Philip Pullman: siding with Satan
The fantasy writer is indebted to the Inklings, whose Christianity he rejects in favour of gnosticism
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Is university for all working?
The helter-skelter expansion of higher education may be good for individuals but has sharpened value divides in society
How to succeed in Number Ten
Andrew Gimson's portraits of our 54 prime ministers are lucid, pithy and perceptive
Documenting a disaster magnet
Tibor Fischer’s new novel How To Rule The World is a bleakly brilliant picaresque
The unknown Americans
US artists of the interwar years can at last be appreciated in a revealing Oxford exhibition
Monument to a moment
Why is the BBC's Civilisations such a mess?
The animal vote
Animal welfare is a political open goal — and Brexit is a one-off chance to establish better standards in the UK
Numbers game (contd.)
The Monty Hall problem requires clear, unbiased thinking as new information comes in
My private Paris
Get a gallery to yourself in Paris: pick an unfashionable country or a passed-over period
A new Europe calls
There is a rare breed who go to Germany in February: we love to overheat in flagstoned, candle-lit Weinstuben, and freeze in baroque churches and sudden blizzards
The little town that just won’t lie down
Tiny Fordwich in Kent, still thriving after 1,400 years, faces a new invasion: London foodies
How the truth can set you free
Jordan Peterson is erudite and well read but 12 Rules for Life has much of the tenor of a typical self-help book