THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS

Rana Mitter “To understand China’s current attitude to

NEXT MONTH

Christmas issue on sale 23 November 2023

WELCOME

"Because we know it happened, we accept the

ANNIVERSARIES

HELEN CARR highlights events that took place in December in history

The long history of Chinese intelligence-gathering

BEHIND THE NEWS

Ninety years of horror: nine films that reflect society’s changing anxieties

As Halloween approaches, ROGER LUCKHURST explores how a selection of groundbreaking horror films reflected cultural trends in successive eras – and what ghouls, vampires, zombies and other nightmarish beings tell us about society’s real fears

"Æthelflæd was one of England’s most important female rulers"

A WOMAN WHO HELPED DEFINE THE 10TH CENTURY 

"Discoveries such as this make you feel your minuscule place in history"

HIDDEN HISTORIES

LETTERS

East German skater Katarina Witt (centre) in 1984.

Q&A

A selection of historical conundrums answered by experts

BOOKS

WOMEN “Society held trenchant views about appropriate feminine

“Kingship was often portrayed as ancient and natural but, in reality, it started with thieving thuggery”

DAVID MITCHELL talks to Matt Elton about his debut history book, chronicling centuries of England’s monarchy – and offering a wry look at how it has forged the nation’s identity

Cone rangers

CULTURAL

FURTHER READING

Emily Brand recommends three more books on science and the Romantic era

Privates’ lives

MILITARY

Court reporter

ROYAL

THE CLASSIC BOOK

Rory Cormac on a study of Britain’s recent leaders and constitution

Female gaze

WOMEN

Passion project

CULTURAL

BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2023

Our annual review of the year’s best history books is back – and we want your nominations

ENCOUNTERS DIARY

Land disputes between China and Burma in the

“Empire is a current political hot topic that people in Britain really want to talk about”

A new TV series on Britain’s imperial past features comedian AL MURRAY (left), his alter ego the Pub Landlord and local comics around the world

HISTORY COOKBOOK

RECIPE Parsnip Pudding This 18th-century pudding transforms parsnips

Pets and predators

We’ve had a love-hate relationship with cats for centuries. Our acting podcast editor RHIANNON DAVIES discusses a recent episode that explores feline history

Writer’s retreat

GREENWAY, NEAR BRIXHAM, DEVON

Florence in five places

HISTORIC CITIES

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Across 1 eg that of the Italian cruise

Ulric Cross

1917–2013

“To many, Hitler was no longer the buffoon who had botched a coup, but a true patriot who could deliver Germany from chaos”

A century on from the Munich beer hall putsch, Frank McDonough explains how Adolf Hitler turned a bloody fiasco into a political triumph

REVIVING ROMAN VOICES

The remarkable story of one Roman woman, pieced together from fragments over many centuries, reveals insights into family life more than 2,000 years ago. Mary Beard gives voice to the long-silent Turia

The A to B of medieval travel

A group of people on their way to Canterbury, as depicted in John Lydgateís illuminated manuscript Siege of Thebes (c1420). Pilgrimages represented the majority of long-distance travel in the Middle Ages

Reading, writing and retribution

Many Victorian gaols provided schooling for their inmates, decades before it was mandated in wider society. So what, asks Rosalind Crone, drove this great educational crusade?

The crusade against the odds

Chronic starvation, hostile landscapes, powerful foes – the First Crusade overcame seemingly insurmountable challenges. Emily Briffett speaks to expert historians to reveal how zeal, strategy and sheer luck secured military success for this ambitious campaign

CARTOON CENTURY

As the Walt Disney Company celebrates its centenary, John Wills traces the story of the ‘House of Mouse’ from early animations to global blockbusters – and political controversies