As the London Museum prepares to unveil the Cheapside Hoard in new premises on Smithfield, Will Hosie speaks to historian Victoria Shepherd about the story behind these precious jewels

You wouldn’t guess from the cover design—three songbirds silhouetted over swatches of picturesque Englishness—but Catherine Clarke’s A History of England in 25 Poems hits one of its sweet spots with a

There is much to admire in Andrew Graham-Dixon’s study of Vermeer—but not its tendency to overinterpret the old master’s work “Johannes Vermeer is the most laconic of the Dutch old masters,” Andrew Gr

Catherine Clarke A History of England in 25 Poems400pp. Allen Lane. £25. Mark Forsyth Rhyme and ReasonA short history of poetry and people (forpeople who don’t usually read poetry)368pp. Allen & Unwin

The historian, author and former director of planning and development at English Heritage tells Anne Cuthbertson about his life and work in the capital

HousekeeperAn Exhibition by Cathie PilkingtonFreud Museum London, until March 1 If you had stepped inside Sigmund Freud’s consulting room at Berggasse 19 at any point before 1938 when he made the move