The material on the covers of books from a French abbey was too hairy to have come from calves or other local mammals.

A scientific analysis of dozens of 12th- and 13th-century books found in European monasteries reveals they were bound in sealskins procured by Norse traders from as far away as Greenland.

I thought you were staying on a barge?’ my partner replied when I sent him a picture of the deep copper bath in my ensuite.