When celebrated writer Jan Morris published a memoir about her gender reassignment in 1974, it brought trans identity to public attention. Fifty years on, her son Mark reflects on the flawed woman he thought of as his father

These posthumous essays reveal a dedication to the proposition that ‘almost nothing in life is only what it seems’

Jan Morris conjures a remarkable life in her posthumous essay collection, Claire Oshetsky explores an unusual maternal love, and Patrick Modiano unravels a tantalising mystery

David Shannon’s prose shines with sweet innocence, women cycle their way to freedom, and Jan Morris’s spry memoir captures the later days of an incredible life

Along with spectacular adventures, these books record a richly diverse culture that has often been missed in accounts of derring-do

Sexual freedom is most often associated with the city, but a small but growing canon including EM Forster and Sarah Waters tells a different story

The daily musings of the travel writer and historian are a fascinating look at ‘how to soldier on in your 90s’

From desert treks and imprisonment to unexpected love and bitter conflict, a historian chooses books that record remarkable, but often forgotten, lives