<p><b>''I suppose that, if this collection has a point, it is the desire of one individual to see the idea of confrontation kept alive'' -- Christopher Hitchens, Introduction</b><br><br>Christopher Hitchens is widely recognized as having been one of the liveliest and most influential of contemporary political analysts. <i>Prepared for the Worst</i> is a collection of the best of his essays of the 1980s published on both sides of the Atlantic. These essays confirmed his reputation as a bold commentator combining intellectual tenacity with mordant wit, whether he was writing about the intrigues of Reagan''s Washington, a popular novel, the work of Tom Paine, the man George Orwell, or reporting (with sympathy as well as toughness) from Beirut or Bombay, Warsaw or Managua.<br><br><b>Hitchens writes clearly, from a well-stocked mind, and is free of the cant that affects many political journalists. - <i>Publishers Weekly</i></b></p>