This week, Nicola Shulman is entranced by the life of a naturalist; and Larry Wolff enjoys a night at the opera - with added superheroes.

'A year with Gilbert White: The first great nature writer', by Jenny Uglow

'The amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay', by Mason Bates and Gene Scheer, based on the book by Michael Chabon, Metropolitan Opera, New York, until October 11

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Richard Sennett delivers a powerful warning to universities to defend their freedom; and Helena Kelly on the revolutionary world that shaped Jane Austen.

'The Worlds of Jane Austen: The Influence and Inspiration Behind the Novels', by Helena Kelly

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Norma Clarke explores the ancient arts of hedge-laying, thatching, hay-cutting and wood-turning; and highlights from this week's issue.

'Words from the Hedge: A hedgelayer’s view of the countryside', by Richard Negus

'Of Thorn and Briar: A year with the West Country hedgelayer', by Paul Lamb 

'On the Roof: A thatcher’s journey', by Tom Allan

'Where Are the Fellows Who Cut the Hay?: How traditions from the past can shape our future', by Robert Ashton

'Ingrained: The making of a craftsman', by Callum Robinson

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Samantha Harvey joins us to talk about her voyage around the earth; and Miranda France on a fascinating tour of the British archipelago.

‘Orbital’, by Samantha Harvey

‘The Britannias: An island quest’, by Alice Albinia

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, James Marcus goes partying with Susan Sontag and George Steiner; and Laura Beers sheds a light on Eileen O'Shaughnessy, George Orwell's first wife.

'Maestros and monsters: Days and nights with Susan Sontag and George

Steiner', by Robert Boyers

'Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's invisible life', by Anna Funder

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Colin Jones explores the streets of Paris as the French Revolution grew pace; and an extract from a very special event at the British Library in celebration of Hilary Mantel.

'The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789', by Robert Darnton

'A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing', by Hilary Mantel

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Ruth Scurr on a magnificent biography of Claude Monet; and Fiona Stafford explores how vital trees were to Wordsworth's work.

'Monet: the restless vision', by Jackie Wullschläger

'Versed in living nature: Wordsworth's trees', by Peter Dale and Brandon C Yen

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Theo Zenou introduces us to the heroes of Jewish boxing; and Sophie Oliver on the development of Virginia Woolf's 'frock consciousness' .

'Stars and scars: The story of Jewish boxing in London', by Jeff Jones

'Bring no clothes: Bloomsbury and the philosophy of fashion', by Charlie Porter

'Bring no clothes: Bloomsbury and Fashion', at Charleston in Lewes until 7 January 2024

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Ysenda Maxtone Graham on the women who fought their way into horticulture; and Mary Beard leads us down a Homeric rabbit hole.

'An almost impossible thing: the radical lives of Britain's pioneering women gardeners', by Fiona Davison

'Homer and his Iliad', by Robin Lane Fox

'The Iliad', translated by Emily Wilson

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Elizabeth Lowry is impressed by a study of Hardy’s late-life love poetry; and TLS science editor Sam Graydon on his ‘mosaic’ biography of Einstein

‘Woman much missed: Thomas Hardy, Emma Hardy, and poetry’, by Mark Ford

‘Einstein in time and space: a life in 99 particles’, by Samuel Graydon 

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Jonathan Barnes joins us to explore the visionary work of Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale; and a wonderful conversation about literature and horticulture between Dame Penelope Lively and her daughter, musician Josephine Lively.

'The Quatermass Experiment 70th Anniversary', Nigel Kneale, Alexandra Palace

'You Must Listen', BBC Sounds

'Life in the Garden', by Penelope Lively

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, poet Camille Ralphs explains why she submitted to WH Auden's exacting syllabus; and Toby Lichtig joins us to preview the autumn's notable fiction.

'Daydream College for Bards', by Camille Ralphs

'The Fraud', by Zadie Smith

'North Woods', by Daniel Mason

'The Variations', by Patrick Langley

'The Wren, The Wren,' by Anne Enright

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, we drop in on a conversation between Mary Beard and two former TLS editors; and Anne Enright joins us to talk about turning poet in her new novel.

'Emperor of Rome: Ruling the ancient Roman world', by Mary Beard

'Big Caesars and little Caesars: How they rise and how they fall -

from Julius Caesar to Boris Johnson', by Ferdinand Mount

'Palatine: An alternative history of the Caesars', by Peter Stothard

'The Wren, The Wren', by Anne Enright

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Alicia Rix charts Henry James's return to an unrecognisable homeland; and David Horspool on a Victorian conman and a contemporary swimmer.

'Henry James Comes Home: Rediscovering America in the Gilded Age', by Peter Brooks

'On Writers and Writing: Selected Essays', by Henry James, edited by Michael Gorra

'Swimmingly: Adventures in Water', by Vassos Alexander

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Nicola Shulman introduces the volunteer army who joined James Murray to create the OED; and John Niven on his extraordinary memoir of his brother's life.

'The Dictionary People: The unsung heroes who created the Oxford

English Dictionary', by Sarah Ogilvie

'O Brother', by John Niven

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Adam Mars-Jones on the "fractal brocade" of his semi-infinite novel series; and Amber Massie-Blomfield revisits Susan Sontag's production of Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, thirty years on.

'Caret', by Adam Mars-Jones

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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In the last of our summer round-ups, Gwendoline Riley stalks the streets of London in the company of Michael Bracewell; and Ruth Scurron a final work by the indomitable Janet Malcolm.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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In this week's round-up, we talk to Mary C Flannery about the continuing attraction of the irrepressible Wife of Bath; and mystery writer Nicola Upson on the unconventional life and unforgettable work of Josephine Tey.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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In the second of our summer round-ups, we revisit Richard Smyth discussing the life and the work of the naturalist Ronald Blythe; and Lucasta Miller on an extraordinary collection of commonplace books.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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In the first of our seasonal round-ups, we look back at Stephen Marche on the agonies of the writing life; and Nat Segnit dives into Adam Gopnik's survey of mastery.

'On writing and failure: Or, the peculiar perseverance required to

endure the life of a writer', by Stephen Marche

'The real work: On the mystery of mastery', by Adam Gopnik

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Kate Hext on women who have run or climbed their way through the world, despite efforts to stop them; and Alice Robb thinks about how - and why - we tell stories through dance.

'In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors', by Rachel Hewitt

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, cycling commentator par excellence Ned Boulting on the Tour de France of a century ago; and Peter Parker delves into the many faces of the self-styled 'Master' playwright, Noel Coward.

'1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession', by Ned Boulting

'Masquerade: The Lives of Noel Coward', by Oliver Soden 

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, AE Stallings, the new Oxford professor of poetry, on the lives of poets; and Ann Kennedy Smith considers the different faces of Cornwall.

'Sleeping on islands: A life in poetry', by Andrew Motion

'The American poet laureate: A history of US poetry and the state', by Amy Paeth

'The granite kingdom: A Cornish journey', by Tim Hannigan

'Treasures of Cornwall: A literary anthology', edited by Luke Thompson 

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Mary Beard is fascinated by an ancient graffito, and novelist Michael Hughes on the murder case that almost brought down the Irish government.

A Don's Life: https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/virgil-on-pots-and-walls-blog-post-mary-beard/

'A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention and Murder', by Mark O'Connell

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Michael LaPointe celebrates a century of The Great Gatsby; and Miranda France on an epistolary novel by Natalia Ginzburg.

'The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby', by F Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James LW West III, with an introduction by Sarah Churchwell

'The Annotated Great Gatsby', by F Scott Fitzgerald, edited by James LW West III, with an introduction by Amor Towles

'The Great Gatsby and Stories from All the Sad Young Men', by F Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Philip McGowan, with an introduction by Min Jin Lee

'The Bloomsbury Handbook to F Scott Fitzgerald', edited by Laura Rattray and Linda Wagner-Martin

'The City and the House', by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Dick Davies

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Kathleen Taylor considers human personality under assault from advanced dementia.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/alzheimer-dementia-sandeep-jauhar-dasha-kiper-susan-elkin-book-review-kathleen-taylor/

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In this week's bumper podcast, George Berridge assesses the legacy of Cormac McCarthy; Toby Lichtig on this summer's ideal reads; and an interview with American novelist Brandon Taylor.

'The Late Americans', by Brandon Taylor

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Owen Matthews on the triumph of the Kremlin propaganda machine

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/russia-ian-garner-jade-mcglynn-alexandar-mihailovic-alexander-etkind-book-review-owen-matthews/

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This week, an exhibition of the Italian Renaissance painter Lavinia Fontana's work thrills Norma Clarke; and Kieran Setiya on Sarah Bakewell's bravura survey of the history of humanism.

'Lavinia Fontana: Trailblazer, rule breaker', at the National Gallery of Ireland until August 27, with accompanying book by Aoife Brady, Babette Bohn and Jonquil O'Reilly

'Humanly Possible: Seven hundred years of humanist freethinking, enquiry and hope' by Sarah Bakewell

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Peter Thonemann on a civilization that questions its first principles.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-west-naoise-mac-sweeney-book-review-peter-thonemann/

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This week, Lucy and Alex head to Hay, and find guest stars Eleanor Catton and Sarah Raven.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Edward Chancellor considers why central bankers have lost the plot with inflation.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/we-need-to-talk-about-inflation-stephen-d-king-book-review-edward-chancellor/

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This week, Norma Clarke unpicks the complicated business of family legacy in Polly Toynbee’s memoir; and Nicholas Clee immerses himself in Paul Murray’s multi-generational saga of Irish small-town life.

'An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and Other Radicals’ by Polly Toynbee

’The Bee Sting’ by Paul Murray

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Joe Moran explores the weird world of fandom.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/fans-michael-bond-book-review-joe-moran/

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This week, TLS contributors on what art and literature mean in a time of crisis; and we take a trip to the melancholy, beautiful, faded English seaside.

‘The Seaside: England’s Love Affair’, by Madeleine Bunting

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Nicola Shulman is staggered by Sarah Vine's account of Westminster rivalry; and James Clackson on the irresistible rise of Indo-European.

'How not to be a political wife: A memoir', by Sarah Vine

'Proto: How one language went global', by Laura Spinney

'The Indo-Europeans rediscovered: How a scientific revolution is rewriting their story', by JP Mallory

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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This week, Kate Simpson introduces us to the precarious and vital world of the gastropods; and James McConnachie plunges into the teeming waters of the St George’s Channel.

‘A World in a Shell: Snail Stories for a Time of Extinctions’ by Thom van Dooren

’The Turning Tide: A Biography of the Irish Sea’ by Jon Gower

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Abigail Green considers a panoramic account of the continent-wide outbreak of revolutions in 1848.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/revolutionary-spring-christopher-clark-book-review-abigail-green/ 

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This week, Ben Hutchinson takes us to Paris to survey the invention of type; and Joe Moran on giving your creativity a workout.

‘Imprimer! L’Europe de Gutenberg’, Bibliothèque nationale de France, until July 16

'Imprimer! L’Europe de Gutenberg 1450-1520’, edited by Nathalie Coilly and Caroline Vrand

‘The Imagination Muscle: Where good ideas come from (and how to have more of them)’, by Albert Read

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Tyler Cowen on the advantages of gradual reform over long-term thinking.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/the-long-view-richard-fisher-the-lost-future-jan-zielonka-gradual-greg-berman-aubrey-fox-book-review-tyler-cowen/ 

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This week, Lucy and Alex discover how James Shapiro created his landmark work on a formative year in Shakespeare’s life; and Miranda France on her spellbinding study of memoir and creative writing.

‘1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare’, by James Shapiro

‘The Writing School’, by Miranda France

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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David Throsby on the ruthlessness of the consulting industry.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/consulting-mckinsey-mariana-mazzucato-rosie-collington-walt-bogdanich-michael-forsythe-book-review-david-throsby/

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This week, Laurie Maguire is in the audience for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet; and Lucy and Alex catch up with novelist Curtis Sittenfeld on her whistle-stop visit to the UK.

‘Hamnet’, an RSC production, from the novel by Maggie O’Farrell

‘Romantic Comedy’, by Curtis Sittenfeld

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Tristram Hunt revisits the monuments controversy. 

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/monumental-lies-robert-bevan-everyday-like-of-memorials-andrew-shanken-on-the-street-edwin-heathcote-book-review-tristram-hunt/

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Historian Emily Baughan on two books chronicling the immense impact of the NHS and the welfare state on the lives of Britons; and a new film explores Patricia Highsmith’s hinterland.

’The Welfare State generation: Women, agency and class in Britain since 1945’, by Eve Worth

‘Poster, protests and prescriptions: Cultural histories of the National Health Service in Britain’, edited by Jennifer Crane and Jane Hand

‘Loving Highsmith’, a film by Eva Vitija

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Nicola Shulman on two anthologies that display the obituarist’s art.

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/lives-less-ordinary-nigel-farndale-eccentric-lives-andrew-brown-book-review-nicola-shulman/

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... thinking about tomorrow. This week, Michael Caines on a musical inspired by a classic album; and Toby Lichtig talks to Mike Berners-Lee about the future of cliimate action at the Guernsey Literary Festival.

'Sterophonic', by David Adjmi, Duke of York’s Theatre, until October 11

'A Climate of Truth: Why We Need It and How to Get It', by Mike Berners-Lee

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

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Boyd Tonkin visits Complicité’s audacious adaptation of Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead; and Barnaby Phillips on two Victorian explorers at daggers drawn

'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’, staged by Complicité, based on the novel by Olga Tokarczuk

‘River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile’ by Candice Millard 

Producer: Lucy Dichmont

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Searching for the Good Life

Skye Clery on how to cope with the fear of death and other anxieties

 https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/life-is-short-dean-rickles-life-is-hard-kieran-setiya-book-review-skye-cleary/

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Lamorna Ash joins us to talk about Shy, Max Porter’s tale of teenage angst; and Jonathan Taylor on an illuminating survey of the uses and abuses of storytelling.

’Shy’ by Max Porter

’Seduced by Story: The Use and Abuse of Narrative’ by Peter Brooks

Producer :Lucy Dichmont

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