A Feather in her Cap
A global trade in feathers, with London at its heart, saw hundreds of millions of birds killed every year. Emily Williamson waged a long and furious campaign against it.
Recently published
Blow-by-Blow
The scorchingly honest assessments of the great and not-so-good that flowed from ‘Chips’ Channon’s poison pen.
Is Caribbean History the Key to Understanding the Modern World?
Four distinguished scholars consider a historical question of enormous contemporary resonance.
A Tyrant goes on Trial
Charges were brought against Peter von Hagenbach at the ‘first international war crimes trial’, held on 9 May 1474.
Death of an Occultist
Madame Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, died on 8 May 1891.
‘The Happy Traitor’ by Simon Kuper review
The Happy Traitor: Spies, Lies and Exile in Russia. The Extraordinary Story of George Blake unpicks the motives and damage inflicted by the double agent.
Polling in a Pandemic
The general election of 1918 was a ‘cynical muddle’ held as influenza killed thousands across a country emerging from the First World War.
The Lives of Napoleon
The erstwhile emperor continues to attract biographers and readers alike. Laura O’Brien assesses recent work on his life and legacy.
Breaking Time’s Arrow
A meditative, intensive and sweeping critique of the discipline of history.
Out of Time, But Not Out of Tune
We should listen to the voices of the past, for they may surprise us with their relevance.