Long-form historical essays on overlooked episodes, from Bentham's Russian inspection house to a British gossip columnist's resistance to appeasement and the Hanseatic League's trade wars. The writing is literate and narrative-driven, offering context and wit that a reader would not easily find in a standard news digest.
Website: https://www.bugeyedandshameless.com
Long-form essays on history and astronomy, pairing archival detective work with clear explanation of scientific and historical puzzles, such as a disputed 1680 star observation and solar neutrino experiments. Readers get careful, well-sourced narratives that show how evidence is weighed and where uncertainty remains.
The Grey Ledger Society publishes tabletop roleplaying game material, including a setting for The Black Hack about independent cargo crews and a Mörk Borg supplement about the dead and the membrane between worlds. It also runs essays on technology and history, such as a critique of Sherry Turkle's book about talking to machines.
Kyle Orton writes long-form analysis of terrorism, geopolitics and Middle East and Caucasus affairs, with substantial historical and source-critical depth. Readers get detailed essays on topics such as the Karabakh conflict, Armenian casualty figures and Iranian-linked threats to Britain.
Niall Ferguson's Time Machine is a Substack newsletter from historian Niall Ferguson that uses historical analysis to examine current economics, politics, and culture. Issues cover topics such as European protests and debt, American founding principles, election-year risks, and newly unlocked Nixon White House tape transcripts.
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