Not just for whey-faced loners

The latest edition of David Thomson's Dictionary of Film has a curious tone of resignation. But, writes Anthony Quinn, it is still a vital and rewarding companion

Wine buying

Christmas is the time to make merry, so lighten your shopping load by ordering wine online, writes Louise Ferguson

The force within

Alec Guinness was once the most famous British actor in the world, but to his friends he was a mystery. Garry O'Connor's new biography grapples with his elusive genius

A snap in the dark

A new probe with the largest camera ever launched into space could throw light on the universe's latest mystery - dark energy. Marcus Chown reports

Pathe archive goes online

Pathe News footage of Belsen, the Titanic and the first moon walk form part of an archive of 3,500 hours of news bulletins that were published online yesterday. By John Ezard.

Now for the good news

Pathé's archive of bygone images is to be available to schools and the public. John Crace enjoys its peculiar perspective

The way they were

John Banville is enchanted by Anthony Lane's collection of film reviews, Nobody's Perfect

De Who?

Chris Petit on John Baxter's biography of a secretive star, Robert De Niro

ebooks

The ebook is now a reality. Dave Howell discovers whether it's a viable alternative to its paper-based cousin