Cultural

Fundamentalism has become the face of Islam in the West. It was not always so and need not be in the future, says Tim Stanley.

Contemporary culture places a high premium on novelty. Armand D’Angour argues that we should consider the more balanced views about old and new found in classical Greece.

Richard Almond has trawled medieval and Renaissance sources for insights about ladies’ riding habits in the Middle Ages and what they reveal about a woman’s place in that society.

Dunia Garcia Ontiveros charts the little-known history of the Sami population and the life of Knud Leem, the first person to study their language and culture.

In recent years British models have reappeared on the catwalk wearing real fur, though it is unlikely to ever regain the mass appeal it once had. Carol Dyhouse looks back to a time when female glamour was defined by a mink coat.

Chris Corin ressurects the life of a Soviet survivor whose remarkable and significant career deserves to be better known.

Richard Wilkinson finds much to enjoy in the opening volumes of a comprehensive new series on British social history.

Robert Pearce has been pleasantly surprised at the quality of a new textbook.

Russel Tarr compares and contrasts the rise to power of two Communist leaders.

Viv Saunders reveals how sport and society are intertwined.

R. E. Foster sifts myth from reality in the life of the 'Lady with the Lamp', who died 100 years ago.

History tells us that the West’s embrace of liberal values was not inevitable and is unlikely to last, says Tim Stanley.

There is lots of fun in this latest round up of recent historical novels, with derring-do, cross-dressing, biblical plagues and Renaissance geniuses in the mix. Plus award-winning novelists, UK independent publishers and one of the finest living American writers.