The ‘puritan’ MP Bulstrode Whitelocke went home on 24 December 1651 to be ‘merry’ with family and friends ‘in this time of Christmas’. It’s not clear if he broke off his celebrations to attend the House of Commons on 25 Dec.

"In an era where the authentic written word is under threat....English isn't just about reading the past--it's about understanding the power of words and narratives in the present and future and giving our students the skills to successfully navigate the world". True of all UK English programmes.

2025 has been the year of James.

... Jo Applin on Louise Bourgeois’s latex Nick Richardson on alchemy Helen Pfeifer on Suleyman the Great @alicehunt.bsky.social on James VI and I Clare Bucknell on Byron in Ravenna a poem by Anne Carson and a cover by Anne Rothenstein. Read online now at www.lrb.co.uk

www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie... A lovely tribute to the brilliant John Carey, whose work I return to again and again and again.

Being a fan of punctuation, I loved this short @thespectator1828.bsky.social piece on the hyphen. In particular, the self-consciousness of this: 'When you use a hyphen, you are near-sacred.'

This sounds good!

Thank YOU @mrsamin.bsky.social. Inspirtational and thought-provoking few days meeting this wonderful group of history teachers as part of the @histassoc.bsky.social teacher fellowship with The Visible Crown colleagues @profannawhitelock.bsky.social @gracemc971.bsky.social and Kate Quinn.

Yes! I LOVE this bookshop.

Thank you, Owen. V happy to hear this.

Thank you @stuartbj.bsky.social. What a lovely post to see - and on my birthday too! 🙂

Definitely! And especially if it's al fresco reading.

Cheers, Tracey!

‘The republic was a great age for English satire. Royalist laughs had been generated by rejecting certain social norms and annoying Puritans with wilful impurity – fart jokes, heavy drinking and a celebration of sex and dancing.’ Jonathan Healey on England’s republic: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

A fantastic listen – Prof @alicehunt.bsky.social talks about Britain's oft-maligned revolutionary decade and how it actually laid the groundwork for the radical changes in the years following it www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/podcast/brit...

‘As the old order creaked, new ideas flourished, particularly in religion: radical sects emerged not only from the London streets but from country towns and the ranks of the parliamentary army.’ Jonathan Healey on the English Commonwealth: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

A superb piece of journalism in The Observer: it seems like the one of the sacred texts of Nature Writing (TM) is not quite as much of an unflinchingly honest read as claimed observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

'Until recently,​ trade publishers have avoided England’s republic – as too dowdy, perhaps, and too complex. But now it’s all the rage.' It is, it is! V pleased with @jonathanhealey.bsky.social's review of my book REPUBLIC in the latest @lrb.co.uk @faberbooks.bsky.social

And wit music too! Lovely cover reveal.

25 poems written between the eighth century and today = 25 time machines into moments in England's past. My new #history #book A History of England in 25 Poems, out September 2025 with Penguin Allen Lane (available for pre-order now). www.penguin.co.uk/books/461263...

Looking forward to being a bookseller tomorrow at the wonderful @pgwells.bsky.social to celebrate #IndieBookshopWeek @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social and I have recommended some of our favourite non-fiction books -- some of which can be glimpsed here 👇

📚 'Magisterial.' Suzannah Lipscomb 📚 'Gripping.' Malcolm Gaskill 📚 'Evocative.' Clare Jackson 📚 'Superb.' Jessie Childs 📚 'Compelling.' David Kynaston 📚 'Thrilling.' Paul Lay Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade 1649-1660 by Alice Hunt is out in paperback today! www.faber.co.uk/product/9780...

We also have a brilliant article from Alice discussing six poems from Britain's Republican past which you can read here on the Faber Journal. www.faber.co.uk/journal/alic...

@cathamclarke.bsky.social was so thoughtful on the relationship between literature and history, and fascinating on how writing for non-academic audience can be so unexpectedly emotional -- and in a good way. Can't wait to read #AHistoryofEnglandin25Poems

Really looking forward to this.

Very pleased @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social picked up Carys Davies' Clear which had been carefully placed on his bedside table. Love The Writer's Bookshelf [email protected]

Joyous launch last night @dauntbooks.bsky.social for The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain - the brilliant new book by @profannawhitelock.bsky.social which gives us James I waking up to the rest of the world.

And I answered: 'yes'.

Cannot wait to read this.

Many congratulations to Brian Thornton. It was a privilege to be on the judging panel for this with @uk.theconversation.com .

Ah, thank you @andymack.bsky.social Very pleased to hear this. And narrated so well by @sophierobertsaudio.bsky.social

Thank you @rchrdbkr.bsky.social !

Very nice to see 'Republic' on display in the finest museum in the country @cromwellmuseum.bsky.social

'Less terrifying and foreign'. Job done! Thank you @laurenworking.bsky.social

one for you, @jamesmcconnachie.bsky.social

Ah, thank you. And narrated so beautifully by @sophierobertsaudio.bsky.social #Republic @faberbooks.bsky.social

'Something of the thriller about it.' Thank you, Jonathan! My book, Republic, with @faberbooks.bsky.social

Thank you, Hugh. I had no idea when I began this book how much those 'overturning, overturning days' would chime with our own.

From Paris to India, King Richard II to the Commonwealth of England, here are our favourite books of 2024 w/ @josephinequinn.bsky.social @claremulley.bsky.social @josephhone.bsky.social @daisydunn.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social @alicehunt.bsky.social www.unseenhistories.com/our-favourit...