PD James: Pride and waspishness

The note to her sister Cassandra describes the author's excitement at receiving the first printed copy of her book 200 years ago

'It is a truth universally acknowledged ...'

These are the nut-jobs who believe Obama is a Muslim and the Jews were behind 9/11

When academic and biographer Paula Byrne announced the discovery of what seemed to be a new drawing of Jane Austen, there was a frenzied debate over the picture's authenticity. Arguments are bound to be reignited by the news that the controversial portrait will go on display at the Bodleian Library in Oxford as part of the celebrations for World Book Day, before moving to Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton this April. The picture, showing a thin-faced woman gripping an inky quill, accentuates Austen's professionalism.

The second series of 'Sherlock' gets us off to a promising start, and there's always more 'Downton' to look forward to

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Paul Ritter, Mark Strong

Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – first line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains" – rocketed into the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list when it was released last year, capitalising on zombie culture's recent rising from the dead (Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, was released in October; Juno's Diablo Cody is developing a romantic comedy entitled Breathers: A Zombie's Lament).

Time was when a new Nicolas Roeg film would have been a proper date for the diary.

Biblical themes are relished in a new US drama, and the devil gets all the best lines

Sarah Kane's legendary play Blasted begins with one of the best opening lines in world drama, as the foul-mouthed, possibly paedophilic journalist declares to the young girl he has brought to a Leeds hotel room: "I've shat in better places than this."

Jane Austen writes to her sister Cassandra: "Our second evening's reading [of Pride and Prejudice, recently published] to Miss B. had not pleased me, but I believe something must be attributed to my mother's too rapid way of getting on: though she perfectly understands the characters, she cannot speak as they ought. Upon the whole, however, I am quite vain enough and well satisfied enough. The work is rather too light and sparkling; it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn nonsense, about something unconnected with the story; an essay on writing, a critique on Walter Scott, or something that would form a contrast, and bring the reader with increased delight to the playfulness of the general style."