About Open History Magazine

Open History Magazine is a free, open access magazine devoted to the study and understanding of the past. It publishes articles, essays and educational writing on world history, from the ancient world to the present day, in clear and careful language that general readers, students, teachers and researchers can all follow.

Our mission

Good historical writing should be easy to find, easy to read and open to everyone. Much of what is written about the past stays behind paywalls, in specialist journals, or in language that only specialists can use. Open History Magazine exists to close that gap. We bring well-researched, readable history to a public audience without a subscription, a login or a fee.

What we publish

We publish long-form articles, explanatory essays and educational writing on events, people, institutions, ideas and ways of life across the whole span of human history. We are interested in the famous episodes and the forgotten ones, in the great powers and the ordinary lives lived under them, and in the connections between regions that are often taught apart. Our aim is not only to tell what happened, but to explain why it happened and why it still matters.

How the magazine is organised

Articles are arranged into five eras: the Ancient World, the Medieval World, the Early Modern period, the Modern World and the Contemporary period. Each piece is also tagged by region and by theme, so that you can follow a place, a subject or a series across periods and compare how the same questions appear in different times and societies.

Two further sections complete the magazine. Current Affairs looks at today's events through their historical background, so that readers can understand how the present came to be. Specials gathers longer features and themed collections that deserve more space than a single article allows.

Our approach to writing

We aim for history that is accurate, balanced and readable. Our writers are asked to ground their work in reliable evidence, to separate established fact from interpretation, and to be open about what remains uncertain or disputed. We prefer plain, direct prose to jargon, and we explain specialist terms where they are needed, so that a reader new to a subject is not left behind and a reader who knows it well is not talked down to.

Who it is for

Open History Magazine is written for an international audience. We cover the histories of every region of the world, not one country or one tradition, and we welcome readers wherever they are. It is meant for the student looking for material for study, the teacher building a lesson, the researcher seeking a clear overview outside their own field, the reader looking for background to a news story, and anyone who simply enjoys a good essay about the past.

Open to all

Every article is free to read. There is no paywall and no registration. We believe that knowledge of the past is a public good and that access to it should not depend on where a reader lives or what they can afford.

Publisher

Open History Magazine is an initiative of PublicPast: Journal of Public History. PublicPast is a peer-reviewed journal that brings historical scholarship to wider audiences, and Open History Magazine carries the same spirit into an open magazine format designed for everyday readers.

Write for us

We welcome contributions from historians, researchers, students, teachers and informed writers. If you have an article or essay that would suit our readers, please read our Write for us page for guidelines on topics, length and how to submit.

Explore

Start with the home page, browse the topics, or use the search icon in the menu. To reach us with questions, corrections or suggestions, see the contact page.