Anthony Blunt by Miranda Carter. A deservedly award-winning and non-judgemental biography of the man who became better known as the Fourth Man. Blunt was one of Britain's leading art historians, director of the Courtauld Institute, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures - but he was also part of the Cambridge spy ring that numbered Burgess, Philby and Maclean among its recruits. But while they defected to the then Soviet Union rather than being unmasked, Blunt remained - eventually admitting his crimes to the security services in return for immunity. This is the story of his life, his crimes and his unmasking, and a great read it is too. Carter has done an admirable job in pulling together the various strands of his life. As she says early on, it was a heavily compartmentalised life that makes the biographer's job a tough one. And to an extent, Blunt remains something of an enigma even after reading this impressive book. His motivations, his politics, the damage he did to British security - there's still something of a fog surrounding the conclusions. However, this book gets closer than most to the answers.

Clarke Gable by Warren G Harris. A new biography of the King of Hollywood is a strictly painting by numbers affair. It's fine if you want an introduction to the man and his work but there's very little in the way of insight into the man himself and how his life experiences shaped him and his acting. There's a lot here on his love life, his battles on the set of Gone With The Wind and his problems on the set of his final film, The Misfits. Harris is rather an unimaginative writer too - he seems to revel in starting sentences with the words "Due to etc etc etc". OK as it goes, but don't expect a great read.

Strange Places, Questionable People by John Simpson. The first semi-autobiographical work by the BBC's World Affairs Editor - a review of the second is below. This is another collection of fascinating tales from the life of a well-travelled journalist, although with rather more chapters about his early life than the other work. That, I found, rather slows the book down but it's worth ploughing through to get to the gripping, tragic, hilarious and moving stories from his professional career. There's material here about his work in Afghanistan, Serbia, South Africa and eastern Europe during the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as his spell at Westminster as a political editor. It's packed with heroes, villains and truly awful people. A must read for anyone interested in the world and international diplomacy.

Star-Crossed Orbits by James Oberg. A fascinating account of the Russian/American collaboration in space during the 1990s and beyond from a world-class authority on the Russian space programme. Oberg uses his considerable range of contacts to tell the so-called true story, free of the spin generated by NASA and its partners. We get some hair-raising tales from the Mir-Shuttle programme and yet more from the International Space Station project. Some relate to safety, others to how the cash-starved Russians have exploited the Americans. If only half of it is true, it does make you question why and how these programmes ever - literally - got off the ground. Sobering and thought-provoking.

Disasters and Accidents in Manned Spaceflight� by David J Shayler. It all sounds rather grim but it's not all death and destruction - sometimes it's just the near misses. This book describes in detail a number of famous disasters - Apollo 1, Challenger, Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11 - as well as incidents that could've been disastrous for the astronauts and cosmonauts concerned from the dawn of human spaceflight through to the Shuttle and Space Station flights of today. Of course, we think of spaceflight as routine these days but this book shows just how dangerous it can be. Engrossing stuff.

Starman by Jamie Doran & Piers Bizony. This is a slim but readable biography of the life of Yuri Gagarin, the first human being to go into space. Based on a TV documentary and expanded with additional material, it follows his life from a childhood dominated by Nazi invasion and atrocities during World War Two, to his fascination with planes and his training to become a cosmonaut. The actual flight is covered in some detail as is the aftermath - a period in which Gagarin became a huge international celebrity. The post-flight years brought its traumas, political complications, problems with drink and adultery, as he battled to deal with fame. He yearned to go back into space but was considered too important a personality to be put at such risk. Ironically, he died in a plane crash as he prepared to prove he was fit for spaceflight. A good read.

Korolev by James Harford. Until his death, Korolev was known simply as the Chief Designer - the man who spearheaded the Soviet Union's drive into space. His remarkable energy and organisational capacity saw to it that the Soviets beat the US in the race to put the first satellite and man into space. This book tells his life story, which included a spell in the Gulag as a result of Stalin's purges. We are taken through his role in the development of rockets and his attempts to put a Russian on the moon before NASA. However, Korolev would die three years before Armstrong walked on the lunar surface. The book is a fascinating read, although it sometimes lurches into technical detail somewhat beyond the capacity of an amateur like me! Harford fortunately continues the story of the Russian space programme beyond Korolev's death to give as an insight into his legacy.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. One of my great interests is space and the human exploration of our solar system yet I've never read Wolfe's legendary book until now. It's the story of the men who went on to become the first seven astronauts in America's Mercury space programme, following their lives as test pilots through to Alan Shephard's first manned spaceflight, John Glenn's first orbital flight and beyond. Written as a cross between novel and non-fiction, some have questioned the accuracy of some of the tales told but it's fascinating reading, fast-paced, breathless and colourful. People come alive in Wolfe's books, turning what could be a dry fact-based story into a truly captivating one.

Franco by Paul Preston. A huge biography of the Spanish dictator, who ruled Spain for four decades after coming to power in the Civil War of the 30s. Preston's research is faultless and the detail impressive, from his birth in northern Spain to his death as the last fascist leader in mainland Europe. What emerges is a master manipulator of men whose principal goal seemed to be power - whatever it took to achieve it, Franco did it. Preston charts his progress during the Civil War, his flirting with Hitler and Mussolini, his ruthless and brutal grip on power and his never-ending quest to ensure the survival of his regime after his death - one that would fail when King Juan Carlos took control. It's impossible to like the man for all his repressive ways but hard not to be impressed with the way he manipulated those around him to achieve ultimate power - and keep hold of it against all the odds.

Hitler's Pope by John Cornwell. A damning indictment of Pope Pius XII, Eugenio Pacelli, who led the Catholic church during and after the Second World War and has been accused of doing little to help the Jews persecuted by Hitler. Cornwell explains in his book that, at the start of his research, he had been planning to clear the Pope's name of the accusations but as he progressed he became convinced that Pacelli was guilty of turning his back on them in German, Italy and Eastern Europe. The book is also a history of how the Vatican and Pacelli did much to increase its power at the expense of the clergy and its followers in countries around the world, signing treaties which not only increased the Pope's power but, in Germany, offered Hitler a clear path to dictatorship. If this is Christianity, then you can forget it.

The Last Place On Earth by Roland Huntford. Following on from Shackleton (below), comes this dramatic account of the race for the South Pole between Amundsen and Scott. Written with Huntford's usual attention to detail, he gives us potted biographies of both explorers before launching into their various polar exploits. What emerges is a picture of Amundsen as organised, an inspired leader and a man who could learn lessons from his experiences and those of others. Scott, on the other hand - a fabled hero in English history - is proven to be inept and a deeply flawed leader. Indeed, it could be said that Scott condemned his men to death and that, rather than being hailed a hero, he should go down in history as reckless and incompetent. This book is not without its critics, hurt by his condemnation of Scott, but it's hard to argue with his conclusions.

Shackleton by Roland Huntford. A detailed but wonderfully readable account of the life of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and his remarkable talent for survival. The stories of how he almost made it to the South Pole are deservingly the stuff of epic and legend. Shackleton is often ignored in the race for the pole but Huntford marks him down as a trailblazer and great leader of men, even if his expeditions were deeply flawed. Compared to Captain Scott, whom Huntford slates, Shacks was inspiring even when his most famous mission ended in near-disaster and he had to lead his men over 2,000 miles of ice, snow and ferocious oceans with few supplies and little shelter. The only criticism I have is that the author assumes knowledge of seafaring - and to us landlubbers some of his descriptions and terms can be rather confusing. Even so, this is fine stuff.

Cocaine by Dominic Streatfield. You MUST read this book! It's a history of the drug cocaine and how it emerged from the South American continent to become one of the biggest sources of income for criminals around the world. Streatfield writes a gripping tale, exposing the myths surrounding the drug, meeting the drug barons, charting the damage it did to South American economies and telling the real stories of people who became addicted. On the way he ridicules a lot of press coverage and the politicians, whose head-in-the-sand approach to drug use has only succeeded in making the problem worse. This book is packed with incredible stories, of good guys and bad, and is truly one you will find hard to put down.

A Mad World, My Masters by John Simpson. The BBC's World Affairs Editor publishes his second autobiographical work but rather than following a conventional timeline, he breaks his story up into sections on heroes, villains, special places and so on. Here are recollections from his travels, during which he has covered some of the biggest stories of recent decades. Some are moving, others hilarious, a few more are dramatic and highlight the dangers journalists expose themselves to. If you're interested in news and current affairs, this is a must-have book and a great read as well as a great behind-the scenes look at news-gathering and some of the people who've made the headlines.

Killing For Company by Brian Masters. Here's a book from 1986 that i have been re-reading - and a disturbing one it is too. In it, Brian Masters takes a penetrating look at British gay serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who murdered 15 men over a period of four years. He traces Nilsen's past, the often revolting details of his crimes and his trial, seeking clues as to why a seemingly normal man could become such a ruthless killer. He was helped by Nilsen himself, who wrote copious notes on his life and crimes while in prison. This is a disturbing book, but one that is essential reading if you want to try and understand the mind of a man like him.

The Hidden Hitler by Lothar Machtan. A controversial new book which claims that Hitler was gay - or at the very least bisexual. Written by a German scholar, the work resolves many unanswered questions about the dictator's private life and motivations but ultimately is a collection of circumstantial evidence. He recounts the memories of Hitler's friends and associates from his pre-politics days as well as those from after his rise to power, incuding some famed gay Nazis like Rohm. The problem is there is nothing conclusive here, mainly because so much source material was destroyed by Hitler and his cronies. Still, Machtan makes an interesting case and one leaves the book thinking there is much truth behind his conjectures.

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey Some books are good, others are a revelation. Peter Carey's new biographical novel falls into the latter category - and in 2001 it won the UK's biggest literature prize, the Booker. It tells the story of the real-life, 19th century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly but in a remarkable way. The book is written as if by Kelly himself, a history and justification of his life, deeds and misdeeds and intended for the eyes of the daughter he never knew. And as Kelly was poorly educated, Carey writes as a semi-literate figure, jumbling spellings and grammar. At first sight, it's difficult to read but that soon passes and the reader is drawn into a gripping tale. Included in this meticulously researched work are details of Kelly's upbringing, an account of the murders and his other criminal activities and an explanation of why he would become one of Australia's great folk heros. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Down Under by Bill Bryson. The best travel writer of his generation travels to Australia after his previous books on American, Britain and Europe. He visits the big cities, the coastal resorts and the big tourist attractions but also explores the lesser known Oz tourists rarely see. Bryson writes with his usual flair, generating plenty of laughs with his wry observations. There's plenty of history here too as well.

One Day in September by Simon Reeve. A fine example of investigative journalism, Reeve's book tells the story of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics of 1972 and the revenge missions undertaken by Israel in its aftermath. The account of German attempts to rescue the hostages reads like a farce and it would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. The book also offers a good introduction to the root causes of the conflict between Jews and Palestinians.

Rimbaud by Graham Robb. Rimbaud was the somewhat notorious 19th century Frenchman who took the world of poetry by storm as a teenager, scandalised nations with his behaviour and left a trail of devastation in his wake. As dramatically, he dumped poetry, went off to live in the middle east as a businessman and explorer and died young of cancer. Robb's thrilling account of his life is dramatic and witty and confirms him as one of the great modern biographers. Buy in the US