to learn that he includes a few pages on our