Against all odds
Virginia Rounding is captivated by Two Babushkas, Masha Gessen's account of two grandmothers' experiences of life under Stalin.
Dead reckoning
David Riggs' biography, The World of Christopher Marlowe, moves beyond the conspiracy theories to paint a realistic picture of his life and shows just how different he was from Shakespeare, says Colin Burrow
Do not adjust your pen
Ursula Owen admires Where We Have Hope, Andrew Meldrum's brave account of reporting in a much-troubled African state.
Robert Burchfield
As the editor of the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary, he inspired debate and dialogue about our language.
What’s the buzz?
Steven Poole takes an ear-awakening trip through the world of electronic sound art in Haunted Weather by David Toop.
Open access jeopardises academic publishers, Reed chief warns
The rise of open access publishing of scientific research could jeopardise the entire academic publishing industry, according to the chief executive of Reed Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of scientific journals. By Richard Wray.
Story of the Stasi holds secret of a bestseller
Prize for book on life beyond the Wall confirms rise of historical hits.
Freezing their socks off
Veronica Horwell considers the differing perspectives of a Brit and an American in Afghanistan, in Josiah the Great by Ben Macintyre and The Places in Between by Rory Stewart.
One hell of a ride
It may have been called a 'diary dump' but Bill Clinton's My Life is still riveting, says Jonathan Freedland.
Do they fancy him?
David Aaronovitch on Peter Oborne and Simon Walters' unusually revealing portrait of Alastair Campbell, 'the Flashman of Downing Street.'
£2m fails to paper over library service cracks
The government allocated an extra £2m to public libraries in England yesterday to help allay anxiety about their future.
Childhood home of Wordsworth brought back to life
£1m restoration of poet's birthplace in Cockermouth where he spent his 'sweet childish days' aims to inspire new generations.
Library experts ‘sidelined in crisis summit’
Service could be extinct in 20 years if trend goes on.
The choicest cut
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall takes the traditional, integrated approach to breeding animals for food, winning over Felicity Lawrence with The River Cottage Meat Book