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

Michael Baxandall

Obituary: Influential art historian noted for his perspicacity and scholarly approach

David Daiches

Obituary: Prolific scholar and teacher whose works showed his mastery of literary criticism, history and culture.

Our fawning court historians

Hywel Williams: Prince Charles has been whispering to the assembled intelligentsia that history isn't quite how he'd like it.

A question of faith

When Eric Hobsbawn came to England in the 1930s he became a Marxist and began a distinguished academic career. His new autobiography reveals that at 85 he remains an 'unrepentant communist'. Maya Jaggi on the historian who made us fall in love with history again