The purest and the dirtiest
From Shakespeare, to the Russian poets, to JD Salinger, Rudolf Nureyev was a passionate reader. But no one inspired the dancer more than his Romantic hero and alter ego, Byron.
Adultery, my dear Watson
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle betrayed his dying wife for a younger woman. Now his letters have finally been made available after more than seven decades, his biographer Andrew Lycett pieces together the affair.
Read my labels
Veronica Horwell gorges on Dana Thomas' Deluxe, an investigation into the modern attitude to luxury.
The naughtiest girl in the world
Sean French reveals the strange story behind the creation of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking, one of children's literature's most enduring heroines.
Flab grab
Raj Patel illuminates the failures of the global food system in Stuffed and Starved, says Felicity Lawrence.
Sisters in every direction
The letters of the Mitfords and the diary of James Lees-Milne reveal a bizarre and grotesque story, says Miranda Seymour.
Tales of the city
Famed for his prolific and varied output, Peter Ackroyd has been hailed as 'our greatest biographer'. He continues his lifelong love affair with London in a history of the Thames.
Saddam: my part in his downfall
Richard Norton-Taylor on General Sir Mike Jackson's forthright but patchy memoir, Soldier.
Casanova
Carol Ann Duffy and Told By an Idiot's surreal, sex-swap story is good for a giggle, says Alfred Hickling.
There’s only one mystery …
Laura Thompson's biography of Agatha Christie finds clues to her popularity in the quality of her prose, says Rachel Cooke.
Stiff upper lip – buttoned
Despite serving in Derry, Berlin, Kosovo and Iraq, General Sir Mike Jackson's autobiography Soldier has little to share, says Peter Beaumont.
Bayreuth: an everyday tale of fascist folk
In the sinister soap opera starring Adolf Hitler and Winifred Wagner, it can be hard to tell truth from fiction, says Paul Levy. Happily we now have both in AN Wilson's novel Winnie and Wolf and Jonathan Carr's biography The Wagner Clan.
Forgive me, I have sinned
Philip French: With a masterly adaptation by Christopher Hampton, strong central performances and fine cinematography, Ian McEwan's novel has been brought thrillingly to the screen.
More material than girl
Sarah Churchwell finds the iconic popstress's voice sadly lacking in Lucy O'Brien's account of Madonna's life.
Lord of the dance
David Greig, whose new version of The Bacchae swept the Edinburgh festival, explains why we need to listen to the words of Euripides now more than ever.