Saddened by the passing of John Grady, an incredibly collegial, supportive and public-minded editor and writer. It was an honor to get to know him through the Biographers International military history roundtable.

Posting somewhat belatedly, here's a piece I wrote for the Boston Globe about Evans Carlson's visions for the US and China in WWII. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/11/o...

New interview just posted, talking about Evans Carlson with the School of War podcast. Great conversation with a really knowledgeable host. open.spotify.com/episode/4nlM...

#histbookchat Having recently read "The Raider" by @stephenplatt.bsky.social‬, I'm chuffed that @ww2tv.bsky.social will have Stephen on #WW2TV to chat about the extraordinary #USMC Evans Carlson on August 4. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoHH...

An Interview with Stephen R. Platt. www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/features/an-... @aaknopf.bsky.social @stephenplatt.bsky.social #Booksky

A street scene in late Qing-dynasty Beijing—layers of commerce, Peking dust, and daily life. Likely around Qianmen, ca 1900.

The new Xi Zhongxun biography by @josephtorigian.bsky.social (published by @stanfordpress.bsky.social) is an amazing achievement and has so much to teach us about CCP politics and 20th century Chinese history. My thoughts:

Lively and thoughtful review just up at @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social by @kellyahammond.bsky.social on The Raider, gripping new trade book on the complex life of an American soldier by @stephenplatt.bsky.social & an edited collection on US-China relations 1937-1949 lareviewofbooks.org/article/gras...

USMC 3rd Battalion 4th Marines march in the Shanghai International Settlement, 1933

A @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social interview on my to listen list (first in the military history category), this one with @stephenplatt.bsky.social on his new book about China & WWII and a many faceted American soldier newbooksnetwork.com/the-raider

One of my favorite interviews I've done on The Raider just posted today. The Curious Man's podcast. Great host, insightful questions. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Here's an interview I did with Scott Rank at History Unplugged: "How a Marine Embedded with Mao Zedong’s Guerrillas in the 30s Became WW2’s Most Celebrated Special Forces Leader" www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-unpl...

Read an excerpt from @stephenplatt.bsky.social's new book "The Raider": chinabooksreview.com/2025/05/15/t...

Talking China, opium and empire with the inimitable Will and Anita at the Empire podcast. This was the final episode of their marvelous "Victorian Narcos" series: podcasts.apple.com/tm/podcast/v...

Wide-ranging interview with the excellent War Books podcast: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkqV...

Here's an excerpt from my new book: chinabooksreview.com/2025/05/15/t...

In 1937, a U.S. military officer set off with Mao Zedong’s troops to raid Japanese-occupied territory in the north of China. The Communist guerillas, he felt, could be a model for America's military to emulate. Read an excerpt from @stephenplatt.bsky.social: chinabooksreview.com/2025/05/15/t...

Out today! 🏖️ FEVER BEACH by Carl Hiaasen 🌊 THE BOY FROM THE SEA by Garrett Carr 🚲 LIFE AND ART by Richard Russo 🕯️ HOW TO BE WELL by Amy Larocca 🪖 THE RAIDER by Stephen R. Platt 👁️ NEVER LET ME GO (20th Anniversary Special Edition) by Kazuo Ishiguro

Happy to report that I've got a new book out, The Raider.

Congratulations to Edward Wong for winning the first-ever Baifang Schell Book Prize!

Come for the wild story, stay for the history! Tickets: berkshireolli.org/event-6162274 Prof. Stephen R. Platt on his book: The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. ET Online via Zoom

Very interesting podcast episode (Trump as Qianlong??). Podcast doesn't really do justice to how far EIC and British govt were apart on China (much better in @stephenplatt.bsky.social book), but A+ snark from podcast host

This is probably the most fun I've had at a book talk. Imperial Twilight, in conversation with William Dalrymple at the Jaipur Literature Festival. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IPr...

US Marines in winter uniform by Soochow (Suzhou) Creek atbthe foot of the Garden Bridge (Waibaidu) during the 1932 January 28 incident aka the Shanghai incident (January 28 – March 3)

Had a great conversation about opium and war in 19th-c China with Russell Hogg of the "Subject to Change" podcast. t.co/5jjVcXBXNy

Talking Opium and China with the BBC's History Extra podcast. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

So much fun talking about the Opium War and trashing on the East India Company with William Dalrymple last week in Jaipur.