The Guardian view on humanities in universities: closing English Literature courses signals a crisis
With degrees disappearing and reading rates plummeting, the arts face a critical moment in education and culture
Joyce Crick obituary
Other lives: Lecturer in German literature at the University of London and translator of works by Freud
‘I’m a mixed Black female historical re-enactor in a sea of men with beards’
Not everyone would want to spend their weekends dressed in a tunic fighting medieval battles, but my love of re-enacting is rooted in keeping history alive
‘Significant’ drop in racially minoritised characters in children’s books, report says
Share of children’s books featuring characters who fall into this category fell from 30% in 2022 to 17% in 2023, CLPE survey finds
Ted Honderich obituary
Colourful philosopher whose readiness to examine current controversies sometimes brought him notoriety
The Gruffalo’s illustrator launches book to help UK pupils learn German
Axel Scheffler says he hopes Wuschel auf der Erde will encourage more children to learn his first language
‘Henry VIII is a serial killer and abuser’: why is Britain still so obsessed with the Tudors?
England has long adopted the version of events informed by the Victorians’ biases and neuroses. But what is behind the flood of 21st-century retellings, including the new TV series The Mirror and the Light?
Emma Calder obituary
Animator and illustrator whose film Beware of Trains led to a retrospective of her work in Austria in 2023
Dame Janet Nelson obituary
Historian who combined impeccable scholarship with a high degree of empathy towards figures past and present
Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting’ fall in children reading for pleasure
National Literacy Trust finds only 35% of eight to 18-year-olds enjoy reading in their spare time, a sharp drop on last year to the lowest figure yet recorded
Joseph Rykwert obituary
Architectural writer who believed that buildings not be considered in isolation but as part of the fabric of a city
Where punk meets Catholicism: Andrea Modica’s portraits of 1980s schoolgirls
While a photography student at Yale, Modica visited her old school and found the captivating subject she’d been looking for: teens whose big hair, eyeliner and rolled-up skirts still radiate personality decades later
‘Could do better’ – Worst Witch author’s school reports just like Mildred’s
The family of the late Jill Murphy share the comments from unimpressed teachers that inspired her classic children’s series
How to put your phone down and get back into habit of reading books
After an English academic at Oxford complained about students’ attention spans, we get experts’ tips on enjoying the written word
Hamish MacGibbon obituary
Other lives: Educational publisher at Heinemann whose textbooks became market leaders in the UK and internationally