Lead book review
Cosmic cataclysm
Alexander Masters speculates on how the universe will end
In cold blood
Sharks may inspire fear and loathing, but we are the crueller predators, says Philip Hoare
In bad odour
Michael Bywater wonders why the existence of smell still seems such a guilty secret
Bad science exposed
Research has always been susceptible to fraud, but regulations are now much tighter than they were, says David Wootton
Driving force
Alan Johnson pays tribute to Ernest Bevin, a towering political figure too often forgotten
Everyday exchanges
Conversation is a fascinating subject, says Philip Hensher – but very few people get it right
Models and bottles
The spectacular extravagance of the VIP nightclub ‘experience’ could be the last bonfire of the vanities, says Lynn Barber
City of myth and mystery
The Spartans were not the only Greeks to die at Thermopylae. On the fateful final morning of the battle, when…
The Mystery of Charles Dickens
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the many rival identities of Charles Dickens
All too kind
Are humans by nature really more puppy than wolf? Oren Harman tests the science
Flights of fancy
Fieldwork can move the most rigorous scientist to lyricism, as Mark Cocker discovers
All Renaissance men now
With unlimited information just a click away, everyone can pass as a polymath today, says Philip Hensher
Nature fights back
Adrian Woolfson explains the essence of pandemics – and how we can expect many more of them
A tinpot Caesar
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
The inner circle from hell
Putin’s corrupt cronies may change, but the paranoid world view they all share remains the same, says Owen Matthews
Birds of a feather
Philip Hensher describes how Paris became a magnet for literary-minded lesbians in the early 20th century – where they soon caused quite a stir
A foul-weather family
Excess, incest and marital misery were in the blood. Frances Wilson uncovers several generations of infamous Byrons
A true revolutionary
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
Saviours of the world
Alan Johnson describes how four young men from Liverpool revived Britain, healed America and brought joy to millions
A resounding success
Gustav Mahler was a passionate enthusiast for the colossal in music. Even so, his mighty eighth symphony stands apart, says Philip Hensher
Riotous performances
Emma Smith examines the peculiarly disruptive effect of Shakespeare’s plays on American society over the centuries
The road to Tower Hill
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
The cheapest, deadliest weapon
Nothing prepared Antony Beevor for this devastating exposé of the systematic use of rape in war and ethnic cleansing
The inside story
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
Out of order
In his autobiography, John Bercow takes his peerage as a given. But that might be scuppered by accusations of bullying, says Lynn Barber
