The shock of the new
Whatever we expected from books in 2000, says Humphrey Carpenter, it certainly wasn't Nasty Nick or cod biographies

Ones to watch
A good year for biography and novels both new and oddball. Chief critic John Carey picks out some of the highlights of 2000 from T E Carhart's The Piano Shop on the Left Bank to Julian Barnes's Love, etc

Biography: In love with lives
Miranda Seymour peers into the worlds of the great and the not so good with biographies of George Orwell, Hans Christian Andersen and Queen Victoria

Science: Natural selection
John Cornwell makes his choice of scientific wonders

Travel: One step beyond
Anthony Sattin is haunted by images of far-off places

Gardening: Back to nature
Hedgerows or roses? Town or country? Gardeners of all varieties will enjoy Caroline Donald's choices

Pop/Jazz: For the record
From the Beatles to Bill Clinton, Robert Sandall mixes it for Christmas

Audio Books: Fine figures of speech
Karen Robinson bends her ear to the year's best talking books

Classical Music: Striking the right notes
Stephen Pettitt compiles a varied musical ensemble

Photograph & Design: Picture this
Colin McDowell snaps up some treats of the photographic kind

History: Echoes of the past
Kevin Sharpe selects the history books that have stood the test of time this year

Military: Fighting fit
John Crossland makes his choice of the military books of the year

Film & Theatre: Santa's show-stoppers
Christopher Bray makes his choice of the year's starriest books

Politics: Diary produce
Anthony Howard calls for order among some of the hottest political memoirs leaked this session

Art: Master works
Frank Whitford surveys a stunning collection of art books

Architecture: The bold and the beautiful
Hugh Pearman takes his pick of the year's most stunning and ambitious architecture books

Food & Drink: Good-taste guides
India Knight picks out a mouthwatering selection of cookery books

Sport: Champion reads
Nick Pitt chooses the year's high scorers

Fiction: The write stuff
Novels that hit the spot for Peter Kemp

Poetry: Stanzas deliver
Sean O'Brien chooses Poetry collections for all tastes

Children's Books: A winter wonderland
They don't beep, they don't break, and they won't disappoint. Nicollete Jones on the books that will make Christmas extra special for children

Audio books: Listening presents
A selection of talking books for children