@simonelliott20.bsky.social has spent the last years reconstructing the life of the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus. Here he makes the case for him as an astonishing and consequential figure in ancient history and, perhaps, 'the most powerful person ever born in Africa'.👇

When the first railways were introduced in the early 19th century they were regarded as objects of wonder, but the 1940s western Europe's developed rail network played a significant role in the Holocaust. @monisharajesh.bsky.social recounts the story of one young boy who survived this persecution👇

The Maginot Line is remembered as an expensive failure. Built in the 1930s to safeguard France from German expansion, it was rendered useless in just a few weeks as Hitler's forces blitzed their way to the north of it. @passmorek.bsky.social explores the invasion of the Maginot line in May 1940👇

From herrings to Queen Elizabeth II, the Caribbean to Christopher Marlowe, here are a selection of history books that will be released over the month ahead. Featuring new books from @tracyborman.bsky.social @drmirandakaufmann.bsky.social @cathamclarke.bsky.social And many more 👇

There are between one and two billion cars on the world's roads today; central to the control of all of them is the steering wheel. But as @timqueeney.bsky.social explains, the steering wheel evolved well away from any highway. It first appeared in the Enlightenment as a way to steer vessels at sea👇

In the desperate days of the Second World War, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle emerged as sources of strength and hope to their respective people. But they were very different personalities. Now, Richard Vinen has written a joint biography of the two men he calls, 'the last titans'👇

As the 19th century opened, Britain faced an existential crisis. Just a short distance away Napoleon's army gathered on the Channel coast. The terror of that historical moment was very real – Andrew Lambert investigates how British politicians spent the next century ensuring it was never felt again👇

This summer, author Louis D. Hall set out to explore the history of his homeland of Fife, north of Edinburgh; an enchanting place of hills, estuaries and coasts. Setting out on foot he discovered stories of adventurers and witches, saints and scholars👇

It is 80 years since the fighting stopped in August 1945 and WW2 reached its dramatic conclusion. While one era of history ended, another conflict had begun. As Churchill memorably put it, 'An iron curtain has descended across the continent.' Barrett Tillman analyses the events of that month.👇

As the summer wanes, in the countryside the fields grow busy. Directly ahead lies the harvest, an event that has always been of critical importance to human societies. Daniel Stables, author of the book Fiesta, looks back at some of the vivid traditions that have long animated this time of the year👇

Long before Nelson Mandela began his 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island off Cape Town, it held many other people captive. From 1845 onwards, in particular, leprosy patients were taken to the island. In this excerpt from his book, Outcast, @olibasciano.bsky.social evaluates this history.👇

Over the past few years scholars have uncovered stirring new evidence about the existence of fierce warrior women who lived in Scythia bearing a resemblance to Penthesilea, the Amazonian queen in Greek mythology. It might be there’s a link, and the myth may well be grounded in factural accounts👇

‘A thrilling, illuminating perspective on a continent that is closer than we think.’ Chuffed to see #SmallEarthquakes included in the @unseenhistories.com summer books preview alongside some fascinating looking titles. @hurstpublishers.bsky.social www.unseenhistories.com/history-book...

“Rope” makes this excellent list of history books being published in August! @iconbooks.bsky.social

📚 From Mary Queen of Scots to Fidel Castro, the Monsoon to earthquakes, here’s our selection of anticipated new history books that will be released over this summer. With new books by @marinawarner.bsky.social, @shafikmeghji.bsky.social, @timqueeney.bsky.social and many more👇

Gertrude Stein was a writer, art collector, avant-gardist and a free-thinker. Her significance as a twentieth-century cultural figure is acknowledged by all, but there remains something mercurial about her. In her new book, Francesca Wade reflects on her creative output and considers her intensions👇

In her new book, author @lallymacbeth.bsky.social examines the role folk culture has played in our history. In this excerpt from The Lost Folk, she recounts the stories of Barbara Jones and Florence White, gifted collectors who found deep meaning in everyday English food👇

The launch of Operation Barbarossa on this day in June 1941 was one of the critical moments of the Second World War. Having conquered in the north, south and west, Hitler's Nazi forces turned towards the east. Richard Hargreaves examines the opening of Barbarossa in great and illuminating detail 👇

Long before Earhart came Jack Alcock and Ted Brown. In 1919 they achieved an aviation first when they flew non-stop across the Atlantic. They raced alongside three other teams, in simple planes, with no support through unpredictable skies. @rooneyvision.bsky.social tells us about 'The Big Hop'👇

Before 1200BC the eastern Mediterranean was home to a number of young but thriving civilizations. In a mystery that has perplexed historians, these empires collapsed. Most of them vanished so completely, writes @paulmmcooper.bsky.social, 'that they disappeared from the historical record altogether'👇

Today marks the paperback publication day of @cathfletcher.bsky.social's book, The Roads to Rome: A History. In this exclusive feature, she reflects upon travellers' tales and political spaces as she follows Europe's Roman roads👇

From tanks to planes, the Indian Empire to the stars, here is a selection of anticipated new history books for June 2025. www.unseenhistories.com/history-book...

By the time you read this, 81 years ago, the largest amphibious invasion in recorded history had begun on the Nazi-occupied shores of Normandy. See how it unfolded, here👇 unseenhistories.substack.com/p/d-day-nine...

81 years ago, the final preparations were made for the biggest amphibious invasion in recorded history. Over the next three days, 19 historians tell the story of D-Day in 44 iconic images in this commemorative feature, reformatted for your inbox. Subscribe via the link👇 unseenhistories.substack.com

The Medieval Age was a time of great craftmanship and colour with beautiful illustrated manuscripts, produced by hand. Among them was the Voynich Manuscript, discovered in 1912 and kept today at Yale. Garry J. Shaw, the author of Cryptic, tells us about the world's most mysterious manuscript👇

A little more than a century ago, Edwardian Britain was transfixed by the audacious crimes of Violet Charlesworth. @markbridgeman.bsky.social reconstructs the slippery life of a lady whose relish for dishonest trickery turned her, for a short time, into 'the most famous woman in the world'👇

Thank you so much, @unseenhistories.com, for the kind words on #EagleDays! So happy to hear you enjoyed reading it - and it is always so touching when a reviewer acknowledges the hard work that has gone into the research process 🥰

From Gertrude Stein to Thomas More, the Sahara Desert to D-Day, our May preview has arrived, with new books from @helencarr.bsky.social, @spitfirefilly.bsky.social, @alexchurchill.bsky.social, @drjoannepaul.bsky.social and more👇

The Unseen Histories Studio has two restored and colorized photographs for the VE Day commemorative supplement in today's edition of @thetimes.com – thanks to our creative director @jordanacosta.co, Joshua Barrett, @newsukarchives.bsky.social and @mjjjennings.bsky.social, Andrew Keys and Matt Fearn

📚 From Homer to Columbus, Saint Petersburg to Atlantis, our April 2025 preview is here – with new books by @robcowen.bsky.social, @emilyhauser.bsky.social, @laurainparis.bsky.social, @postalpathsguy.bsky.social and more👇

Hallo, new followers! For the making of HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY and what our monsters reveal, check out an interview in @unseenhistories.com: 1/n 💙📚 🗃 #ancient #medieval #earlymodern #histsci #histmed #politics #18thCentury #HAMH www.unseenhistories.com/humans-a-mon...

The conflicts of the first half of the twentieth-century were unsparing. As the author Jonathan Glancey explains in this excerpt from his new book, Operation Bowler, Venice was not just threatened with aerial bombs, but it had also been subject to an attack of a very different sort by the futurists👇

In her new book, Propaganda Girls, Lisa Rogak relates the extraordinary WW2 story of a group of women – including German-American actress Marlene Dietrich – assigned to the US Office of Strategic Services, their days were given over to the creation of misleading, enticing and suggestive material👇

From werewolves to witches, 'monsters' have long been a subject of intrigue and speculation within human societies. They both attract and repel. But what exactly are they? @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social casts her eyes back from the Epic of Gilgamesh of the ancient past through to AI algorithm 👇

📚 From Picasso to Lloyd George, Japan to the Beatles, our March 2025 preview is here – with new books by @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social @sophiehaydock.bsky.social @tlgrady68.bsky.social @hallierubenhold.bsky.social @ianleslie.bsky.social and more👇 www.unseenhistories.com/history-book...

@franquinn.bsky.social has been drawn back to the tragedy of the Titanic for her new book, The Lost Passenger. Researching it anew she confronted a traumatic event whose effects impacted lives long into the twentieth-century. Read how on Unseen Histories👇

One day in December 1960 the president-elect, John F. Kennedy, was on his way to church in Florida when a car loaded with dynamite approached. @bradmeltzer.com tells us about a failed assassination attempt that very nearly altered the course of history👇

Throughout her life the Countess of Castiglione collaborated with the French photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson. Their joint aim was to capture the beauty and style of a lady who was described, when she died in 1899, as 'one of the most extraordinary women of this century'. Meet the countess👇

When we talk of the ancient past it is easy for our minds to fly to the Platonic Academy in Athens or the Colosseum in Rome. Owen Rees ushers us away from these familiar spaces. We have much to learn, he argues, by re-faming the view and looking outwards to 'the far edges of the known world'.👇

Edition #4 is landing in subscribers' inboxes as we post. The Dispatch is our monthly roundup of book previews, interviews and other long-form content. You can read the latest edition on Substack by following the link below👇 open.substack.com/pub/unseenhi...

After the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807, the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron was formed. Its ships were to seize vessels carrying slaves across the Atlantic Ocean; it succeeded in rescuing 160,000 Africans from the hands of trans-Atlantic slavers.👇 www.unseenhistories.com/predator-of-...

We all know the plays, but when it comes to the man himself, things become rather more hazy. Biographers have struggled to assemble a clear picture of Shakespeare's life. Howard Linskey looks back at the most mysterious phase of Shakespeare's life👇 www.unseenhistories.com/william-shak...

Big news. Bookshop.org is now offering eBooks! Bookshop is a big online consortium of indie bookstores. You shop like Amazon, but all the profits go to indies! There's no need to shop-- or to sell your books-- through Amazon again. I've used it for a couple years now. Erase Bezos from your biz!

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In this excerpt from The Cold Crematorium (@vintagebooks.bsky.social), Hungarian-language novelist and poet József Debreczeni describes arrival at the Auschwitz Extermination Camp in May 1944.👇 www.unseenhistories.com/cold-cremato...

Eiffel's 'tower' was intended to be the centrepiece for the planned Paris Exhibition of 1889. In July 1888, Roger Viollet captured the workers' progress. The red stood out sharply in the haze of a overcast Parisian day. No one had ever seen anything like it.👇 www.unseenhistories.com/the-eiffel-t...

Italy was a central theatre of conflict during the Second World War. Under Benito Mussolini it formed a central part of Hitler's Axis Alliance. Yvonnick Denoël takes us back to the Second World War and the Vatican's efforts to secure their wealth. 👇 www.unseenhistories.com/vatican-spie...

As a crowd of 5,000 watched on, Johnny Reynolds performed a thrilling series of tricks in Washington D.C. on 5 September 1917. A photographer buzzed around as Reynolds worked. One of these shots frames Reynolds - a forgotten twentieth-century figure - in a pose that once thrilled a generation.👇

Find your thunder #food

Edition #3 of The Dispatch went out this morning to our email subscribers. If you want a monthly roundup of long form interviews, book previews and more directly in your inbox, why not subscribe?

From Dante to Haiti, Shakespeare to Socrates, here's a selection of anticipated history books that will be released over the month ahead from @danelawdawn.bsky.social, @juliandrichards.bsky.social, @agcallard.bsky.social, @waatcoconut.bsky.social and more👇 www.unseenhistories.com/history-book...