Virgin Islands of the Atlantic
The first ‘New World’ reached by Europeans was not in the Americas, but in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where previously uninhabited islands were transformed forever.
History Today
Beyond Bletchley: GCHQ and British Intelligence
Britain’s largest intelligence agency marks its centenary this year. While its home is a distinctive architectural structure, what goes on inside remains little known.
On The Spot: Sunil Amrith
My favourite archive? The India Office archives at the British Library.
A Second British Revolution
Over the last 30 years, the UK’s political class has swapped ideology for values and sleepwalked into major constitutional and political change. What can it learn from the last time it faced a crisis of such magnitude?
Travels Through Time: Witchcraft at Work
Folklore continued to be an active and potent force in 19th century Britain.
In Praise of Older Women
Early modern historians, obsessed by widows and spinsters, have neglected the sexuality of other middle-aged women.
The Golden Ages
Successful cities, by the very nature of mercantile and intellectual exchange, must be multicultural and tolerant of diversity.
Building Borders
The Aliens Act of 1905 created a new type of immigrant to the UK and a new way of dealing with them.
On The Spot: Justin Marozzi
What’s the most important lesson history has taught me? That we learn nothing from it.
Good Time Charlie
A new book presents an account of Charlemagne, year by year, without hindsight.