Books

Sentenced to 12 months in Wormwood Scrubs for assault during the Brixton uprising of April 1981, the 18-year-old clenched his eyes shut as the reality of prison confronted him. He opened them to find a Rastafarian cellmate two decades his senior offering him a cup of tea. Alex snubbed the …

The Pride And Prejudice novelist, born in 1775 in Hampshire, beat Harry Potter creator JK Rowling to top spot. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory author Roald Dahl came joint third with William Shakespeare. The poll of 2,000 Britons was for Amazon Books to celebrate the work of its charitable arm, …

: The last flying supersonic passenger jet touches down at Filton, Bristol, on November 26, 2003 (Image: PA) Sleek, elegant and proud, Concorde stands aloof on the tarmac, an icon of aviation even after being mothballed in her prime and nearly two decades of retirement. I am standing alongside aircraft …

Juliet was 20 when the animated film version of the book was released in 1978 (Image: PA) When the two young daughters of civil servant Richard Adams asked him to tell them a story during a long car journey, he invented a tale about bravery and rabbits who talked. It …

And of the 37 percent of girls who don’t feel represented, 38 percent thought lead roles in stories always seemed to be boys. More than a quarter (27 percent) of parents also agreed that there is a lack of representation of their children – with things like being an only …

Toby Gutteridge, main, in Afghanistan in 2007; (Image: Handout) “It would be hugely disrespectful to all those who sacrificed their lives if I don’t make the most of my second chance,” he tells me. “How many people get given that? My life was so close to being taken away. It was …

Simon Callow shares support for Give a Book campaign “The day I learned, I ran to my mother and said excitedly, ‘I can read, I can read’,” he recalls, after we meet at one of his favourite bookshops, Bryars & Bryars, in London’s Covent Garden. “She replied, ‘You now have …

Russia: Boris Johnson says Putin would be ‘crazy’ to use nukes He might have lost some of his fanbase in the UK, but Boris Johnson remains a beloved hero to the people of Ukraine, according to the embattled country’s most acclaimed living author. Andrey Kurkov is in London to promote …

This hidden masterpiece could fetch at least £10million when it goes on the ­market at a private sale, attracting interest from across the globe. The stunning portrait was by Robert Peake (1551-1619) who was the official painter to James I and is dated 1608 and signed by the artist with …