Jacob Phillips’ new book challenges the assumption that freedom lies in unconstraint

Iain Sinclair on the trail of his Victorian ancestor

A two-year stint on an island in Lake Victoria makes for a poignant and memorable memoir

Richard Cohen’s history of histories is a gargantuan achievement

Parties and post boxes make beguiling settings for this month’s mysteries

This new biography of John Donne brings the centuries-dead poet to life

Influencer is just another name for snake-oil salesman

Howard Jacobson stands his life on its head

Elena Ferrante’s essay collection is an exploration of the delights and constraints of form

The fiftieth anniversary of Seamus Heaney’s Wintering Out is a chance to recognise the importance of place to his poetry