Writing about nuclear war is difficult because it is easy. J Robert Oppenheimer himself, the so-called father of the atomic bomb, set the tone with his paraphrasing of the Bhagavad Gita after the Trin

Best books… Richard Holmes The biographer chooses five ...

Leading historians and authors share their thoughts on what book, film or documentary you should read or watch next

Middleland: Dispatches from the Borders Rory Stewart (Jonathan ...

Tennyson’s embrace of science and catastrophe theory

December round-up Although he’s been writing and performing for many years, Donald WG Lindsay might come across as a bold new Scottish talent on Two Boats Under the Moon, his excellent two-disc debut