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MICHAEL BILLINGTON has seen some eight thousand plays since he became a critic in the 1960s. In his new book, State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945, he examines the history of post-war Britain from a theatrical perspective. He explains how theatre can either reflect something in the air or, at more radical times, can anticipate or suggest the way society is going. He discusses the satire boom of the Sixties, musicals as a reflection of Thatcherism, as well as the growth of political theatre under the Blair years. State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945 is published by Faber and Faber.

To collect great art you need passion, energy and friends ... but not always money. In a new book, JAMES STOURTON, Chairman of Sotheby’s UK, examines the most important collectors in the world since 1945, from great dynasties such as the Gettys and the Rothschilds, to patrons and collectors like Peggy Guggenheim and Charles Saatchi who have supported new generations of artists. Great Collectors of Our Time: Art Collecting Since 1945 is published by Scala Publishers.

The Wagner Clan, for better or worse, is Germany’s most famous family. JONATHAN CARR tells their story – a tale of generations of strife and intrigue centred on the ill-named family seat Wahnfried, roughly meaning "peace from delusion". He discusses the clan’s much venerated and deeply despised founders and the family’s role during the so-called ‘Third Reich’. He also reveals that Wagner’s music did not become more popular under Hitler’s regime as is often claimed. Jonathan's talk, Wagner and the Wagners, takes place at the British Library on Monday 29 October at 6.30pm. His book, The Wagner Clan, is published by Faber and Faber.

The stained glass of the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge has had a chequered history, but it survives today as a glorious monument to the kings who commissioned it and the glaziers who made it. CAROLA HICKS talks about the long commissioning process, the fighting between the Flemish and English craftsmen and the power and wealth reflected in the glass. The King’s Glass: A Story of Tudor Power and Secret Art is published by Chatto & Windus.