HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2026 PREVIEW

History Today 2026
HISTORY TODAY MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘Visiting Mao’s China’…

Visiting Mao’s China

For the thousands of foreign visitors who travelled behind the ‘bamboo curtain’ to visit Mao’s China, hospitality workers – guides, drivers, waiters, chambermaids – were unofficial ambassadors for the new socialist state, and the state knew it.

What is an Information Age?

From the printing press to the internet, the spread of information has changed the world. How do we recognise an age defined by it?

The Bengal Famine in Indian Letters

In 1943 letters reporting starvation and death in Bengal began to reach Indian soldiers serving the British overseas. Despite colonial censorship, their testimonies revealed the devastating reality of famine.

What the Victorians Read

The Victorian reading public had access to a vast array of classical literature from Asia in multiple translations by experts and amateurs. What did they read, and why?

The Medieval Forgery at the Heart of the Church

An audacious forgery in the ninth century helped transform the papacy and the medieval Church. Its influence persists today.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026

U.S. Debt Hits $40 Trillion as America’s Borrowing Binge Continues

President Trump’s promises to restore fiscal order and reduce America’s debt have been hampered by spending on the Iran war, tax cuts and tariff refunds.

Trump’s Order to Cut Military Exercises With South Korea Carries Risks, Experts Say

President Trump’s decision to curtail the military exercises came as allies question the U.S. commitment to longstanding alliances.

As Iran and U.S. Settle Into an Uneasy Standoff, Who Will Blink First?

For weeks, there has been no diplomatic progress, but also no full-scale fighting, as both sides seem to believe they can hold out longer than the other.

Russian Missiles Kill at Least 15 in Kyiv as Air Defenses Dwindle

Moscow is taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted stock of interceptors and is intensifying attacks, worsening the civilian death toll.24m agoBy Constant Méheut

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE – AUGUST 19, 2026 PREVIEW

COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE: The latest issue features

The legacy
Kate Green hails Gavin Maxwell’s Ring of Bright Water, a remarkable tale of living with otters.

Fifty years young
The King’s Trust is celebrating half a century of supporting young people. Ambassadors explain the secrets of its success and longevity to Paula Minchin.

Spreads of Country Life magazine from the August 19 issue

Country-house treasure
Intricate decorative ceilings at Thirlestane Castle, Berwickshire, catch the eye of John Goodall.

Alexander Campbell’s favourite painting
The Royal Academy of Dance artistic director is moved by a compelling nocturnal scene.

A tower house reborn
Mary Miers explores how the derelict tower house at Balgone in East Lothian has been transformed into a Classical seat.

Spreads of Country Life magazine from the August 19 issue

Whisky galore
From illicitly distilled dram to tipple of choice around the globe, Henry Jeffreys raises a glass to the world’s most popular spirit.

Winging it
Mark Cocker adds the greylag goose to his Unloved Birds’ Club.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
James Fisher welcomes Joe Root back to the helm of English cricket.

Interiors
Arabella Youens admires a Blenheim estate house in Oxfordshire and Kuba is king for Amelia Thorpe.

Spreads of Country Life magazine from the August 19 issue

Cool as a cucumber sandwich
This refreshing staple of English picnics is no sarnie-come-lately, reports Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she reveals its Indian roots.

Arts & antiques
Allan Scott, the scriptwriter and executive producer, tells Carla Passino why he will never part with a prized perpetual calendar.

Luxury
New columnist Justine Picardie admires the Highland influence in the late Queen’s wardrobe and Amie Elizabeth White presents a bonnie Scottish selection.

Spreads of Country Life magazine from the August 19 issue

Clash of the tartans
What does it take to toss the caber and putt the stone? Harry Pearson muscles in on the heavyweight Highland Games.

Heart Nouveau
Robyne Calvert reveals how the bold Glasgow Style of art and design conquered Europe.

Spreads of Country Life magazine from the August 19 issue

Travel
Rosie Paterson experiences the ultimate in luxury camping when visiting a conservation success story in Tanzania.

Rhythm and views
Three decades of dramatic planting has paid off at Craichlaw House in Dumfries and Galloway, as Kirsty Fergusson discovers.

Summer of love
A double bill of innovative open-air Shakespearean comedy benefits from dream casting, suggests Michael Billington.

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT – AUGUST 21, 2026 PREVIEW

TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT: The latest issue features ‘Fighting Over King Arthur’ – Marion Turner on a legend’s global appeal.

A man of the world

The versatility of Arthur and his legends By Marion Turner

All the lonely people

Nigerian scammers and their targets By Sally Hayden

Matches struck in the dark

How William Empson viewed Virginia Woolf’s diaries By Mark Thompson

Pain and transformation

Frida Kahlo, iconized: ‘I would not like to become famous’ By Miranda France

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY —- AUGUST 21, 2026 PREVIEW

THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY: The latest issue features ‘End Of The Pier Show’ – What Farage’s election gamble says about the state of British politics.

The curtain came down last week on the summer sideshow of the Clacton byelection, called by Nigel Farage amid mounting scrutiny of his finances.

For our big story this week, Daniel Boffey explores what this campaign – in which the Reform UK leader’s main challenger was a parody candidate called Count Binface – tells us about the current state of politics in Britain.

Farage’s byelection win brought the situation full circle as, shortly after he was declared victor, parliament’s standards watchdog announced it had reopened its investigation into him, report Rowena Mason and Peter Walker.

Analysing the result, political correspondent Alexandra Topping brands the contest futile and says that while Farage aimed to make the financial questions surrounding him disappear, it was the MP himself who has been absent from the political stage over the past few weeks.

Spotlight | Scramble for soldiers
As battlefield losses mount, Pjotr Sauer asks whether Vladimir Putin will order another mobilisation

Science | Wing and a prayer
A disease threatening bat species has spread to northern Canada. Trina Moyles reports on the race to find a cure

Feature | A hymn to the weekend
In 1926, Henry Ford gave his employees both Saturdays and Sundays off – and the two-day chunk of time to party, pray or simply do nothing was born. Now the weekend has changed beyond recognition, says Jess Cartner-Morley

Opinion | Meet the second most dangerous man in the US
As chief US diplomat, Marco Rubio could do great good. But, says Simon Tisdall, his pandering and neglect are a disgrace we shouldn’t ignore

Culture | Through my eyes
As their new album is released, Sam Smith talks to Juan A Ramírez about fans, fame and finding sanctuary in New York

HARPER’S MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2026

Home | Harper's Magazine

HARPER’S MAGAZINE: Erin Somers charts the rise and fall of cultivated meat, Barrett Swanson reports on the Ugly People Festival in Italy, Kyle Berlin on the French bestseller whose controversy divided the country, a pseudonymous memoir of a government official in Beijing, Finn Brunton on prediction markets and crypto-anarchism, Thomas Frank on the Obama Center, Kasia Boddy reviews William Kennedy’s Albany Trilogy, five stories from Diane Williams, and more.

Where’s The Beef?

The lab-grown-meat revolution that wasn’t by Erin Somers

Regarding the Pain of Uggos

A weekend at the Ugly People Festival by Barrett Swanson

The Chaos Machine

Prediction markets and the triumph of crypto-anarchy  by Finn Brunton

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026

FOREIGN AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: The latest issue features ‘The End Of The Alliance?’

The Abandoned Order

Learning to Live in a Post-American World by Mark Leonard

AI and the New Age of Bioweapons

Preparing for a World of Synthetic Pathogens by Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall

A China Strategy That Lasts

Congress Must Lead to Compete With Beijing by Bill Cassidy

How Alliances Survive

The Case Against Pessimism and the Path to a New Allied Order by Kurt M. Campbell and Rush Doshi

THE NEW YORK TIMES – WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19, 2026

A Stunning Win for the Left in Florida: 6 Takeaways From Tuesday’s Primaries

State Representative Angie Nixon, a progressive firebrand, used grass-roots enthusiasm to defeat a moderate. Can it carry her to victory in November?

Ukraine’s Ex-Defense Minister Calls for Election, Cementing Break With Zelensky

Mykhailo Fedorov, a popular young leader who was fired last month, said Russia should not be allowed to dictate when Ukrainians can choose their next government.

With Limited Options, Trump Tries Economic Pressure on Iran — Again

Iran has survived decades of sanctions. Faced with more, it is likely to escalate rather than surrender, analysts said.

Tariffs on Hold as Trump Claims Deal With Canada Is Near

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada was less definitive about what the intense talks produced, saying “important work” remained.

    SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE – SEPTEMBER 2026

    Scientific American Volume 335, Issue 2 | Scientific American

    SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: The latest issue features ‘Collision Course’ – Companies want to put millions of satellites into space. Are we headed for an orbital catastrophe?

    The battle for the night sky

    SpaceX and other companies want to put millions of satellites into space. Could orbit run out of room?

    What really happened on Easter Island?

    For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale

    How NASA turned a spy satellite into its new dark energy telescope

    NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will soon launch to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter

    Why your brain turns life into stories

    Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative

    THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026

    Florida Primary Underscores State’s New Identity as a Republican Juggernaut

    The G.O.P. holds every statewide elected office and has drastically swung voter registration. A new congressional map has added four Republican-leaning seats.

    How Israel’s Financial Chokehold Is Stifling the West Bank Economy

    Intensifying restrictions have hit every part of the territory’s dealings, spurring worries about whether the Palestinian Authority can remain solvent.

    Facing Quagmire in Iran, Trump Turns to a Familiar Face: Kim Jong-un

    Seven years ago, President Trump failed to disarm North Korea and walked away. Could the same thing happen with Iran?

    States Seek $200 Billion From Meta Over Child Social Media Addiction Claims

    California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are taking the social media giant to trial in the first bellwether federal case over child harm.

    Silicon Valley Executives Are Tech Fans. Just Not for Their Own Children.

    Parents in the industry are practicing moderation and restraint at home. They might be onto something.

    News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious