Con trick
Laurie Taylor feels a chilli in the air
Culture
The Secret History of Georgian London: How the Wages of Sin Shaped the Capital by Dan Cruickshank
Brenda Maddox visits the grubby side of Georgian London with Dan Cruickshank
This is How by MJ Hyland
Philip Womack on the terse sophistication of novelist MJ Hyland
What’s the Worst that Could Happen? A Rational Response to the Climate Change Debate by Greg Craven
Simon Singh on a rational look at climate change
Diary: Backward step
Comedian Maureen Younger is unimpressed by the return of the rape joke
Makers by Cory Doctorow
Bill Thompson enjoys a sci-fi writer growing up
Terrible beauty
Why is religious art so blood-soaked and morbid asks Roger Davidson
Kissing cousins
Is marrying close relations harmful? Charles Darwin, anxious about his own family inbreeding, applied his scientific rigour to find out the truth. Adam Kuper reveals all
A paon in the arse
Laurie Taylor ruffles a few feathers
Film review: Inglourious Basterds
This World War Two revenge tale is lazy and idiotic, yet has moments of true brilliance. Could the real problem be Tarantino himself? asks Fred Rowson