Literature

Hugh Trevor-Roper attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding authorship of Charles I's purported last testament.

The French poet was ordered to leave his city on January 3rd, 1463.

The bibliophile and founder of the Bodleian Library died on January 29th, 1613.

H.G. Nicholas asks whether Dickens' portrayal of the USA of the 1840s, found in Martin Chuzzlewit, is a fair one.

As the erotic novel appears to be experiencing a renaissance Julie Peakman reflects on 18th-century appetites for pornography.

Geoffrey Best reflects on a lifetime collecting books and the difficulties – emotional and financial – of parting with them.

A landmark in folklore was published on December 20th, 1812.

Member of Parliament, friend of Philip Sidney, local historian, and promoter of American colonization, Richard Carew was one of the important provincial figures of his age, as F.E. Halliday here describes.

Bilbo Baggins first strode onto the world stage on September 21st, 1937.

Christopher Winn recalls the death of Percy Bysshe Shelley, and other mysterious drownings.