Pages & Proofs

We’ve picked 10 books that would make great gifts based on the cover alone. 1. For the Shopper: Black Friday. 2. For the Psychologist: Drugs and the Mind. 3. For the Cook: Eggs, Beans and Crumpets. 4. For the Dreamer: The Flight from the Enchanter. 5. For the Animal Lover:  Jack of the Circus. 6. […]

William Powell, the author of The Anarchist Cookbook, has asked for the infamous book to go out-of-print. Forty-four years ago this month, in December 1969, I quit my job as a manager of a bookstore in New York City’s Greenwich Village and began to write The Anarchist Cookbook. My motivation at the time was simple; […]

The Harry Potter bandwagon rolls on. It has been announced that there will be a Harry Potter stage show in London next year,  co-produced by author JK Rowling, reports the BBC. The play…. will explore “the previously untold story of Harry’s early years as an orphan and outcast”, according to its producers. It will be […]

Janeites all over the world celebrated Jane Austen’s 238th birthday yesterday. After more than two centuries, interest in Jane shows no sign of waning. In addition to the new editions of her six novels that appear every year, sequels and prequels and conquels abound. Pride and Prejudice was retold in 2009 as a zombie mash-up in Seth […]

Last month I picked up my first H.V. Morton book, A Stranger in Spain. I had learned a little about Morton from my research for our 50 Essential Travel Books feature so a shelf of his work proved irresistible to someone who enjoys thoughtful travel writing. Flicking through the book, I knew I had to buy […]

Our latest feature is 50 essential historical fiction novels. This genre has never been bigger. Hilary Mantel has twice won the Booker with historical novels based in Tudor times and Eleanor Catton’s acclaimed novel, The Luminaries, which is set amid in the New Zealand gold rush, has won just about everything in 2013. This feature […]

Last week the New York Times interviewed maverick film director John Waters and, when asked what kind of gifts he gives at Christmas, Waters said: I always give books. And I always ask for books. I think you should reward people sexually for getting you books. Don’t send a thank-you note, repay them with sexual […]

1. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton 28-year-old Catton has the world at her feet after winning the 2013 Man Booker Prize. Prices from £38. 2. The Ocean at The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman One of the year’s bestsellers. A vivid story of memory, magic and survival. Vintage Gaiman. Prices from £35. 3. […]

Air New Zealand has put Smaug on the side of one of its planes. I believe it’s still a non-smoking flight. Imagine if this trend continues? Superman on a United jet, Winnie the Pooh on a British Airways plane.