But I think it can only really work if you come to those sources with an approach shaped by creative history / storytelling - the thing that lets you fill in the gaps and join the dots.

Which is a long-winded way of saying: thank you.

At the same time, adding names and snapshots of lives lived makes a real difference.

It presses against quantitative and mass tendencies of earlier generation of scholarship.

And it's only possible because of keyword genealogical and newspaper databases.

I've been thinking about those microbiographies in relation to older traditions of social history.

They reflect that enduring & important ethical emphasis on recovering experience and listening to voices of ordinary people.

Julia Laite’s work would be my go-to. I see it’s already been suggested!

Finished Seven Dials last night, Matt. Loved it! But what I think have intensifying power across the book, as style + method, are these kind of “microbiographies” - typically underpinned by evidence from digitised censuses and newspapers. The lives that made and moved through this disappeared world.

Hi Sam. Would be interested in reviewing The Ruin Dwellers if it’s available, as I am working on dropouts, improvised community, that sort of thing in a 70s-80s UK context atm. Let me know! Cheers, Ben

I have access and am happy to help if you DM me what you need!

yeah that’s a full rewiring. I now can’t watch anything that involves kids in any kind of perilous situation, or indeed anything meaningful about human relationships in general 🥺

Thank you!

Revisited Bitches Brew, On the Corner and Live-Evil this afternoon. Don’t know JDJ’s solo/bandleader stuff - any tips? - but those Miles records are so good

Solidarity with the strikers!

All good here, cheers 👍 busy with work and kids, but enjoying the latter especially (work is fine too, tbf, but also a yearly grind of new things in new places…having fun with research though, when I find time - finishing thing on trans ppl and psychoanalysis in the 60s-70s, a new area for me)

Congrats Matt! Was brilliant to hear you (and @julialaite.bsky.social) on the book, and to learn more about an area I walk through on my commute. Am just starting chapter 2 🏢

The Oakeshitt lectures

Also as part of the series John Gray and Robert Tombs on Raise the Colours as part of “the English revolutionary tradition” 🙃

Looks really interesting Liam, looking forward to reading!