Lead book review
How do we greet one another today?
Conversation is a fascinating subject, says Philip Hensher – but very few people get it right
Splashing the cash at VIP nightclubs is now the favourite recreation of the rich
The spectacular extravagance of the VIP nightclub ‘experience’ could be the last bonfire of the vanities, says Lynn Barber
The history of Thebes is as mysterious as its Sphinx
The Spartans were not the only Greeks to die at Thermopylae. On the fateful final morning of the battle, when…
The many rival identities of Charles Dickens
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the many rival identities of Charles Dickens
How kind is humankind?
Are humans by nature really more puppy than wolf? Oren Harman tests the science
Where did birds first learn to sing?
Fieldwork can move the most rigorous scientist to lyricism, as Mark Cocker discovers
The genuine polymath is still one in a million
With unlimited information just a click away, everyone can pass as a polymath today, says Philip Hensher
A ‘loneliness pandemic’ could prove as dangerous as coronavirus
Adrian Woolfson explains the essence of pandemics – and how we can expect many more of them
From ‘divine Caesar’ to Hitler’s lapdog – the rise and fall of Benito Mussolini
Mussolini dreamed of a new Roman empire and dominion over the Mediterranean. Two decades later he was hanging by his feet in a public square, as Ian Thomson relates
Moscow rules in London: how Putin’s agents corrupted the British elite
Putin’s corrupt cronies may change, but the paranoid world view they all share remains the same, says Owen Matthews
The cult of Sappho in interwar Paris
Philip Hensher describes how Paris became a magnet for literary-minded lesbians in the early 20th century – where they soon caused quite a stir
Excess and incest were meat and drink to the Byrons
Excess, incest and marital misery were in the blood. Frances Wilson uncovers several generations of infamous Byrons
Wordsworth may have been partially eclipsed by his fellow Romantics, but his life was far from dull
Wordsworth’s reputation has been too long in decline, says Tom Williams. In the space of a decade he transformed English poetry, and his earlier works remain astonishing
From Liverpool’s Cavern to the world stage: how the Beatles became a global phenomenon
Alan Johnson describes how four young men from Liverpool revived Britain, healed America and brought joy to millions
Gustav Mahler’s bid for greatness: the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’
Gustav Mahler was a passionate enthusiast for the colossal in music. Even so, his mighty eighth symphony stands apart, says Philip Hensher
America’s love-hate relationship with Shakespeare
Emma Smith examines the peculiarly disruptive effect of Shakespeare’s plays on American society over the centuries
Knowing Thomas Cromwell’s fate only increases the tension: The Mirror & the Light, by Hilary Mantel, reviewed
In 1540, he, himself, Lord Cromwell fell victim to the king’s caprice. His execution brings to a close one of English literature’s great trilogies, says Mark Lawson
Rape has always been one of the deadliest weapons of war
Nothing prepared Antony Beevor for this devastating exposé of the systematic use of rape in war and ethnic cleansing
Shades of the prison house: the ghosts of suicides fill our prisons
As an inmate, Chris Atkins discovered just how violent and chaotic prison life is. His diaries highlight a national scandal – and the dangerous incompetence of the Ministry of Justice, says Will Heaven
Unspeakably prolix and petty: will anyone want to read John Bercow’s autobiography?
In his autobiography, John Bercow takes his peerage as a given. But that might be scuppered by accusations of bullying, says Lynn Barber
The real Calamity Jane was distressingly unlike her legend
Calamity Jane’s legend as brave frontierswoman, crack shot and compassionate nurse to the wounded was nurtured largely by herself. The truth, says Sam Leith, was dismayingly different
Was Dresden a war crime?
Dresden defined the horror of war: revenge and cold-blooded murder. It still does, says Christopher Priest
How David Rosenhan’s fraudulent Thud experiment set back psychiatry for decades
In 1973, a social psychologist from Stanford perpetrated one of the greatest scientific frauds of recent history. Its consequences still resonate today, says Andrew Scull
Carrying on loving: Elizabeth Hardwick’s and Robert Lowell’s remarkable correspondence throughout the 1970s
Since Robert Lowell’s sudden death in 1977 his critical reputation has suffered from the usual post-mortem slump. Interest in Lowell’s…
The Tudor dynasty owed everything to Margaret Beaufort’s machinations
Of the clutch of female powerbrokers who emerged during the civil wars of the English 15th century, the diminutive figure…
