books
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Author's Great House launches urgent appeal to stay openChawton, home to Austen manuscripts and a library of early women writers, has launched a fundraising push to secure its place as a literary destination -
Dawkins sees off Darwin in vote for most influential science bookA public poll to mark 30 years of the Royal Society book prizes sees The Selfish Gene declared the most significant – with women authors left on the margins
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Koh-i-Noor by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand – an infamous diamond and imperial bloodshedA dynamic and gory history of the celebrated gem, from emperor Shah Jahan’s peacock throne in the 1600s to present-day demands for its return -
M by Henry Hemming – the fascist spymaster of MI5A superb book on the naturalist turned intelligence officer discloses new information on agents within far right and communist organisations
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Paradise Lost 'translated more often in last 30 years than previous 300'Global study finds Milton’s verse epic rendered in languages from Tamil to Tongan, and argues interest is linked to social turmoil and political revolutions
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Can you get the wrong lines right?The Bank of England has chosen a contentious quote to adorn its Jane Austen note, joining a long tradition of misused and mangled citations. Do you know your lines?
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Now it's male authors disguising their sex to sell more booksThe writer behind the much-hyped debut novel Final Girls is in fact called Todd Ritter – but he’s far from the first man to write under an ambiguous name
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summer reads
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Julian Barnes, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, William Boyd...A plagiarist in a kitchen and a horse walking into a bar; Dublin crimes and Washington misdemeanours; relationships, revolutions and relaxations ... leading writers reveal their summer recommendations
regulars
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Book of the dayBook of the dayKoh-i-Noor by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand review – an infamous diamond and imperial bloodshedA dynamic and gory history of the celebrated gem, from emperor Shah Jahan’s peacock throne in the 1600s to present-day demands for its return
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PodcastPodcastSara Pascoe and Lucy Worsley on Jane Austen – books podcastTwo centuries after the death of the great English novelist, historian Lucy Worsley and comedian Sara Pascoe join us to talk about her life and work
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Novel recipesNovel recipesNovel recipes: roast chicken and artichokes from The Talented Mr RipleyWhile chicken is a Sunday tradition according to the doomed Dickie Greenleaf, this easy but tasty dish is one for any day of the week, says Kate Young
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Reading groupReading groupPersuasion: Jane Austen's kung fu novel?For all the gentility, the characters in Austen’s last novel face real peril, and contend with dramatic reversals and bruising verbal blows
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The Songs We Know Best: John Ashbery’s Early Life by Karin RoffmanA brilliantly researched study explores the poet’s difficult relationship with his farmer father and his guilt-ridden need to conceal his sexuality
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Hunger by Roxane Gay – how the world treats fat peopleA catalogue of horrors and public humiliations, Gay’s memoir responds to society’s condescension and disgust about her body size
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RisingTideFallingStar by Philip Hoare – a love of the ocean wavePart nature writing, part memoir and part travelogue, Hoare’s erudite and intimate account of his obsession with the sea is a masterpiece
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Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8 – a window on the world of autismNaoki Higashida’s lyrical and heartfelt account of his condition is a gift to anyone involved with the same challenges
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Caesar’s Last Breath: The Epic Story of the Air Around UsSam Kean’s history of Earth’s atmospheric gases is provocative and entertaining
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You’re the Only One I Can Tell by Deborah TannenThe US linguist’s examination of the way women talk to one another seems stuck in the last century
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No Dominion by Louise Welsh – a deeply satisfying conclusionThe final part in the Plague Times trilogy adds fresh ideas to the tropes of apocalyptic fiction
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How to Stop Time by Matt Haig – provokes wonder and delightA teacher’s rare genetic condition prevents him from ageing at the normal rate in the talented Haig’s clever time-hopping fantasy
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Boundless by Jillian Tamaki – picture-perfect short storiesThis collection of graphic short stories, quirky and ephemeral though they seem at first, are indelible in the mind
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Eureka by Anthony Quinn – saucy antics and artistry in swinging LondonArt reflects life in this pitch-perfect novel set on a 60s film shoot, the third part of a loosely linked trilogy
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A Good Country by Laleh Khadivi – a journey into radicalisationCultural integration and the repercussions of terrorism are the key elements in this expertly crafted coming-of-age story
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The Party by Elizabeth Day – a study in anxietyA terrible event at a 40th birthday celebration becomes the focus for a dark tale of lifelong obsession and jealousy
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Indigo Donut by Patrice Lawrence – gripping urban teen fictionThe award-winning author gets to the raw heart of her diverse characters in this winning sixth form tale of romance and identity
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20 years, 20 questionsIt’s exactly two decades since the first of JK Rowling’s books was published. Try our Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test to see how much you have learned since then
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The best new picture books and novelsA beautiful, heart-breaking exploration of family bereavement, how to get a knighthood and sinister goings-on during detention
from the archive
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Paddington stands up for things, he’s not afraid of going to the top and giving them a hard stareBond, who died on 28 June, on his lovable bear’s enduring appeal in this 2014 interview by Michelle Pauli
people
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Gary Panter: the cartoonist who took a trip to hell and backDante and Milton are recast through the eyes of a redneck Jesus in Gary Panter’s latest graphic novel. He opens up about the nightmare hallucinations and comic-book disasters that led him there
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Diplomacy only works if it includes those affected – and it so often doesn'tAfter watching the destructive and unjust workings of international relations, former diplomat Carne Ross explains why direct democracy now makes more sense to him
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Austen's teen writing: funny and cartoonish – and a touch of murderFar from being the epitome of genteel propriety, her earliest fiction reveals an anarchic spirit with a disdain for authority to match any modern adolescent
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At Swim, Two Boys is a great Irish novel, and a groundbreaking gay love storyJamie O’Neill’s book was met with acclaim and shock on its release in 2001. Ireland may now have same-sex marriages, but the tale remains compelling
pictures, video & audio
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Paleoart: the strange history of dinosaurs in artSince the 19th century, artists have depicted colourful – if sometimes fictional – dinosaurs and prehistoric environments, mingling science with unbridled fantasy
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Sara Pascoe and Lucy Worsley on Jane AustenTwo centuries after the death of the great English novelist, historian Lucy Worsley and comedian Sara Pascoe join us to talk about her life and work
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How to adapt Jane Austen for the screen, with Andrew DaviesHow to adapt Jane Austen for the screen with Andrew Davies
you may have missed
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How a murderer became a top writerHigh on vodka and crack, Curtis Dawkins shot a stranger dead. Sentenced to life in prison, he went back to his first love – writing. He tells Chris McGreal about his controversial new book
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Everything is subject to the priorities of single parentingGruffalo, laundry, fishfinger sandwiches, writing, often no writing … the author on taking inspiration from her two-year-old daughter and short story writing
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Michael Morpurgo on the birth of a war horseFrom primary school teacher to author of a stage hit, the author is now subject of a V&A exhibition celebrating his work
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Poetry is an espresso shot of thoughtRadio 4’s poet in residence on his journey from school dropout to poetry prizewinner
Comics and graphic novels Spider-Man comics finally swing into the big-money league