The Society for Military History is now archiving historical materials related to military history that are disappearing from federal or state websites. We are open to submissions, anonymously or otherwise. Please see www.smh-hq.org/archivedreso... and note there the submission links.

Read our letter to Meta, sent last week, condemning their unlicensed use of authors' work to train AI. #DoTheWriteThing #MetaBookThieves - societyofauthors.org/2025/04/04/t...

Great news: the full rights to the Lisle bio have just been signed back over to me. So I can now think about revisions, which it sorely needs: it's 10 years old now. Cheriton first, though; getting the THB website running again, and getting the newsbooks online. Anyone know how I can clone myself?

In an infringement of copyright & total disregard for my livelihood, many of my academic publications have been taken without my consent to train AI. I stand with the @Soc_of_Authors Action. Pls sign & share this petition to protect authors' rights: www.change.org/p/protect-au...

Following the news about Meta's mass theft of writers' work to train AI, we're joining the #DoTheWriteThing day of action today - Make a noise on social media - Write to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy - Tell Meta they don't have the right to use your books writersguild.org.uk/do-the-write...

Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition which now stands at 10,000+! If you haven't added your name, #DoTheWriteThing -

The Ecclesiastical History Society is delighted to join BlueSky and the #academic community here. Our Society is dedicated to the study of all things #churchhistory. We will be moving from posting on our X account soon, so please give us a follow!

Whether genealogy, history, or any other discipline. Always. view. the. original. document. Never trust the third party, even if they are the UK GRO and the copy they give you is "certified" as correct. Their incorrect transcription in 1997 threw us off track for nearly 30 years.

PLEASE, please, stop following the empty accts. You know the ones: no pfp, bio, posts, replies. You know they're sockpuppets, right? Bad faith managed accts that quietly accumulate followers, before eventually going live to those followers as a spam or disinfo channel. How does it work? >>

Thanks all, for reposts yesterday regarding legal advice 👍 (I've deleted the call-out now)

Rather than use Signal they should have asked me to take minutes for them. There's no way in hell the best cryptographer would ever decipher my handwriting without me there to explain 👀

I'm looking for references to the smell of death, decay, and cadavers in the early modern period. Any pointers would be much appreciated!

This

🚨 THIS WEEK🚨 Forget the myths—Cromwell and the Levellers weren’t on the same page. @1642author.bsky.social explains how this political movement sought more radical changes than even Cromwell wanted. 🎧 #Levellers #CivilWarHistory Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2b957f #Histor#Levellers#CivilWarHistory#History#Podcast

The MHRA has transitioned from Twitter/X and will now use Bluesky to communicate our work. We are excited to contribute to establishing Bluesky as a dynamic, inclusive, and engaging platform for academic exchange and collaboration. To celebrate this new chapter, we are hosting a book giveaway! 👇

🚨 THIS WEEK🚨 When we look back, we often project our ideas of democracy onto the past. @1642author.bsky.social shows why the English Civil Wars don’t fit that narrative. 🏛️ #HistoryMisconceptions #PodcastTalks Listen now 🎧 pod.fo/e/2b957f #Histor#HistoryMisconceptions#PodcastTalks#History#Podcast

I was expecting this stunt from eBay at some point. Instructions below about how to opt out.

💥 BOOSTING 💥 Buy from Kennys. www.kennys.ie Screw Amazon and buy indie. This has always been my advice to my own customers tho: buy from an indie like Kennys or from me direct. In my case I can sell my own books cheaper than Amazon, but still make more £ per copy! Customer wins/indie wins/I win.

My god, the petty defensiveness of follow farmers and obsessive account collectors, when you put them on a polite "please go away" list. How dare I not want to be a grain of sand in their involuntary "following 167k" club! I'm desperate for Bsky to offer soft blocks, or follower confirm/deny.

❓Naval history question! ⚓ "Letters of marque" and "letters of reprisal": were these the same thing, or were they different legal instruments (though obviously to the same end)? In Oct 1642 the English parliament is using "letters of reprisal" (E.124[14]). #navhist #earlymodern #history

Dear media, please stop saying AI is “training” on copyrighted works. AI is “stealing” copyrighted works. It is “plagiarizing” copyrighted works. It is “breaking multiple laws.”

Amen

Poor future schoolkids. Poor future students. Poor future historians. Imagine being a future person having to learn about and try and understand our present. Make things a little easier for them, start keeping a diary. A proper one, on paper. Start soon.

Slava Ukraini.

Here's my dad + friend in a dinghy off Xeros on the N coast of Cyprus, Aug 1964. While out in the dinghy, they narrowly missed being strafed by several Turkish Air Force jets that screamed down the beach and attacked two Greek patrol boats in the nearby harbour. Battle of Tillyria, Aug 6–8 1964.

I just found a family document from 1944 with a swastika on it. Understandable, as the family was German and everything state-issued had swastikas on it somewhere, but nevertheless still a jolt to actually see one on a piece of paper, in my hand, for the first time.

As I was saying. My little site coming "home" in the next couple of months, current host's servers are in Ohio.

On 3 Mar 1644, in front of the "Oxford Parliament", George Wilde preached a sermon on Psalm 122, verses 8 and 9, dedicated to "Sr William Boteler Knight, High-Sheriffe of Kent, and Colonell to a Regiment of Horse for His Majesties Service." 1/3

I don't want to dunk on respectable accts otherwise doing good things, so I'll sub-post my vp on this: Pepys was a confessed serial sex predator who blighted many women's lives. Today he'd be shunned, so let's not hypocritically fetishize his life & career. Diary is useful but the man was a POS.

First event of the year at Wolsingham Library was a great morning with lovely feedback: If your library/organisation might be interested in a talk about Charles I, Prince Rupert, or the Civil Wars, please do get in touch - or even suggest they stock 'Charles I's Private Life'!

Huzzah!

🎁 gift boxes start from £7 You choose what goes in it, we prepare it, and send it for you Choose Yorkshire shortbread or luxury chocolate, pick a card, decide on a hot drink and we’ll wrap up adding bookmarks and voucher. For a few extra £s you can add extras too🎁 foxlanebooks.co.uk/gift-wrapping

So the BBC is running a story about "What it's like when Elon Musk brings his children to work". Not that I ever expect much spine from the BBC, but clearly the appeasement is spreading. And no I won't link to the article - f* the BBC.

Why are major academic publishers using sentence case for titles on book covers, and not title case? What fresh hell is this #publishing

Ah, another Civil War gunpowder explosion to add to my growing collection!

In 1943 the RAF bombed my family's house in the Ruhr. The rubble was used to build a new house nearby. As a boy, my Dad was shown an aluminium "beam" holding up the walls: ironically, the salvaged wing spar of a B17 that crashed nearby. It was still stamped with the details of its US manufacture.

From 21 February @royalhistsoc.bsky.social will be closing and archiving its X account. From this date all updates from the Society - and its promotion of work by fellow organisations for #history and the humanities - will be via BlueSky. Please encourage colleagues to join us here #skystorians

“I too have felt despair many times in my life, but I do not keep a chair for it; I will not entertain it. It is not allowed to eat from my plate.” https://www.mavenproductions.com/letter-to-a-young-activist

Ahoy fellow Brits with Microsoft 365 who don't want CoPilot shoved down their throat today. (read the whole thread, it explains precisely how MS are being sneaky, and what not to get fooled by during the cancellation process)

I now have 1,642 followers. How appropriate! Thanks all for honouring me with your attention. I'm striving to return to my regular 17thC newsbook posts (not least because my business is attached to them) but Life: I'm not helping much, am I? Me: *hard stare*

Welcome! 🌞

Some time ago I decided that before the end of 2025 I'd switch my web hosting to a UK-based business that uses UK/European servers. Now I'm thinking I'll make that happen before Easter.

Off topic, but what the hell, it's the weekend (part 2) "Teddy Slasher IV -- It Came From the Patio"

🟢The notifications have slowed now (phew! My account was unusable), so if you still need a response from me about something else, for example if I've inappropriately added you to one of my admin lists as I try to sort out my followers, now's a good time to @ me so I can rectify.

💥 Boosting! Paging WWII history folks who might not be aware of this book. #WWII #history

Off topic, but hell, it's the weekend You've heard of "riding the tiger", well this is the canine version

❗I'm overwhelmed with notifications at the moment and I'm probably missing stuff, so if what you need from me is not directly related to the viral Amazon post, or is about user lists, please wait a couple of days until the tsunami stops, or DM me if you're able. Thanks for your patience.

A note to all my followers! Re lists I'm changing my "read later" mod list (followers whose content I haven't properly enjoyed yet, as right now I have so many I can't keep up!) into an ordinary list (which it should have been in the first place). So don't be alarmed if that shows up on Clearsky.

Well, going viral was interesting. New followers hello and welcome! 🌞 If you're also a new Bluesky account, welcome to Bluesky. BUT pls add a profile pic, fill out your bio & start posting your own content (not just reposts), or you'll look like a bot & you'll be reported & blocked here, lots 🫤