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Curious Questions: Is there any future for Encyclopedia Britannica?Once the first set of books required in any home library, encyclopedias have long since been superseded by the internet. But rather extraordinarily there is still a market for them, as Octavia Pollock finds out.
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The best books to give this ChristmasEmily Rhodes suggests eight books that would make the ideal literary stocking filler.
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My Favourite Painting: Kate MosseAuthor Kate Mosse chooses The Last Judgement by John Martin as her favourite painting.
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Curious Questions: Which came first, the bee or the wasp? And why is the Queen Bee such a slapper?The fascinating world of bees has long held broadcaster and journalist Bill Turnbull in thrall. He takes a look at three new books on this endlessly engrossing topic.
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Jason Goodwin: The moment I knew I'd lost the urge to live in LondonOur columnist explains what first prompted him to swap Bethnal Green for Bridport - and why he's never looked back since.
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The Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubsThe Oxford of Inspector Morse: Dreaming spires, dead bodies... and lots and lots of pubs.
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In Focus: The hand-drawn maps from which JRR Tolkien launched Middle-earth'I wisely started with a map and made the story fit,' JRR Tolkien once wrote. A new exhibition in Oxford – the writer's home for so many years – shows just how true that is, and offers a treasure trove for fans. Michael Murray-Fennell reports.
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We recreated Three Men in a Boat for the 21st century. Here's what happened.Re-creating Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat sounds terribly romantic, doesn’t it? Patrick Galbraith discovers the reality of a long skiff down the Thames.
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The story behind The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is almost as fascinating as the book itselfThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has opened up the island’s charms to a new audience, finds Holly Kirkwood.
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Jonathan Meades on Anthony Burgess: 'The encyclopedia in his head was like the internet'Jonathan Meades reviews a new selection of Anthony Burgess’s literary journalism, gathered from previously uncollected reviews and essays from throughout his career.
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The house which inspired The Darling Buds of May is on the open market for the first time in almost 90 yearsThe house which inspired H.E. Bates to write his most famous works – and which became world famous as the setting for The Darling Buds of May – is for sale. Penny Churchill reports.
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E.H. Shepard's original map of the Hundred Acre Wood from Winnie-the-Pooh is up for auctionThis delightful piece of literary and artistic history by E. H. Shepard is to be auctioned for the first time in half a century, with Sotheby's expecting it to go for well over £100,000.
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The magnificent Kent home of the godfather of British children's illustratorsPenny Churchill takes a look at the former home of Randolph Caldecott, one of Britain's greatest-ever illustrators, which has come to the market in Kent.
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Nursery rhymes: How murder, theft and fake news found their way into the tales we tell our childrenMurder, animal cruelty and dishonesty aren’t generally considered child-friendly topics, yet they’re the basis of many much-loved nursery rhymes. Flora Watkins explains.
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The greatest horse rides ever, as chronicled in a ‘unique treasury of horse and human wisdom’Jon Hare takes a look at an exhaustive new book chronicling some of the greatest rides ever taken on horseback.
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Jason Goodwin: 'We have books all over the floors and carpets on the furniture'Our columnist Jason Goodwin talks about jam jars, duvets and the books which are taking over his house.
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Jason Goodwin: How to spend 24 hours in London without spending a pennyOur columnist Jason Goodwin headed to London expecting to have to dig deep to keep himself and his wife entertained. Instead, even the thank-you present for his hosts didn't cost him a penny.
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David Attenborough's Zoo Quest Expeditions: The memoir of a young, madcap film makerSir David Attenborough's memoir of some of his earliest expeditions is endlessly charming – but it's the people rather than the animals who are the stars of the show, says Patrick Galbraith.
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The story of the Oxfordshire house where Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milk WoodThe Manor House at South Leigh is where one of Britain's greatest 20th century poets produced one of his most famous works.
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Charades: An exclusive Rebus short story for Country Life at Christmas, by Ian RankinJohn Rebus finds the truth behind a festive parlour game in this short story, written exclusively for Country Life by Ian Rankin.
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The joys of farming in December: Winter sunshine, leaping sheep and hens who lay an extra Christmas presentRosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows, on sparing walnut trees, freeing sheep and a very special Christmas Day breakfast.
