We all love a good conspiracy theory: 9/11 was an inside job; the moon landings were faked; Princess Diana was assassinated. There is a thrill in joining the dots between seemingly random events and discovering hidden patterns. As the University hosts Edinburgh Spy Week, the annual event that...

A discussion with this year’s winners of Britain’s oldest literary awards: James Shapiro, winner of the biography prize for 1606: Shakespeare and the Year of Lear, which delves into one of the most politically turbulent and most creative years of the Bard’s life; and Benjamin Markovits, winner...