Arts

A notoriously stubborn agricultural waste product, rice husk is being repurposed as a sturdy and resilient construction material.

It was the last hurrah of analogue, 20th-Century life in the UK, as the era's chaotic, thrilling energy spilled into music, fashion, art and hedonism.

From Regency-style to Georgian-look, brand-new English country houses designed to look centuries old are increasingly popular in the UK, US and elsewhere. What is their appeal?

From a bat home in the UK countryside to a multi-species refuge in the Catskills, here are eight cleverly designed wildlife havens.

Barbara Cartland was outsold only by Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. So why has the UK's master of romantic fiction disappeared from memory?

Allan Ginsberg's graphic verse had a seismic effect on American society. When two people were put on trial for selling it, the judgement was a landmark moment in loosening censorship.

Here are some of the world's best new buildings that are immersed in their wild surroundings.

By sticking a banana to a wall with duct tape and calling it art, Maurizio Cattelan created one of the greatest cultural debates of recent times.

Controversy is swirling around Rachel Cusk's new novel and its movie-star protagonist named "M". Why the fuss – and could the character be based on Natalie Portman?

From a dizzyingly brilliant heist to a devastating tale of generational loss, here are the year's most acclaimed works of fiction so far.

Now 175 years old, US author Herman Melville's classic is the ultimate tale of man v whale – but in fact, it questions why humans have been so terrified of these great sea creatures.

Imaginative architects have long used colour to elevate their work. From a dazzling ancient temple to a vibrant library, here are eight buildings where colour is integral.

At north London's Trent Park during World War Two, high-ranking Nazi POWs relaxed and chatted in the elegant upstairs rooms – while downstairs, "secret listeners" were eavesdropping.