Leading historians share the texts that have inspired and informed their work

Marcus Paul, editor John Buchan Reconsidered Thirty-nine years of war and peace 1901–1940 328pp. Handsel Press. £27. John Buchan The Strange Stories of John Buchan Edited by James Machin 256pp. Britis

Civilian reactors have become strategic cover for Russian forces during their invasion of Ukraine

An illuminating peak behind the Iron Curtain

Dr Paul Brown reveals Britain’s role in patrolling the seas during the height of Cold War tensions with the USSR

I was a teenager during the Second World War, although the term teenager was not in use in those days. You were just a lad. What’s more, one often left school and became a worker at age 14, as I did i