The fixtures that forged a nation
Even if you loathed sport, you could enjoy this book — which is why it can both delight and frustrate
Pandemics, plagues and pestilence
Germs have been laying waste to civilisations for 50,000 years
Is a guaranteed sale fair?
Auction house practices may be distorting the picture
Explaining the gender gap in politics
Why men and women have been marching in different ideological directions
Sweet magic in Hokkaido
Sushi for breakfast, crisps for dessert and delicious chocolate
Why the goal glut?
Football — never boring, even when Italy is defending a 1–0 lead — has only grown more exciting
The arts are under threat in Scotland
New legislation endangers freedom, but the arts have been enabling its suppression for some time
Grandmasters: a meeting of great minds
Napoleon and Goethe: Touchstone of Genius by Raymond Keene
A matter of National concern
This year’s race will come close to destroying its magic
They like her when she’s angry
Kemi Badenoch is the Incredible Hulk of government ministers, roaring her way through the public realm, smashing opponents left and right
Best bets for Cheltenham
My racing tips for Cheltenham
The stench of Chanel No 5
Set mainly in Nazi-occupied Paris, The New Look tells the story of Coco Chanel and Christian Dior
The sacred and the profane
Allowing a “Rave in the Nave” in Canterbury Cathedral was a regrettable error of judgement
