Books
Murders for early May
From seedy sex clubs to the streets of Paris: Jeremy Black selects British Library Crime Classics to enjoy over the May Bank Holiday
Perceptive, witty and sure of himself
Beyond the embellishments of Alan Duncan’s private diaries lies a body of work making serious points about the role of parliament
Stolen glories
Alexander Adams delves into two new books that examine the art theft of occupying armies in two different ages
Libraries and laureates: a study in necessity
Without school libraries, boys and girls will grow up in households where the idea of owning books, or even borrowing, seems an increasingly fantastical one
The men with the megaphone
A new history of movie directors is full of insight, felicitous phrases and subtle put-downs
Temple to craft and prestige
A beautiful and unusual book can lift the spirits of even the most jaded reviewer
The questionable innocence of Pontius Pilate
Steve Morris argues that this new book about Pontius Pilate helps us understand the limits of state and law
Emerging from the shadow of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
Placing the poems of Pre-Raphaelite muse Elizabeth Siddal in context
An incredible inventory
James Stevens Curl reveals how this new release provides amazing insight into the household of a well-heeled, cultured European in late eighteenth-century India
Don’t judge a bookshop by its cover
Independent bookstores are often no more ethical than the big chains