Two contrasting productions of Shakespeare prove that the plays can still be made to work for us

Was Turner ancient or modern? He himself was in no doubt about his ability to compete with both

Choirs have sprung up everywhere as we begin to understand the healing power of the voice

The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastings

The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts

Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing by Michael Slater

Kissinger's Year: 1973 by Alistair Horne

John Piper, Myfanwy Piper, Lives in Art by Frances Spalding

A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks

Dr Johnson, the greatest writer of critical prose in the English language, was able to impart to his readers both human nature in general, and the character of Englishness in particular