The Sheperd's life: Oxford student who didn't follow the flock and says breeding from the best rams is more intellectually challenging than much of what he studied

The Sheperds life Oxford student who didnt follow the flock and says breeding rams is more

It is the enlightening, exquisitely written account, give or take a few autobiographical tangents, of a year in the life of James Rebanks (pictured), whose family has been farming in the Lake District for at least six centuries. He was born into a job from which, now in his 40s, he takes infinite pride. All the same, it is no life for the faint-hearted. Every year, spring and autumn feel like flimsy bookends to a long, harsh winter, and his Herdwick sheep - descended, he thinks, from animals that arrived with the Vikings - are built for the fells in ways that even the hardiest shepherds are not.

Oh! Mr President, please put your clothes back on: How a naked Ronald Reagan shocked the servants and other intimate surprises from inside the White House

Kate Brower, an American journalist assigned to cover the Obama White House, became intrigued by the workings of the mansion after watching English TV programme, Downton Abbey.

A quick autopsy my love, then off to the ball: The eccentric behaviour of Dutch natural scientist Antoni van Leeuwenhoek 

In 1677, at the age of 41, van Leeuwenhoek used his body as a guinea pig in an experiment while Vermeer spent hours peering into the box-like interior of a camera obscura.

PICTURE THIS: Photographs From The Hubble Space Telescope 

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Twenty-five years ago today, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into orbit. Its discoveries signalled a new era in observational astronomy, revealing previously unknown places.

If I should die, think only this of me - I was a cad! The secret love life of Rupert Brooke

Rupert Brooke's poem The Soldier made him famous throughout England. In 2000, love letters between Brookes and Phyllis Gardner were discovered. It was then that their love affair was revealed.

Don't trust a 'nun with a crutch' and look out for flashily dressed drug dealers! One customs officer reveals the extraordinary lengths people will go to 

Don't trust a 'nun with a crutch' and look out for flashily dressed drug dealers! One

John Frost hilariously recounts stories from his career at London airports. Frost and his team have frequently detected drugs hidden in bizarre ways and animals being smuggled in even stranger ways. Frost has had 'to politely listen to people lying through their teeth at you' as they attempt to smuggle in snakes, bush meat (zebra, lion, gorilla), combs that double as flick-knives, a monkey sewn into the lining of a coat, another monkey 'disguised as a hairy child', corpses 'propped up in a wheelchair wearing wonky sunglasses' and a box of dry ice containing a man's buttock, apparently sliced off by a Samurai sword.

Robin Esser's story of fighting for a free Press (over a very long lunch of Champagne, sherry and Chablis!) 

Robin Esser - Journalist

Journalists are known for being a fund of good stories and Robin Esser, who has worked in newspapers for 60 years, is no exception. In his new book he reveals the inner workings of Fleet Street.

Run up and down Mont Blanc in holey old long johns, clumpy trail shoes and the poorly fitting rucksack? It's a doddle!

Lizzy Hawker entered the 2005 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc on a whim, she was the first woman to cross the finish line that year in 24th place. She has become Britain's most distinctive female 'ultra runner'

PICTURE THIS: Dorset From The Sea

Dorset's Coast is enjoyed by millions each year, with visitors and locals alike clustering at its beaches and well-known landmarks. But the coastline is most commonly seen from the land, looking out to sea.

Bad news for men - you're so over! Professor determined to prove that 'millennial male dominance is about to end'

Lynda Carter as 'Wonder Woman'. No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage  Manadatory Credit: Photo by Everett Collection / Rex Features (445694k)

Melvin Konner begins his new book with a startling proposition: 'This is a book with a very simple argument: women are not equal to men; they are superior in many ways...'

Geeky teen emerges from the lab a superstar: Jack, 15, won top science award for his test for detecting pancreatic cancer

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Jack Andraka is just 18, yet his newly-published memoir carries a blurb from Barack Obama. 'Spectacular stuff...' enthuses the President.

It's work, not love, that makes the world go round

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The tyranny of the nine-to-five is about money (of course), but also about moral worth: we work because we know we should 'pull our weight' in society's tug-of-war.

The 'music box' bird whose song gave hope to a hero lost in the wilderness - and how you can hear its joyous voice today

The 'music box' bird whose song gave hope to a hero lost in the wilderness: And how you

Back in 1961 three young Oxford graduates set off to explore the Iriri river in a remote part of the Amazon. One of them, Richard Mason, became the last Englishman to be killed by an uncontacted tribe, when he was murdered with bows and arrows.

A reason to be cheerful: Matt Haig's new book shows how life perks up in the end 

Embargoed to 0001 Saturday June 3
 Undated handout image of Mr Happy wearing a pair of Adidas trainers. The sportswear giant is using the famous bright yellow character to promote its clothing. PRESS ASSOCIATION photo. Issue date: Friday June 2, 2006. The exclusive image was drawn by Adam Hargreaves, son of Roger Hargreaves who created the Mr Men and Little Miss characters. It is the first time a Mr Man has been especially adapted to promote a brand, adidas said. See PA story CONSUMER Adidas. Photo credit should read: Adidas/PA.

At 24 Matt Haig's life changed when he developed depression, in his book he shares his first-hand account of his struggle. Sadness is not a sickness, but depression most certainly is.

How to persuade anyone to tell you the truth: Important insights into the interrogation process

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 Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore/REX (2599043f)
 Laura (1944)  Dana Andrews ; Gene Tierney
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Interrogation is an unfortunate name with regrettable connotations but have you ever wanted to know the best way of extracting a confession? This new book shows just how you can do it.

What's wet, wild and longer than India's? Our coast! A British clifftop walk is the next best thing to flying... 

A general view of the English coastal resort town of Woolacombe in Devon, England, UK with Morte Point in the distance.


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Our attachment to the coast is strong. Popular television series explore it, gliding over the cliffs by helicopter as if in a dream and coastal paths are never short of walkers no matter what time of year.

My husband didn't want children - so I took 12 lovers! Robin Rinaldi reveals everything in her graphic, tell-all memoir

EXCLUSIVE: Author Robin Rinaldi, who has written a memoir "The Wild Oats Project" about how she spent a year in an open marriage, having sex with various different men, as a way of finding sexual fulfillment as a woman. Robin is pictured with her dog, Tengo.\n\n\nPictured: Robin Rinaldi\nRef: SPL982705  230315   EXCLUSIVE\nPicture by: John Chapple / Splash News\n\nSplash News and Pictures\nLos Angeles: 310-821-2666\nNew York: 212-619-2666\nLondon: 870-934-2666\nphotodesk@splashnews.com\n

Aged 42 Robin Rinaldi believed she was finally pregnant, the test was negative and her husband had a vasectomy. She then demanded an open marriage and slept with 12 strangers in a year.

PICTURE THIS: The Björk archives

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This superb collection reveals just how many stunning outfits and personas the singer has adopted over the past 20 years.

The London Book Fair, Author HQ: The place to come if you want to be a writer 

A pile of books

The event, with Kindle Direct Publishing, is a three-day programme packed with informative seminars and a range of experts who will share their knowledge of the publishing industry.

Brave boys the fat man branded liars: How Cyril Smith's victims were ignored when they tried to expose the abuse they suffered at his hands

Brave boys the fat man branded liars: How Cyril Smith's victims were ignored when they

All this week, Labour MP Simon Danczuk is laying bare how the Establishment, the Liberal Party, the police and even MI5 covered up the industrial-scale child abuse of 29-stone Rochdale MP Cyril Smith. Today, how his victims were ignored and betrayed when they tried to expose their suffering.

The truth about life in an open prison, by VICKY PRYCE - and why the women in our softest jails really suffer

Different life: Vicky Pryce is seen chatting with inmates and a prison officer at East Sutton Park Prison, which she describes at a 'real joy' after serving four days at Holloway

In the finale of her unique inside story, Vicky Pryce, the wife of disgraced ex-minister Chris Huhne, describes life at open prison East Sutton Park.

His little face still looked so beautiful: In Mary Berry's own moving words, the story of the child she lost so young

Mary Berry - photoshoot for one of her first cookery book with helpers Annabel and William.

In the second extract from her autobiography, published exclusively in the Mail today, Mary Berry describes the sudden death of the son she doted on, pictured left.

Eric Morecambe's son reveals the obsessive dark side of the 'Bring Me Sunshine' boys

Eric and Ernie were together virtually all day every day because of work; so when they became successful, they had an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't socialise with one another

In his compelling new biography, Gary Morecambe talks about his father's relationship with Ernie Wise and how he continued to make them laugh even up until the end.

'Useless Darling was just in it for himself' : Damian McBride reveals how 'poor Alistair' played the media martyr amid economic crisis

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In an extract from his explosive memoirs, Power Trip, Damian McBride reveals how the former Chancellor survived by the skin of his teeth after credit crunch bungle.