Read More Books: John Garrison Marks, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (UNC Press, 2026) - Commonplace If there are two rules about early American history, one is that, no matter how vast, George Washington will always be instructive.

Today we launch Read More Books, a semi-regular Commonplace series featuring @kawulf.bsky.social asking authors five questions about their new book. We kick off with @johngmarks.com and his fascinating study of the long fight over Washington's legacy of slavery.🗄️

commonplace.online/article/read...

Ketamine, psychedelics, GHB: is the US falling out of love with cocaine? Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generation

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Scientists identify ‘neural fingerprint’ of psychedelic drugs in the brain Analysis of more than 500 brain scans finds LSD, psilocybin and other psychedelics increase cross-talk between brain systems

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Desperate Followers of Fortune in the City of Brotherly Love "The Night Hawk.—No. VI," The Mechanics' Free Press, October 4, 1828

open.substack.com/pub/mattheww...

The NIght-Hawk—No. VI: These things I see and notice when one half of the world is hushed in sleep; all shall be brought to light and laid before you: and will furnish lessons, awful, emphatic, and convincing>

As measles spreads in South Carolina, RFK Jr’s allies work to gut vaccine laws Activists who dispute safety of vaccines are pushing to limit immunization requirements in schools

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Black Atlantic Worlds — Harvard University Press Landscapes are key to the Black Atlantic. The history of how Africans and their descendants populated and transformed nations, regions, and ecosystems has always been attentive to the multiple meaning...

It’s officially pub day for this incredible work! Thank you to Oscar de la Torre for making this possible!!
And thank you to CUNY DSI for research consults and permission to use your images in my work!!
www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978088...

Were you listening, Jose Mourinho? Vincent Kompany's 12-minute monologue on Vinicius and racism

Were you listening, Jose Mourinho? Vincent Kompany’s 12-minute monologue on Vinicius Junior and racism www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...

Seduction, Betrayal, and Madness in the Nocturnal City "The Night Hawk,—No. V," The Mechanics' Free Press, September 27, 1828

The Night Hawk—No. V
"Reader! such scenes are frequent. You who sleep away the sluggard hours of night little know that such villainy is practiced even in the very heart of our city!"
open.substack.com/pub/mattheww...

Thanks! And congrats! I'm glad to know about Beer Ghosts. I teach alcohol and drug history every fall, and I don't talk much about beer.

The cover of a book

Cover reveal! The Night Hawk is officially available for preorder, due for release on September 8, 2026.
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo says he took football break after experiencing anxiety and depression Araujo, 26, was granted indefinite leave by Barcelona at the beginning of December.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...
Love this guy.

Exercise can be ‘frontline treatment’ for mild depression, researchers say Biggest improvements seen in young adults and new mothers, with group activities of most benefit

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

‘I’m the psychedelic confessor’: the man who turned a generation on to hallucinogens returns with a head-spinning book about consciousness With the Omnivore’s Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan transformed our understanding of food and drugs. Can he do the same for our sense of self?

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

History of Vaccines – AHA The American Historical Association (AHA) will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on vaccines. The briefing will take place on Wednesday, February 11, at 9:00 a.m. in Raybu...

On 2/11, the AHA will host a Congressional Briefing offering historical perspectives on vaccines. Panelists Elena Conis, David M. Oshinsky, Michael Willrich, & moderator Sarah Weicksel will discuss how public perception & the role of the federal government in vaccination has changed over time. 🗃️

‘It’s an absolute bloodbath’: Washington Post lays off hundreds of workers Former Post executive editor blasts owner Jeff Bezos’s ‘sickening efforts to curry favor’ with Trump

www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

40 years ago

"A Date with Elvis" is the third studio album by the American punk rock band The Cramps. It was released in the UK in February 1986 and not until four years later, in 1990, in the US.

#punk #punks #punkrock #thecramps #adatewithelvis #history #punkrockhistory

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Jigsaw Puzzle: Jumbling the Pieces of Stowe’s Story - Commonplace Understanding puzzles as agents of disorder runs counter to a common interpretation that associates puzzles with the quest for and ultimate affirmation of order.

My trusty calendar tells me that it is National Puzzle Day, so it the perfect day to read Patricia Jane Roylance's fascinating article in Commonplace on how an 1850s jigsaw puzzle version of Uncle Tom's Cabin jumbles and generates new meaning for the story. 🗃️

commonplace.online/article/uncl...

Removing US as World Cup host would be eminently sad – and entirely justified | Alexander Abnos A country where safety is under threat from federal violence on the streets is not fit to stage soccer’s showpiece event

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Drinking the Revolution Series - The Invention of Rum in an Era of Revolution with Jordan Smith - UM Clements Library Planning a research visit?

This Thursday, January 22, at 4 p.m. ET, don't miss Jordan B. Smith discussing his new book THE INVENTION OF RUM in a hybrid virtual and in-person event hosted by @clementslibrary.bsky.social as part of the Drinking the Revolution series! Register now.

Phantasmagoric Entertainment in Antebellum Philadelphia The Night Hawk—No. 4, Mechanics' Free Press, September 13, 1828

open.substack.com/pub/mattheww...
One of the things I'm learning to love about Substack is that I can share material that didn't make it into the book. The Night Hawk, No. 4 is one of my favorites.

APHA Annual Meeting Notice and Nominating Committee Slate - American Printing History Association The American Printing History Association cordially invites you to attend our Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM EST. Event Details &…

#BookHistory friends, take note! @printinghistory.bsky.social is holding its annual meeting tomorrow, and you can participate virtually.

I'm particularly excited for a speech by this year's APHA individual laureate Elizabeth Savage.

Details: printinghistory.org/apha-annual-...

#booksky 🗃️📜📚

Concacaf president revealed to make $3m a year for five hours’ work per week Victor Montagliani’s compensation is thought to be among the highest in the world for a non-club soccer official

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Congratulations Brooke! Can’t wait to read it.

Cover and spine of The Crown’s Silence

Heading to the printers soon and out in both the US/UK in three months!
#booksky 📚
Available for pre-order now wherever books are sold: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Bob Marley on the Northern Plains It’s 5 degrees above zero in Vermillion, South Dakota, on the January morning my son, Miles, excitedly texts me from his first class of the new semester.

Bob Marley on the Northern Plains
open.substack.com/pub/andreaho...

Growing sense of embarrassment at Fifa over Donald Trump peace prize There is a growing sense of embarrassment among mid-level and senior officials within Fifa over the awarding of the peace prize to Donald Trump

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

cover of Cat Tales: a History: How we learned to live with them... by Jerry D Moore, publishers Thames & Hudson. shows full page drawing of cat against light background

today's a #caturday #booksky crossover. Started reading Jerry D Moore's Cat Tales: A #History. An #cat owning archaeologist brings his unique POV to the mysterious beings that share our lives. #book

‘We could hit a wall’: why trillions of dollars of risk is no guarantee of AI reward Progress of artificial general intelligence could stall, which may lead to a financial crash, says Yoshua Bengio, one of the ‘godfathers’ of modern AI

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
The people making these decisions are also the ones who won’t suffer the consequences, whether AI is successful or not.

Philadelphia's Infamous Oyster Cellars and African American Entrepreneurs in the 1820s "The NIght-Hawk—No. 3," Mechanics' Free Press, August 9, 1828.

open.substack.com/pub/mattheww...

Reading the Night Hawk illuminates the enormous contributions that African Americans made to the development of commercial nightlife and restaurant culture in Philadelphia, the nation’s second largest city at the time.

If you're a historian *in* Kansas, you should come present at the KAH this year in Topeka. Abstracts due Jan 26th, conference itself March 27-28. 🗃️ kansashistorians.org