Blood on the page
John Sutherland: A bad review may shred my ego, but when my reviewer is slated himself, it's a draught of priceless ecstasy.
From a pawn to a king
Paul Preston's biography of King Juan Carlos of Spain tells us much about the history of Spain and the public career of a man determined to be king. But the private man remains elusive, says Piers Brendon
Author takes swipe at scientific elite
Researchers forget that making errors is path to knowledge.
Fear of ‘toxins’ leads to brain drain
Bad press turns UK into nation of chemiphobes.
Maxime Rodinson
Marxist historian of Islam.
Why we must thank the Turks, not Drake, for defeating the Armada
For four centuries, Sir Francis Drake has symbolised English nonchalance and cunning in the face of danger. But yesterday, it was claimed that Elizabeth's protestant throne was saved by a less celebrated ally: the Turkish navy.
UK novel saved by ethnic minorities
American author John Updike last night earned the gratitude of British writers when he assured them that they no longer have an awe-stricken inferiority complex about US novelists.
How to recapture cities’ civic pride
Historian throws down gauntlet on need for regional centres to regain their heritage.
Lost Plots gains a prize
Jasper Fforde, a film technician turned writer, won the Wodehouse prize for comic fiction - plus a live pig, which is at present living unsuspectingly in a field in Powys.
Moment of truth for ‘indestructible’ books
Books For Life - child-proof books constructed from tear and water-resistant paper - are put to the test in an east London primary school.
Doom watch
The Earth is under attack ... and it may respond. Christopher Priest on Brian Fagan's The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilisation
Convent blues
Karen Armstrong traces her spiritual journey in The Spiral Staircase. Frances Spalding on a nun's tale
Wrestling with destiny
Peter Parker's biography shows while Christopher Isherwood's work faltered, his energy didn't