The Guardian view on anonymity in art: the ‘unmasking’ of Banksy and Ferrante should stop
Editorial: Our fascination with the ‘real’ identities of artists and writers is revealing about attitudes to fame and authorship
University of Liverpool acquires entire archive of poet Roger McGough
Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’
Future of William Wordsworth’s Lake District home secured for the public
Romantic poet’s Rydal Mount and Gardens, marketed for over £2.5m, will remain open under Wordsworth Trust
Len Deighton obituary
Writer whose ‘anti-Bond’ hero in his 1962 novel The Ipcress File had a seismic impact on spy fiction
‘These connections are overlooked’: how British companies profited from slavery in Brazil long after abolition
Britons learn about the country’s involvement ‘almost as a self-congratulatory narrative’, says historian Joseph Mulhern
London book fair roundup: Idris Elba’s thriller deal, the rise of romcom, and fights against censorship
The actor led the starry book deals, while publishers assessed whether US-style bans are spreading to the UK
‘It’s like a giant book club’: how schools are getting children excited about reading again
In the National Year of Reading, teachers say a culture of enthusiasm, from dress-up days, story time and book clubs, can reverse a national decline
The Guardian view on Adam Smith: he deserves rescuing from the free-market myth
Editorial: On the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, the Scottish philospher is still invoked by the right. Yet he worried about inequality, monopoly and the power of wealth
A Pale View of Hills review – two-stranded adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro novel in the shadow of the A-bomb
Kei Ishikawa’s take on Ishiguro’s first published work is frustrating and bland, undermining its fascinating characters’ emotional truths
Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work
About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaign
Gisèle Pelicot and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among Hay Festival 2026 speakers
The line-up for this year’s festival includes Emma Thompson, Malala Yousafzai, Ian McEwan and other prominent authors and figures
Quiz books are the answer to falling non-fiction sales, data shows
2025 was the best year for quiz book sales since records began in 1998; while Bibles also proved popular
Rare items of Charles Dickens’ clothing to go on display in London
Exhibition includes linen shirt collar from when author suffered a fatal stroke along with other personal items
Plan to turn Irish borderlands into Unesco ‘region of literature’
Arts group proposes literary routes across 11 counties linked to writers from Jonathan Swift to Lisa McGee
Extra stress or a bit of fun? Teachers and parents discuss World Book Day
As children dress up in UK and Ireland on Thursday, not everyone is on the same page over event’s pros and cons