1stAngel & Friends

The house which helped to inspire JM Barrie’s classic children’s story Peter Pan is to be put up for sale.

Moat Brae gardens inspired JM Barrie to write Peter Pan

The Scots author played in the gardens of Moat Brae in Dumfries as a child and later cited it as playing a part in the “genesis” of his famous work.

The former nursing home was previously sold at auction in November 2000. Read more

Three authors have been shortlisted for this year’s Orange Award for new female writers, to be announced on 4 June.

US writer Lauren Groff has been chosen for The Monsters of Templeton, about a woman returning to her ancestral home in the wake of a disastrous affair. Read more

Pop star Lily Allen has withdrawn “by mutual consent” from the judging panel of this year’s Orange Prize for Fiction, blaming ill health.

“Lily had read extensively for the first stage of the judging process,” said the singer’s spokesperson.

However, he continued, she “recently found that she was unable to commit 100% to the role due to ill-health”.

Kate Mosse, honorary director of the £30,000 prize, said she was “very sad” Allen could no longer participate. Read more

Author Elif Shafak, who was prosecuted for “insulting Turkishness” in her book The Bastard Of Istanbul has been longlisted for the Read more

A 1937 first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit has been sold at auction to an anonymous bidder for £60,000 - twice what it was expected to reach. The Hobbit was Tolkien’s most successful book, establishing his name as an author, and was a prequel to the longer Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Maps, photographs and manuscripts will also be sold at Bonhams in London.

The copy of The Hobbit is inscribed to Tolkien’s friend Read more