An extraordinary book, a work of scholarship and history salted with the author's excitement as he conducts us among the great libraries of Western civilization. It is full of delights

The intellectual expedition of a lifetime ... This is an endlessly fascinating and enjoyable book.

A book of marvels

Entrancing ... De Hamel's learned adventures amid some of the West's greatest manuscript treasures effortlessly outclass Eco's The Name of the Rose in elegance and excitement. They are also much funnier.

Reading is my life, but only about once a decade do I find a book that seems to tilt the world, so afterwards it appears different.

De Hamel's book, scholarly but unfailingly readable, is the beginning of wisdom in all things scribal and scriptural - Ian Thomson, The Observer

Rich, funny and you'll feel like you've learned a lot along the way

Tales of fatal flaws, perilous journeys and shining acts of heroism are told with gusto and young and old will be engrossed. The audiobook is an absolute gem too, read by the author who has a winning way of bringing these epic tales to life

Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy. The Greek gods of the past become relatable

The best thing he's written since his superb first novel . . . entertaining and edifying

A rollicking good read

Perfect for the 21st Century. Ebullient, funny, Fry retells the Greek myths with elegance

A wondrous new immersion in ancient stories we only thought we knew. Brilliant, funny, erudite, inventive, surprising and enthralling

Fry makes the stories relatable without skimping on the wonderful gory details, or sacrificing the traditional truths of the myth

Stephen Fry has created a magnificent book. Humorous, but with serious stories told with wit and erudition. This is a book that will delight readers of all ages. Fry's writing is never less than delightful

Fry is a natural storyteller and his lively retellings make for an entertaining read

The comedian and polymath retells age-old Greek myths in dramatic, modernised style

One of the nation's favourite intellectuals retells the epic myths of the Greek heroes in his own unique and very enjoyable way

Simon Schama takes the reader through a grand sweep of Jewish history, but he makes it so personal you begin to feel you know the men and women whose lives shine out from the pages, and their foibles, and you get a sense of the fragility of their lives and their determination to survive. It's a brilliant piece of work

Schama's speciality is to take sometimes little-known historical figures and bring them dramatically to life. We are presented with a glittering cast of Jews from every century since the 15th ... Belonging shows Jews as prize-fighters and charlatans, theatre managers and physicians, writers, actors, painters, farmers and musicians. They are men and women of every sort, who leap off the pages as they struggle with what Schama has defined as the abiding challenge of Jewish life in the diaspora

Simon Schama’s epic tale of the Jewish people is full of rich, colourful stories that span centuries and continents and include massacres, miracles, discrimination and tolerance… Passionate

In the hands of a master colourist, this is history as a portrait gallery.

It is an engaging and electrifying read by a skilled literary craftsman, cultural historian and tour guide.

Dazzling.

Schama presents his material with the wit and panache of a novelist. The reader is treated to a dazzling parade of humanity in all its glory and shame. Every page sparkles with rich material and the range of learning is breathtaking. The story of Jewish survival – and sometimes even flourishing – against all the odds is utterly riveting.

Simon Schama is the perfect companion for a time-travelling journey through Jewish history… A beguiling narrator.

These accounts make such fascinating reading that, through Schama’s extraordinary gift for storytelling, his book was difficult to put down.

Recounts, one guest per chapter, a number of her interviews with the boldest of boldface figures . . . Entertaining

A quick, absorbing read . . . my overriding impression is of rather breathless thoughtfulness . . . her formidable intelligence and self-deprecating awareness shine brightly

We love the Maitlis

We're obsessed with Emily Maitlis in this house

Emily Maitlis is a particular hero of mine . . . I know I'm in for a treat with Airhead

Emily Maitlis is one of my favourite interviewers and I want to read her tales of interviewing people such as Donald Trump, Theresa May and Simon Cowell

A fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into modern television news

It's a brilliant, often funny, behind-the-scenes account of her working life, written by one of Britain's best television broadcasters. It proves she's far from an airhead!

She gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most engaging interviews she's conducted in recent years - with all the wrangling, arguing, pleading and last-minute script writing they involved. Insightful, funny and engrossing, we love it.