Theatre, film & music

Six-year surname study digs up fresh insult for 'crooked nose' Cameron

George Young looks into a six-year study into the source of British surnames - and has rather disappointing news for David Cameron, but a better revelation for Mo Farah.

The extraordinary writing which made John Lewis-Stempel Columnist of the Year

Read three of the beautiful, evocative articles which made Country Life's John Lewis-Stempel the Columnist of the Year.

24 beautiful charity Christmas cards to send this year

Country Life picks out 24 of the most beautiful charity Christmas cards to send this year.

QUIZ: Can you pick out the true famous last words?

Pick out the true words of wisdom from the made-up ones in the Country Life famous last words quiz.

'I just know what I want to burn my energy on': The remarkable career of Patricia Routledge

The redoubtable actress Patricia Routledge talks to Country Life about being a presenter, unacceptable mannerisms and turning down Alan Bennett.

Book of the week: Where Poppies Blow

Clive Aslet enjoys this moving account of how First World War soldiers found hope through their connection with Nature.

Book of the week: Terms & Conditions

This vivid study of life at girls’ boarding schools between 1939 and 1979 is both hilarious and poignant, finds Maggie Fergusson.

David Bowie’s private art collection goes up for sale

David Bowie's personal art collection to feature in three sales at Sotheby's.

7 reasons to listen to vinyl

Digital downloads may have consigned many vinyl records to the dustbin, but LPs are climbing back up the charts.

Book of the week: Edward Ardizzone: Artist and Illustrator

A new biography on the artist-illustrator Edward Ardizzone and a retrospective exhibition dedicated to his work provide Peyton Skipwith with a feast of delights.

8 typefaces that changed the world

The drop-down font menu has made typographers of us all. Here are 8 fonts that changed the world we live in.

Round-up: Man Booker Prize 2016

Dark and depressing is the tone this year—we assess the likely winner from a mix of famous and unknown authors.

Book of the week: Outlandish Knight

A new biography of Steven Runciman delves beyond the gossip to shed new light on a fascinating and complex personality, says Barnaby Rogerson.

Book of the week: London in Fragments

The River Thames throws up treasure and trinkets with delightful regularity, each telling a little bit more about the history of London.

Book of the week: The Tunnel Through Time

Giles Waterfield is intrigued by a new study of London’s buried history, inspired by the excavations carried out for the Crossrail link.

Book of the week: Over the Hills and Far Away

A fascinating new biography shows Beatrix Potter to have been a pioneer of much else besides publishing best-selling books about bunnies, says Caroline Jackson.

Book of the week: Kenneth Clark: Life, Art and Civilisation

Michael Hall applauds an exemplary new biography of the man who introduced the British to art history.

Book of the week: Elizabeth Jane Howard: A Dangerous Innocence

Emily Rhodes enjoys a revealing portrait of a writer whose tempestuous love life was as thrilling as her depictions of romance.

Book of the week: Queen Bees

This new book casts a spotlight on the women who led English Society at the beginning of the last century, says Martin Williams.

Crystal clear: Groundhog Day and Waterford Crystal

Waterford Crystal has announced its continued partnership with London theatre The Old Vic. Katy Birchall stops by for a cocktail before the show.