The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi: Laughter, Madness and the Story of Britain’s Greatest Comedian by Andrew McConnell Stott
Simon Callow is enchanted by a lively biography of the greatest clown of the 19th century
How three wise men and a tube helped us find our place in the universe
Science Book Club: Tim Radford nominates Seeing and Believing by Richard Panek as the definitive guide to the revolution wrought by the telescope
The best travel books of 2009
Rory MacLean lists his top travel books for Christmas gifts, that will transport readers to the world's hottest destinations or its frozen outposts
Rory MacLean’s travel book of the year: William Dalrymple’s Nine Lives
William Dalrymple's triumphant return to travel writing not only illuminates India's relationship with religion but casts the genre itself in a new light, writes Rory MacLean
Animal Collective: Fall Be Kind EP
The leaders of America's underground scene end the year with a dose of panpipes and a nod to the Grateful Dead, says Kitty Empire
Read the book and then get cooking
From the exalted River Café to the still essential Delia Smith, via the best of Italy and France, William Skidelsky savours the best recent cookery books
Christmas roundup: photography books
Prudence Hone's roundup of photography books
Christmas books: sport
Huw Richards rounds up the best Christmas books on sport
Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon
Sean O'Hagan applauds a meticulous biography of the photographer Dorothea Lange who will forever be defined by her images of the Great Depression
Leaving Fingerprints by Imtiaz Dharker
Identity and a sense of place ground this collection. By Sarah Crown
Peter Pan
Royal Lyceum, EdinburghDisney schmaltz is shattered in this striking and ribald production of Peter Pan, writes Mark Fisher
Reborn: Early Diaries by Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag's fear of her own mortality is evident in these intimate diaries, says James Purdon
Nation
Olivier, LondonThis spectacular island fling lacks the clarity of the best children's fiction, says Michael Billington
Alan Gibson tribute brings back fond memories of rhubarb and misprints
Frank Keating: A celebration of the cricket writer Alan Gibson awakens memories of an age when dictation could spell disaster
The Freedoms of Suburbia by Paul Barker
We love to hate the suburbs but for Paul Barker they are places of humanity where individuality flourishes. By Rachel Cooke