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.
Our columnist picks not just his books of the year, but also his favourite app and YouTube video.
Sir Quentin Blake reveals the inspiration behind his new exhibition, ‘Anthology of Readers’, in which he affectionately caricatures the bookish among us.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Roger Bowdler takes a look at 'London’s Great Theatres', a new book by Simon Callow with photography from Derry Moore.
Jason Goodwin remarks on how tracking one's pet past the boundaries of one's home is comparable to Coleridge's 'This Lime-tree Bower My Prison'.
Mary Miers applauds an evocative portrait of a group of London Georgian houses cherished back to life.
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.
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.
Mark Griffiths explains why we value Mediterranean planting styles so highly, why he urges all to purchase Mr Filippi's 'Bringing the Mediterranean into your Garden: how to capture the natural beauty of the garrigue' and why he would never adopt the methods described within himself.
A rare survey of over 80 Cornish country houses has been found and reprinted – Adrian Tinniswood takes a look.
Children's author Judith Kerr, who passed away this week at the age of 95, spoke to Country Life about her life and career.
Dieter Helm's latest book, Green and Prosperous Land, offers a radical blueprint for rescuing the British countryside. Clive Aslet takes a look.
Our columnist – and novelist, and historian – recounts the day he met a charming and erudite fan whose kind words inspired him for years. Until they didn't.