Young Critics competition unearths serious reviewers
Young critics in our annual competition showed themselves to be serious readers with plenty to say
Swindon provides a new sanctuary for Bodleian Library’s treasures
Oxford's Bodleian Library is moving some of its huge collection to the Swindon Book Storage Facility, reports Vanessa Thorpe
Great literature will always be relevant
Tom Sperlinger: Is it really so ridiculous for Michael Gove to suggest that classic British literature be at the heart of school life?
There’s nowt wrong with slang
Belinda Webb: Emma Thompson of all people ought to appreciate that Shakespeare's slang became part of our everyday language
Philosophy: an urban pursuit?
Clare Carlisle: Liverpool's Philosophy in the City festival is aiming to bring philosophical research out of academia and into urban life
The rhyme and reason of reading to dementia patients
Reading groups for dementia patients have inspired a new anthology, designed to be read aloud
Mum, Dad – I need my old room back!
Katie Crouch had a glamorous job in advertising and a moneyed lifestyle to go with it. Then the recession hit. At 30, she found herself broke, desperate and humiliated on her parents' doorstep, asking to move back in
Mildred Blaxter obituary
Sociologist who shed new light on the causes of deprivation
Books appear as footnote at South Africa’s resurrected literary festival
Blacks don't read, according to a prominent African journalist. So how can such an event survive?
Reading Agency defends libraries’ impact on literacy
As government cuts threaten libraries, the Reading Agency comes to their defence with a success story – the Summer Reading Challenge
Bjørn Lomborg: the dissenting climate change voice who changed his tune
With his new book, Danish scientist Bjørn Lomborg has become an unlikely advocate for huge investment in fighting global warming. But his answers are unlikely to satisfy all climate change campaigners
Online dictionaries: which is best?
The new edition of the Oxford English Dictionary will be online-only. Many of its rivals – Collins, Chambers et al - have already launched free web versions. But which one is the wordsmith's best friend?
Dave Eggers helps Sudan’s ‘Lost Boys’ get a fresh start at school
When Eggers met Achak Deng seven years ago neither of them could have predicted that they would end up building a school together
Shakespeare good, Woodhead bad
Francis Beckett: Chris Woodhead's views about children's critical abilities would lead to a school system designed for dictatorship, not democracy
Children’s summer book season is open
Michelle Pauli: The school holidays used to be great for tackling an entire series or a certain theme. Which books once filled your vacations?