Today’s featured articles
Mark Twain painted an evocative vision of the 19th-century Mississippi River, but he didn’t tell the whole story.
Today sacrifice is seen as a barbaric, pagan practice, but it was central to the formation of early Christian identity.
Shortly after Edward Lee arrived in Europe he found himself embroiled in a bitter dispute with one of the era’s most famous intellectuals. He was soon reviled across the Continent.
Most recent
‘The China Question’ by Ho-fung Hung review
In The China Question: Eight Centuries of Fantasy and Fear Ho-fung Hung watches the West swing from Sinophilia to Sinophobia and back again.
The Legend of the Gibbet
Did live gibbeting ever take place in Britain? For the Victorians, the macabre question was a pressing one.
On the Spot: Alec Ryrie
‘Who is the most overrated person in history? Henry VIII. Nasty piece of work and not as clever as he thought he was.’
Human Canaries: Remembering the Munitionettes
The women who served as munitions workers during the First World War endured dismal conditions and a plethora of dangers: illness, injury, and death. Why are they barely remembered?
‘Capitalism: A Global History’ by Sven Beckert review
Capitalism: A Global History by Sven Beckert looks beyond the cities to the coffee and cotton that fuelled a global market.
Party in the USA: The 1976 Bicentennial in Boston
In 1976 Boston saw the bicentennial celebrations of the United States as an opportunity to revitalise the city.
‘Liberal Worlds’ by H.S. Jones review
Liberal Worlds: James Bryce and the Democratic Intellect by H.S. Jones explores the lost world and writing of a formerly eminent Victorian.
The First Tour de France
On 1 July 1903 a publicity stunt for a sporting paper cycled into history as the first Tour de France.
Current issue
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In the July 2026 issue:
The Declaration of Independence, Black Loyalists, how England learned Old English, sacrifice and early Christianity, and the Hans Crescent strike.
Plus: reviews, opinion, crossword, debate, and much more!
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