History suits the newsletter format: one subject, one writer, and room to tell the story properly. These newsletters are written in English by historians and writers who work with the past.

Most issues are essays meant to be read from start to finish, the kind of reading an e-reader was made for.

The past itself

Newsletters that are mainly about history.

  • Age of Invention by Anton Howes - Tales from the history of innovation.
  • Res Obscura by Benjamin Breen - Notes on the history of technology, medicine, science, art, drugs and empire.
  • History, Etc by Dan Jones - A weekly newsletter about medieval history, mostly.
  • The Roots of Progress - The history of technology and the philosophy of progress, from the Roots of Progress Institute.
  • Construction Physics by Brian Potter - Essays about buildings, infrastructure and industrial technology.

Every newsletter on this list can be delivered to your Kindle automatically with InboxToKindle.

History behind the news

Writers who use the past to explain the present.

  • Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson - The history behind today's politics.
  • Thinking about... by Timothy Snyder - Understanding the past as a way of opening the future.
  • Unpopular Front by John Ganz - Essays from what the author calls the junk shop of history.
  • Democracy Americana by Thomas Zimmer - Reflections on American democracy and its discontents.

How to Read These on Your Kindle

Subscribing to several long newsletters means several more emails competing for attention every week. On a Kindle, each one gets read like a chapter.

With InboxToKindle you subscribe to any Substack using your private inbox address, or forward the issues you already receive. Each new issue is converted to a clean EPUB and delivered to your Kindle automatically, without ads or tracking pixels.

The free plan includes 3 deliveries a month, and Pro is unlimited for $10 a month. No credit card is needed to start.