# [A Load of B-S](https://zebbakersmith.substack.com/)

Discover more from A Load of B-S

Editor and podcast host at Aspects of History, Classics Teacher at the 'Eton of Africa', long-distance host of Frome Town FC's podcast. Documenting my tour of duty in Malawi and my African adventures, both actual and literary!

# Editor's Note: February - March 2026

### Aspects of History Issue 32 is now out - £9.99 each year for six magazines!

Feb 24, 2026

Is there a strange comfort in the fact that 2026 has picked up where 2025 left off? Probably not, most would say resignedly… Barely 48 hours after the countdown to New Year's Day, news broke of Nicolás Maduro’s deposition before Trumpian rhetoric regarding Greenland ratcheted up a notch. Writing this, we still have eleven months of the year to go, but with the release of another 3,000,000 Epstein-related documents and the necessary fallout, January somehow feels like a different epoch.

When the news cycle all feels a bit too much, one must take solace in what one can control: those pleasant distractions such as commissioning articles and features for a history magazine, and interviewing authors on their newest releases. My recent delve back into ancient history – [Harry Sidebottom](https://substack.com/home/post/p-185514665)’s comprehensive gladiatorial narrative and Bruce Chilton’s life of Queen Berenice, both of which feature this month – has got me thinking about thought and motive itself.

Whether or not a Herodotus, a Livy, or a Tacitus allows the movers and shakers of ancient Greece or Rome a voice in their respective works, it still tends to gall me how mute and cryptic these hazy yet significant figures of antiquity remain when we attempt to analyse their ambitions and decision-making processes from a distance – and just how much guesswork and psychology must be brought into play.

Issue 32 of _[Aspects of History](https://aspectsofhistory.substack.com/)_

Not that decision-making these days seems any clearer, as many will attest of the Prime Minister and those close to him as they face yet another crisis. Though archivists in generations to come will have a panoply of interviews, documents and editorial material with which to judge motivations, will the thought processes behind recent decisions on both sides of the pond be any clearer with time and distance?

Charlie Higson discusses his attempt to bridge that gap of understanding and better grasp what drove the monarchs of this island in his conversation with Richard Foreman. February’s Historical Hero governed these green and pleasant lands before the notion of a unified kingdom even existed here: Simon Turney’s compelling profile of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, who pushed Roman imperial power further than any before or after him.

He is just one of a handful of absorbing characters who feature in this issue. George Orwell’s trip to the industrial North is retold by Robert Colls; the ‘grandmother’ of the Cambridge Five, Edith Tudor Hart, is brought to the fore by Daria Santini. The impulsive, mythologised heroics of Marshal Ney are zeroed in on by Brian Williams, his approach in stark contrast with that of the protagonist of our Book Club pick, General Hastings ‘Pug’ Ismay, a dependable pair of hands in the background of war.

[Author Platforms](https://aspectsofhistory.com/authors/) remain open for historians, historical novelists, academics and students to write about their books and history in an ongoing way. In addition, we can provide publishing and promotional services to assist authors and would-be authors – from pitch to publication and beyond. If you are a member of an historical society or creative writing group, then do get in touch.

I would, as always, be delighted to hear from readers and writers alike. So please do make contact if you have any thoughts on what you have read, and don’t forget the podcast that features some of the authors in this magazine and others beside.

Zeb Baker-Smith

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_A plea for the New(ish) Year…_

_The February issue is now out. It is the first of the New Year and one of six that will be published in 2026. [All for an annual price of £9.99!](https://aspectsofhistory.com/product/subscribe/)_

_If you are, very generously, pondering [buying me a coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/zeb.baker.smith), perhaps put that money towards a year’s [subscription](https://aspectsofhistory.com/product/subscribe/). I promise you’ll get articles and interviews with much better writers and reviewers than me for only a few quid more._

_Make sure you also check out [Aspects of History](https://aspectsofhistory.substack.com/) here on Substack and give us a follow or a subscription - two articles a week on a range of topics and eras!_

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_Have a listen…!_

[**Aspects of History Podcast: Those Who Are About To Die with Harry Sidebottom**](https://substack.com/home/post/p-185514665)

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_Another year, another stint abroad. The intention behind this Substack is to keep my eye in on the writing front and document what promises to be quite the tour of duty, both in Africa and in the world of books (historical, postcolonial or otherwise)._

_So do come along for the ride and please subscribe (or gift me a coffee!) as I document my travels and reads._