WHAT BOOK would novelist Wilbur Smith take to a desert island? Wilbur Smith is currently reading Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Novelist would take The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck to a desert island He said that anything by H Rider Haggard first gave him the reading bug By Daily Mail Reporter Published: 22:01 … Read more
NATURE BIRDSONG IN A TIME OF SILENCE by Steven Lovatt (Particular £12.99, 160 pp) Now that lockdown is over (if you have faith to believe our regained freedoms will last and we’re not merely in the midst of a temporary reprieve), those who last year were suddenly able to hear the birds as they took … Read more
If you were a big reader when you were a child, your bookshelf could well be worth a fortune,’ according to experts. Oxbridge Home Learning has analysed the value of hundreds of classic books, from The Hobbit to The Tale Of Peter Rabbit. The results found that if you have a True First Hardcover Edition … Read more
NATURE SHEARWATER by Roger Morgan-Grenville (Icon £16.99, 281 pp) On the island of Rum in Scotland, there is a mountain called Trollval: Old Norse for the Hill of Trolls. It’s said the name comes from the Norse seafarers who heard unearthly voices from underground, and concluded they were those of trolls. Actually the noise is … Read more
There’s a word for it (but only in English): No other major language contains a single word that can be translated only as ‘fair’, linguist claims Capuchin monkeys proved they know the concept of fairness in an experiment In the early 2000s, they were given different treats for performing certain tasks The monkeys became mad … Read more
Dr Cat Jarman has penned a new book about the Vikings, after being inspired when she discovered a small orange bead found in a mass grave in Derbyshire had come from India.
Profits at Bloomsbury will smash City expectations after reading provided a ‘ray of sunshine’ in the third lockdown. Bookworm Britons snapped up the new Sarah Maas novel, A Court of Silver Flames, and Anna North’s Outlawed – as well as old favourites such as the Dishoom cook book and the publisher’s eternal cash cow Harry … Read more
BIOGRAPHY THE DUKE: 100 CHAPTERS IN THE LIFE OF PRINCE PHILIP by Ian Lloyd (The History Press £15.99, 320 pp) Which member of the Royal family fits the following description? He reads poetry, and is especially fond of T.S. Eliot. He is interested in spiritual matters, religion and the environment. He can design jewellery. He … Read more
Donald Trump is preparing to sit down for 12 different interviews in the next six weeks with people writing books about his time as president. ‘Donald doesn’t believe in the concept of ‘no comment,’ former senior White House official Omarosa Manigault Newman told Politico in a Wednesday report. ‘He feels like there will always be … Read more
Her first racing triumph, aged 13 and riding a pony, gave no hint that Rachael Blackmore would one day make history. But yesterday she entered the record books by becoming the first woman to win the Champion Hurdle, highlight of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. Miss Blackmore, 31, from Killenaule in County Tipperary, … Read more