some of you are looksmaxxing when you need to be booksmaxxing

Every two weeks I play trivia with pals. Every two weeks we get zero questions about the War of Jenkins’ Ear. Really makes me wonder what the point of anything is.

Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.

So a true story: the moving company is charging us a “library surcharge” because we have “too many books,” which frankly I find both credentialing and insulting.

Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin

Someone told me lately "Bluesky is just like Twitter." I argued that was untrue on the basis that last time I had a Twitter account most times I got a new follower their bio said "single & looking for fun" & here when I get a new follower it tends to say something like "professor of rare moths".

Academic authors, these scammers will be coming for you soon (if they haven’t already.) PLEASE check with your publisher if you get an unsolicited email offering book marketing, publicity, book club services, etc.

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience

Attn nerds: our annual history sale started yesterday and runs through 2/20. 25% off, free shipping over $50, code is HIST26. www.press.jhu.edu/books/histor...

Yes, we have a book on [gestures at everything] that www.publishersweekly.com/9781421454580

I don’t have kids but one time a child with whom I am acquainted paused, looked me right in the eye, and asked “do you ever wish you were a different person?” Would have loved to have gotten a question about Gay instead but she has two moms so she was already up to speed, alas

El Museo de la Memoria y Los Derechos Humanos in Santiago, Chile, has an exhibit called El Dolor de Los Niños (The Pain of Children) and it is all letters/drawings like this and it is one of the most upsetting things I have ever seen. mmdh.cl/exposiciones...

If you want people who are not your closest friends and colleagues to read your book it has to be short. I’m sorry. I don’t like this either. It troubles me on multiple levels. But it is very clear: readers want shorter books.

Okay erudite pals. Who’s writing smart commentary on The Testament of Ann Lee that I should be reading?

Two of Napoleon’s adversarial Marshals succumb to their passion for each other while being honored by L'Empereur at Fontainebleau. Fêted Rivalry

Knowing that a lot of fantastic, dedicated journalists in DC are looking for opportunities: JHU's Agora Institute has a call out for Visiting Fellows. The 2026-27 theme is Democracy and the Media. It's nonresident & carries a modest stipend (unfortunately no benefits). It's open to practitioners.

I am looking for a part-time research assistant in the Cambridge (Mass.) area to help with a history of the Academy. Details at bit.ly/4asu0Pr and feel free to DM or email me with questions.

A reminder, dear ones: you are now receiving 1099s for royalties PAID in 2025 for earnings for books SOLD in 2024. You’ll get your royalty check for 2025 sales (typically) in March/April (check your contract for specifics) and a 1099 for that amount NEXT year.

For us lady scholars, who have been known to critique homogenous male academic cliques and spaces as exclusionary… consider the money and elite networks that ALL these men benefitted from. All because those lady scholars were likely a bit less interested in sexually assaulting 14 year old girls.

"It may take time to prove you're right, but you have to stick to it." - Fred Korematsu Jailed for refusing to abide by FDR's Exec Order 9066, he took his case against internment all the way to the Supreme Court - and lost. Remember him on Korematsu Day, January 30th. 1/

A reminder for Baltimore residents that if you (or your elderly, infirm, disabled, etc) neighbors are unable to clear your sidewalks, you can request help from a shoveling volunteer via 311 (search for “Snow Corps Resident Request”) balt311.baltimorecity.gov

Almost 256 years ago, when British soldiers were occupying a city that was restless in their presence but still firmly part of the empire, a confrontation ended in the shooting death of five people, with 6 more wounded. This offset image of the Boston Massacre is so evocative. 1/

❤️ u, Baltimore

okay hear me out

If scrolling the news makes you feel like trash, go out and do something kind for another human being. It will help. And look, I am a cynic. It annoys me, deeply, how well this works. But it does.

Need unambiguous statements of support by everyone — from Walz and Klobuchar and Smith to Schumer and Jeffries— for state and city law enforcement standing up to lawless DHS.

If you’re a journalist on TV right now, use your fucking eyes and ears and words. Don’t let people pretend a public execution didn’t happen.

I know I recommend this book a lot, but if reading about the good people of Minneapolis, Minnesota stirs something in you, you should read this book

"Slavery was real" Tiny sign at the base of a brick wall that, until yesterday, held panels about the people enslaved by George Washington. Presidents House, Philadelphia.

Dear #BookSky Minneapolis has an absolutely incredible literary culture. In fact, three of the most important small presses call the city home; Coffeehouse Press, Graywolf, and Milkweed. There are also a ton of great bookstores in the Twin Cities. So here's the assignment...

remarkable how much contempt this white house has for the nation’s historical and artistic treasures

The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up. Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵

Gotta tell ya, this is not a good time to know a little bit about a lot of the past. These career choices I made twenty years ago, I did not have this kind of thing in mind. I just thought publishing books was cool. (Rookie mistake, but then again, I was a rookie then.)

'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a library in possession of a good Jane Austen biography, must be in want of some googly eyes.'

For years I have had one singular white whale joke I’ve wanted to make in Baltimore, and finally I’made it.

There’s visible snow on the ground and even so, no panic-buying bread/milk/eggs. Proud of you, Maryland.

Reminder about this. Deadline to opt-out is Jan 29. Deadline to submit a claim is March 30.

Hi - I'm one of the American people. What I'm demanding is that you focus on what it takes to protect American citizens from the "papers please" temu gestapo

New year, great books! Save 30% on bestsellers with code HBEST26. From popular science must-reads like "Why Whales Sing" to essential current event titles including "The Black Butterfly," now is the time to save on our top-selling books. https://tr.ee/8MPR9f

My editorial business has mostly recovered from the funding shocks of last winter, but two changes seem permanent: everyone has lost control of their schedule, often for reasons beyond their control and the gender ratio is reversed.

Let me just say, for the millionth time: know what your professional red lines are, write them down, remind yourself of them often, and to the extent possible, prepare yourself (financially, emotionally) to be able to walk away if you need to

Free book time is now, people. #AHA26

Early Americanists, you know what to do.

I couldn’t be there this year, but it’s always fun to see your book on display at the AHA. The paperback edition of The Contagion of Liberty drops Feb. 3rd!

What's striking to me after 4 years of op-ed workshops and now this trade proposal workshop: "Why should readers care?" is a key component to any of these endeavors for scholars to reach the public.

Let me tell you a lil secret, #AHA26. Tomorrow starting at 9am I’m gonna give all these books away FOR FREE. First come first served, one per person, please form an orderly queue, etc. Exhibit closes at noon.

Sympathies to the young girl who just had to be carried out by her parents, crying because she didn’t want to leave the bookshop.

Anyone else see it? Just me? (@ Hilton Chicago)

It is a very strange time to be a historian of normal guys who joined the SS and then gleefully enacted unimaginable cruelties in the name of building a racially homogeneous ethnostate. All of my instincts are just screaming at me that the worst is not even close to being here yet.

This week, a few writers have told me they don't know how to promote their books in the face of the ever-horrifying news cycle. So just for the record: PLEASE promote your books. We need your books. Your histories, your fictions, your contributions to human knowledge. Without them, what's the point?