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A celebration of pheasants, 'some of the most beautiful birds in the world'
We tend to think of pheasants as a relatively ordinary sight, but they're among the world's most beautiful birds — and they're being celebrated in a handsome new book.
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The greatest children's books that hit the spot for young and old, as chosen by Alan Titchmarsh, Jilly Cooper, Ian Rankin and more
Children’s books offer an escape from reality that can last well into adulthood. Here's our pick of the very best.
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11 hauntingly beautiful pictures of dogs in cars from one of the most unusual and touching books of the year
A fascination with dogs and cars has prompted photographer Martin Usborne to produce a beautiful, unusual and gently haunting book.
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Curious Questions: How the Monkey Puzzle tree get its name?
One of the most curious trees you'll see in Britain is also one of the most curiously-named: the Monkey Puzzle tree. But how did it get its name?
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In Focus: The scandalous child of Empire, the murderous photographer and the woman who fatally brought them together
Eadweard Muybridge was not only the pioneering photographer of motion, but also a murderer. Jason Goodwin relishes this tale of the dashing rogue and adventurer who became his victim.
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Cider with Rosie uncovered: A look into the idyllic scenes of Laurie Lee’s classic novel
Derek Turner takes a look at 'Down in the Valley', a slender, but well-conceived volume that revisits the scenes of Laurie Lee's classic of English rural writing.
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Curious Questions: Would Anne Brontë be more famous without her two sisters?
To mark the forgotten Brontë’s 200th birthday, Charlotte Cory looks back at the life and works of this ‘runt of the literary litter’ and finds she was by no means meek and mild.
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Inside Haworth: The humble parsonage where the Brontë sisters changed literature
Some of our most enduring stories were conceived at Haworth – Jeremy Musson enjoys a literary pilgrimage.
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Jason Goodwin: Naughty mandarins, the GIs who changed Chinese cooking and an app which almost beats reading
Our columnist picks not just his books of the year, but also his favourite app and YouTube video.
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Quentin Blake: 'Even in the age of the iPad and the smart phone, books offer things that they cannot'
Sir Quentin Blake reveals the inspiration behind his new exhibition, ‘Anthology of Readers’, in which he affectionately caricatures the bookish among us.
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Curious Questions: Have you been taking books off shelves the wrong way for your entire life?
The question of how to take a book off a shelf without damaging it may not be one you've ever given much thought to — but you owe it to your collection to do it the right way.
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Nine books about cooking that make perfect Christmas gifts for foodies, from Nigel Slater's latest to a book that 'deserves a Michelin star'
Leslie Geddes-Brown devours the latest cookery books to hit shelves, from a study of Italian food to a tour of Britain via the medium of cheese.
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The incredible tale of my father's escape from 'Italy's Colditz'
Today, we might think of spending a few months in a world heritage site in Southern Italy as an enormous privilege. During the Second World War, however, it was anything but.
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The photographs (and photographers) who shaped the English country house style from the 1900s up to today
To coincide with the publication of his new book illustrated from the archives of Country Life, 'English House Style', John Goodall considers the long tradition of the magazine’s peerless interior photography.
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A book that informs, inspires and surprises from a designer as engaging as a fantasy art-history teacher
Ashley Hicks' new book combines his own designs with the work of those who have inspired him, from Royal Pavillion glass to 17th-century Chinese lacquer cabinets in Wiltshire.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the gin and tonic?
Gin and tonic is arguably the greatest cocktail ever created — but who first mixed these two seemingly unlikely ingredients together? A new book seeks to tackle this curious question.
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The vast and audacious architecture of London's greatest theatres
Roger Bowdler takes a look at 'London’s Great Theatres', a new book by Simon Callow with photography from Derry Moore.
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The book that combats disposable culture with tips and tricks for the perfect restoration
Mary Miers applauds an evocative portrait of a group of London Georgian houses cherished back to life.
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A.N. Wilson's 'definitive biography' of Prince Albert, balanced, nuanced and challenging
Michael Hall commends the definitive biography of the man who did so much for Victorian Britain and transformed the image of the monarchy.
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Jason Goodwin: Forget what you were told at school — history is simply a cracking story that happens to be true
The education system did its best to put Jason Goodwin off history, but he came through unscathed — and thank goodness too, otherwise he might not have been able to recommend these summer reads.
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The latest update to Pevsner brings the 21st century update 'tantalisingly close to completion'
The work of updating Nikolas Pevsner and Ian Nairn's magnum opus on the buildings of England continues with a volume focusing on West Sussex. John Goodall takes a look.
