Personal essays on culture, history and everyday life, such as Parisian café culture, Victorian terrace housing and Britain's shift from wood to coal. Readers get readable, lightly researched explorations of how past design and habits shape modern life.
Website: https://dean-smith.ghost.io/
Long-form essays on the history of innovation and the causes of the British Industrial Revolution, drawing on archival research. Recent issues cover the salt trade, Scotland's outsized role in invention, and Tudor labour laws and trade.
Tomas Pueyo writes long-form explainers on AI, technology, economics, history and demographics, usually grounding current trends in historical context. Readers get framework-driven analysis, charts and sourced arguments, with some articles behind a paywall.
A Substack of comic literary and historical writing, including modernized retellings of classics like Lucian's Dialogues of the Gods, rankings of oddities such as London livery company mottos, and curated archival finds like children's Rorschach responses. Readers get witty, erudite essays and humor pieces, with occasional housekeeping notes about subscription pricing.
A newsletter that shares articles from the Works in Progress print magazine, covering ideas for improving the world through progress, technology and economic growth. Recent issues include essays on dining in Brazil, the history of porcelain and how Chinese local governments drive economic growth.
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