Category Archives: History

ARCHAEOLOGY MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026

Archaeology Magazine: The latest issue features ‘Making Ancient Music’…

The Music of Time

Tuning in to the sounds of the ancient world

A Change in Fashion

Hoards of lavish gold and silver neck rings buried on an English hill reflect dramatic social change

Cultivating Fields of Stone

Peru’s ancient farmers used intricate rock maps to plan for the future

Where Was Ancient Egypt Born?

Archaeologists are reimagining a time before the first pharaohs

2,000 Years Under the Sea

The story of Greece’s famed Antikythera wreck is finally being revealed

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – AUGUST 5, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features

The legacy

Kate Green salutes Scotsman John Muir, national-parks pioneer

Floating on cloud nine

John Lewis-Stempel turns his eyes to the sky as he marvels at the myriad forms of cirrus, stratus, altocumulus and more

Spreads from Country Life August 5, 2026

Winging it

The sparrowhawk is the silent assassin of the Unloved Birds’ Club. Mark Cocker investigates its effect on songbird numbers

A princely project

Garden restoration and creation have combined to glorious effect at the Palace of Bishop Auckland in Co Durham, finds Mary Keen

Spreads from Country Life August 5, 2026

Wendy Holden’s favourite painting

The author chooses a work that changed the course of history

Country-house treasure

A curious cabinet of Catholic dolls catches the eye of John Goodall at Browsholme Hall, Lancashire

A life in architecture

Clive Aslet assesses the stellar career of Quinlan Terry, hailed The King’s favourite architect

Spreads from Country Life August 5, 2026

It’s written on the wind

Larch disease — which is spread through water and air — is the latest threat to our woodlands, reports Matt Ramsden

A kiss from a rosé

English wine producers are in the pink as their blushing still and sparkling tipples fly off the shelves, reveals Emma Hughes

Dressing for success

With a sprinkle of salt here and a drizzle of olive oil there, Tom Parker Bowles works his magic on the most humble of salads

Spreads from Country Life August 5, 2026

Luxury

Amie Elizabeth White smells the incense and rides a nauti-cal wave for summer style

Interiors

Arabella Youens applauds a pied-à-terre transformed and Amelia Thorpe eyes standout ceramics

Spreads from Country Life August 5, 2026

London Life

Will Hosie turns green with envy, seeks the perfect pad and reels around the capital, plus our writers have all you need to know this month

‘It must have seemed like Disneyland to the Victorians’

Horsepower has been hauling the trams of the Isle of Man for 150 years. Octavia Pollock is invited to go behind the scenes

Travel

Pamela Goodman visits Schloss Dyck in Germany and unearths a Scotsman’s garden in bloom

Arts & antiques

‘Fowl, fish and beasts’ were staple subjects for sporting artist Francis Barlow, as Carla Passino learns

In a glass of its own

Corinne Julius admires the talented British artists heating up the world of studio glass

And much more

LITERARY REVIEW MAGAZINE – AUGUST 2026 PREVIEW

LITERARY REVIEW : The latest issue features ‘What the New World did for Us’

An Epic for the Ages

The Odyssey By Christopher Nolan (dir)

Letters from a Cataclysm

Orator: The Life of Cicero and the End of the Roman Republic By Catharine Edwards

Temples of Doom

Pericles: Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric By Paul Cartledge
Hubris: Pericles, the Parthenon, and the Invention of Athens By David Stuttard

Knowing Classics

Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature By Emily Wilson

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS – AUGUST 20, 2026

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features

Artful Weaving

The most authentic thing about Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is its densely braided narrative, but its tormented hero sounds like the heroes of Christopher Nolan movies.

Whose Party?

As Democratic Socialists rack up primary victories, the moderate wing of the Democratic Party looks increasingly out of touch.

Trump’s Constitutional Dictatorship

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s inside account of the Trump administration portrays a president with a vast appetite for power but who repeatedly backs down when the costs of his actions become too high.

Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

Out of the Rubble

In novels written immediately after World War II, Wolfgang Koeppen mined the conscience of Germany.

Pigeons on the Grass by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German by Michael Hofmann

The Hothouse by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German and with an afterword by Michael Hofmann, with an introduction by Pankaj Mishra

Death in Rome by Wolfgang Koeppen, translated from the German and with an afterword by Michael Hofmann, with an introduction by Joshua Cohen

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 29, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features

All the small things

We overlook the importance of insects at our peril, says Charles Harris, as he marvels at the fruit flies that share our genes and the moths that supply strands of silk

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

A room with a clue

Deborah Nicholls-Lee searches high and low for the concealed rooms and secret spaces that are an intriguing quirk of so many British country houses

Luxury

Facials, fragrance and bold and beautiful summer jewellery with Amie Elizabeth White, plus a few of the Duchess of Beaufort’s favourite things

Born to be wild

Charles Quest-Ritson visits East Lambrook Manor in Somerset and is heartened to find the home of Margery Fish’s ‘jungle gardening’ in good hands

Vicki Anstey’s favourite painting

The adventurer chooses a work showcasing human resilience

Country-house treasure

John Goodall surveys artworks by the Staithes Group — the first English Impressionists — at Brockfield Hall, North Yorkshire

Revival and renewal

In the second of two articles, John Goodall explores James Wyatt’s influence on the interiors at Curraghmore in Co Waterford

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

The legacy

Kate Green lauds Benjamin Britten’s lasting impact on Arts and culture in his beloved Suffolk

Winging it

Mark Cocker examines the folklore and infamy of the magpie

Where there’s a grill, there’s a way

John Lewis-Stempel reads the smoke signals as a barbecue fires up Neolithic nostalgia

Alders and betters

Alnus glutinosa is an ancient pioneer species with a key role to play on our riverbanks, as Vicky Liddell discovers

Spread from Country Life July 29, 2026

Interiors

Arabella Youens admires the colour and comfort added to a Jersey farmhouse and a splash of zest is best for Amelia Thorpe

Travel

Rosie Paterson enjoys an island paradise off France’s Côte d’Azur

Arts & antiques

Grégoire the grey toad brings a wealth of pleasure to Frederick Fischer, Lalique UK managing director, as he tells Carla Passino

A kind of magic

Multi-talented, multi-disciplinary artist Es Devlin shares the secret of her success with Corinne Julius

And much more

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT – JULY 24, 2026 PREVIEW

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: The latest issue features ‘Emily Brontë’s mysterious power’….

Uncloistered

Oxbridge in the postwar world By Richard Vinen

Freeing life from facts

The awesome, mysterious work of Emily Brontë By Claire Harman

All very hush-hush

Silence in literature By Daniel Karlin

Feel good philosophy

Should human life have a purpose? By Crispin Sartwell

HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE – AUGUST 2026 PREVIEW

History Today August 2026
HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Caesar and Cicero’s War of Words’

How Inevitable Was the Rise of the Chinese Communist Party?

It is the most powerful political party in the world, controlling China’s future as well as its past, but was the young CCP in control of its imperial destiny?

Charles Darwin’s Sexual Revolution

The potential implications of Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection did not sit well with Victorian gender mores – or with Darwin himself.

‘Empress Matilda’ by Elisabeth van Houts review

Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English by Elisabeth van Houts is a sympathetic biography of the woman who would be king.

Caesar and Cicero’s War of Words

As ancient Rome was divided by civil war Cicero found himself torn. Caesar was his old adversary, but he was also powerful, and it was politically and personally expedient to support him.

Making Crusading Great Again?

Would St Augustine have considered the US attack on Iran a just war? The pope and the vice president are split on the matter.

The Free Brazilian Press

Brazil’s first newspaper was published from London by an exiled Freemason on first-name terms with British royalty. Who was Hipólito da Costa and what was his news?

1936’s Promise of Peace: Roosevelt on Campaign

In August 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a boldly pacifist campaign speech, promising no American would have to go to war. It had seemed a realistic promise.

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 22, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features

Meet Peggy, Britain’s naughtiest dog

Agnes Stamp meets the cereal-snaffling, bed-wrecking, turkey-wrangling miniature bull terrier who took the title—and rounds up the best (or worst) of the rest

Spreads from Country Life 22 July 2026

The 39 steps to being a good dog owner

From clamping down on begging to sweetening bad breath, William Hanson presents his guide to modern pet-iquette

Ian Seath’s favourite painting

The Royal Kennel Club chairman chooses a work that celebrates canine collaboration with humans

Pup and coming

There have never been so many options for pampering your pooch. Mary Skipwith explores the rapidly evolving world of canine luxury

Spreads from Country Life 22 July 2026

Country-house treasure

John Goodall marvels at the extensive 18th-century library at Powderham Castle in Devon

The legacy

Kate Green applauds Enid Blyton for dreaming up the spirited adventures of the Famous Five

A power in the landscape

In the first of two articles, John Goodall explores the early history of Curraghmore in Co Waterford, one of Ireland’s great houses

Spreads from Country Life 22 July 2026

Bone appétit

Why settle for discarded street snacks when there is succulent chicken on the menu, asks Jack Russell Maud Parker Bowles

Interiors

Arabella Youens investigates interiors designed with pets in mind and Amelia Thorpe shares accessories for the (dog) house

Winging it

Why can’t we learn to love the wood pigeon, asks Mark Cocker

You got me there

David Profumo pursues tricky brown trout in a day on the Test

Everything bar the Oompa Loompas

Harry Pearson visits The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, which has traded in treats since 1827

Spreads from Country Life 22 July 2026

Luxury

Fruity accessories offer rich pickings for Amie Elizabeth White

Colour for all seasons

Kathryn Bradley-Hole admires the spectacular successional planting in the new gardens of The Copper House in Kent

Travel

Steven King savours the spirit of the Hebrides and the natural beauty of the Isle of Harris during a stay at historic Rodel House

Spreads from Country Life 22 July 2026

Arts & antiques

The rise of service à la russe in the 19th century turned the tables in upper-class British dining, discovers Carla Passino

To say nothing of the dog

Michael Prodger examines the history of canines on canvas and reveals how artists have warmed to Man’s best friend

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – JULY 15, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features the magic, power and beauty of water, pays tribute to the king of British powerboating and enjoys the Victorian splendour of Scarborough.

Why our water is going down the drain

Investment, organisation and effort can guarantee secure water supplies for everyone in Britain, argues Lord Deben

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

The power of water

Kate Green surveys the surging strength of the Severn Bore, the haunting beauty of the flooded Somerset Levels, life on the edge at Dawlish and the capital’s mighty Thames Barrier.

Why every drop counts

People who work with water tell Kate Green and Mary Skipwith why we need to reconnect with our most precious resource

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

Up with the gulls, to bed with the owl

Patrick Galbraith experiences an eventful day in the life of the ever-changing, but enduringly beautiful Cley estuary in Norfolk

On peak form

Artists such as Turner, Bierstadt and Wolf took painting to new heights with their depictions of mountains, finds Michael Prodger

Let all the world sing

The 2026 BBC Proms promises to be a truly global spectacle, as Henrietta Bredin discovers

The queen of spas

Scarborough in North Yorkshire is the original Victorian seaside resort. Kathryn Ferry charts the development of its spa complex

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

The Revd Sam Wells’s favourite painting

The St Martin-in-the-Fields vicar chooses a painting where ‘magnificent humanity’ is laid bare

Country-house treasure

John Goodall unearths evidence of Bowood in Wiltshire’s wartime role as a ‘beacon of recovery’

Pooling assets

George Plumptre is charmed by the Anglo-Italian landscape at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

The legacy

Agnes Stamp pays tribute to speed merchant Sir Max Aitken, the king of British powerboating

Winging it

Mark Cocker assesses the anti-social antics of the herring gull

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

Luxury

Jonathan Self ponders the power of fine jewellery and Amie Elizabeth White finds coral for all

Interiors

Arabella Youens visits a kitchen giving a nod to history, and reveals that chequerboard floors are back

Travel

Rosie Paterson is looking for a New England in Nantucket

Spread from Country Life July 15, 2026

Arts & antiques

Carla Passino investigates the intriguing tale of ‘Mad Madge’, a pioneer of science-fiction

Truth, lies and somewhere in between

Michael Billington delves into a world of deceit and infidelity

The American Scholar Magazine – SUMMER 2026

CoverSummer26

THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR: The latest issue features ‘Forget Me Not’ – Some people remember their pasts with eerie clarity, for others, there’s only a void…

You Must Remember This

On the nature of autobiographical memory By Jonathan Weiner

Twain Town, U.S.A.

Samuel Clemens is everywhere in Hannibal, Missouri, but is the story the town tells about its favorite son grounded in reality or myth? By Ruth Franklin

Found in Translation

The act of rendering plays from Romanian to English has allowed me to discover my family’s past—and myself By Amanda L. Andrei

Thanatos Rising

A 1930s correspondence between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud laid out each man’s views on war and peace By George Makari