What is Histories, then?

Histories is a regular newsletter exploring the hidden corners of history, usually in the English-speaking world, often Britain as that’s where we’re based, but also the USA and beyond.

Each week we’ll send you an article on a historical theme. Andrew’s Histories channel offers carefully curated excerpts from articles, diaries, letters and memoirs of the past; these alternate with Paul’s History of Things series, delving into the stories behind everyday objects and products we take for granted.

If you enjoy reading these articles, please consider a paid subscription as a small form of patronage!

Histories is brought to you by history journalist and editor Andrew Chapman – I’ve been writing in the history field since 2003. I’m the editor of three magazines, Discover Your Ancestors, Local History News and Northern Earth, which also has a Substack, The Hare. The History of Things is by Paul Lenz, a writer and researcher alongside being director of finance at a non-profit software organisation. Together we have collaborated on all sorts of other projects over the years!

We’re in the UK so a lot of our material comes from British history, but we also look across the whole English-speaking world for interesting tales to share. But you’ll have to forgive our British spellings.

(Speaking of spellings, we have sometimes lightly edited some of the historical extracts to modernise spelling and some punctuation, purely for clarity, while preserving the words and tone of the original writers.)

If you like this sort of stuff, do please spread the word, too! Please click the like button that comes with each newsletter, and use the sharing options: these things make a huge difference. And if you come across great sources for these sorts of stories, please let us know! Replies to the newsletter will come directly to us and we like to hear your ideas and comments.

User's avatar

Subscribe to Histories

Regular stories from the hidden corners of history. Histories uses the words of those who were there; The History of Things explores aspects of everyday life.

People

Writer, walker, nonfic book publishing consultant and history magazine editor
I am someone who is overwhelmed with curiosity about the history of everyday objects