THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (May 2, 2025): The 5.4.25 Issue features ‘The Happiness Issue’…Susan Dominus on what we’ve learned from nearly a century of research into happiness; Molly Young’s depressing week in “the happiest country on Earth”; Kwame Anthony Appiah on how the idea of happiness got small; Jance Dunn on tips from experts on finding bliss; and more.
The seeds of a renaissance for the British country house were sown in the mid 20th century, argues John Martin Robinson
Bringing ‘beauty’ back
Lord Deben assesses his 1997 ‘Gummer’s Law’, conceived to aid the creation of new houses
Radbourne Hall
John Goodall hails the revival of the 1740s Derbyshire house
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
A question of technique
Mary Miers meets the experts keeping country houses and their collections in working order
Chillingham Castle
The Northumberland landmark lives on, discovers John Goodall
1975 and now
What a difference 50 years make
Asleep no more
Tiffany Daneff celebrates the designers bringing our leading country gardens back to life
Knowsley Hall
John Goodall finds the Lancashire home restored to its former glory
And now for something different
Diversification has revived the fortunes of many an estate in the past 50 years, reveals Kate Green
What’s on at the big house
This year’s country-house events
Stowe
John Goodall charts the survival of this Buckinghamshire gem
Ready for anything
Arabella Youens examines how owners are equipping their houses to thrive for the next 100 years
Wimborne St Giles
John Goodall lauds this award-winning restoration in Dorset
You saw it here first
It’s not all about the gardens — John Hoyland profiles some of the plants that made their name at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
In cloud cuckoo land
The evocative, echoing cuckoo’s call reverberating across the meadows heralds the arrival of spring for John Lewis-Stempel
Today’s pollen account
Hayfever sufferers may not agree, but Ian Morton argues that pollen’s contribution to life on earth is not to be sneezed at
A rainbow of ribbons
The maypole has been the source of merriment and mayhem for centuries, as Deborah Nicholls-Lee reveals
Stuart Procter’s favourite painting
The Beaumont Mayfair hotel CEO chooses an intriguing work with an air of mystery
The legacy
Amie Elizabeth White reveals how Constance Spry revolutionised flower-arranging a century ago
Interiors
Digital printing and panoramic wallpapers offer endless possibilities, learns Arabella Youens
Foraging
Poetry inspires John Wright, as he seeks out the saccharine, aniseed smack of sweet cicely
Arts & antiques
Carla Passino is captivated by the calming 19th-century landscapes of Utagawa Hiroshige, an artist who continues to inspire today
Other countries have watched their democracies slip away gradually, without tanks in the streets. That may be where we’re headed—or where we already are. By Andrew Marantz
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: The 4.27.25 Issue features Jason Zengerle on a college volleyball player catapulted to the heart of the debate over trans athletes in women’s sports; Amanda Hess on how the internet comforted and tormented her after her son was diagnosed with a rare illness; and Mitch Moxley on a particularly strange quarter-of-a-billion dollar crypto heist; and more.
They Stole a Quarter-Billion in Crypto and Got Caught Within a Month
How luxury cars, $500,000 bar tabs and a mysterious kidnapping attempt helped investigators unravel the heist of a lifetime.
THE NEW REPUBLIC MAGAZINE (April 23, 2025): The latest issue features ‘How the Radical Right Captured The Culture’…
Who Were Those Gullible People Who Believed Donald Trump’s Bullsh*t?
His campaign promises, from peace in Ukraine to “beautiful” tariffs, were truly unbelievable. And yet, somehow, many people believed him.
Will Trump Finally Kill the Bretton Woods System?
For better and often for worse, the U.S.-led IMF and World Bank have dominated the post–World War II international economy. Project 2025 and the Trump administration could change that.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (April 18, 2025): The 4.20.25 Issue features Paul Tough on rethinking A.D.H.D.; Rowan Moore Gerety on going to civil court without a lawyer; Jonathan Mahler on the G.O.P.’s recent affinity for Russia; Mark Yarm on the techno-utopians colonizing the sea; and more.
Have We Been Thinking About A.D.H.D. All Wrong?
With diagnoses at a record high, some experts have begun to question our assumptions about the condition — and how to treat it.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE (April 11, 2025): The 4.13.25 Issue features Coralie Kraft on bunkers; Amy X. Wang on D.I.Y. influencers; Conor Dougherty on a case for American suburban sprawl; Jesse Barron on rebuilding the Palisades; Marcela Valdes on troubles with contracting work; and more.
It was an idyllic pocket of Los Angeles where people knew their neighbors — and homes sold for $5 million. The fire ignited competing visions for its future .By Jesse Barro