Save our books
Katha Pollitt: The economy is threatening our public libraries. Barack Obama must get the US back on the literary track
Reading for the world: Locking up freedom
Literacy is at the heart of the campaign to ensure all the world's children go to school. A special written story by Beverley Naidoo offers a remarkable picture of the power of education
Arabic Class in the Refugee Camp
Literacy is at the heart of the campaign to ensure all the world's children go to school. A specially written poem by Rowan Williams offers a remarkable picture of the power of education
Samuel Huntington
Obituary: US political scientist who foresaw future conflict arising from a clash of cultures
Bumper Christmas homework quiz
How much can you remember from school? Test yourself in this quiz extracted from the book Homework for Grown-ups
Taken as read
People, not paperbacks, are being loaned out in novel living library events around the country. Saba Salman on a project showing why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover
Authors fight to preserve school library
Philip Pullman tells head her comprehensive will be a 'byword for ignorance' if closure goes ahead
Mick Standen
Obituary: A tutor and champion of liberal adult education for the Workers' Educational Association
Derek Brewer
Obituary: Scholar of medieval literature and leading expert on Chaucer
Stop worrying about coffee, computers and chatter
Response: There has been too much nervousness and too little leadership in the running of our libraries, says Lyn Brown
Alan Bennett criticises ‘massive’ student debt
Playwright extols value of free education as he donates his archive to the Bodleian library
Meet the historical hoodies
New book by academic shows Manchester's historical precedent for knife crime and gangs, and may have some lessons for similar problems today
A most unshowy icon
Pioneering feminist writer and activist Sheila Rowbotham tells Melissa Benn about how students battled to save her job
Writing on the wall
Editorial: The only hope for libraries lies in revolution - long overdue, and in places already under way