Have you been considering blasting through Bleak House this Christmas? Or fighting through The Complete Works of Shakespeare? Why not step back and read one of these books about books instead? From a monumental biography of the great Ian Fleming to Hilary Mantel’s wonderfully clever writings and the untold stories of some long-suffering literary wives, you will find the most engrossing literary reads in our list. Or if you fancy some rhyming couplets, pick up one of our top poetry collections.

What’s your favourite poem about death? Perhaps it’s Tennyson’s In Memoriam, the thundering verses “l dull narcotics, numbing pain”. Perhaps you prefer something softer –– Christina Rossetti’s quietly tender injunction “If you should forget me for a while … do not grieve”.