Ed Conway — Material World
Ed Conway
Sky's economics editor on the physical stuff that actually runs the economy: sand, copper, energy, supply chains.
Worthwhile Substacks
16 newsletters we follow and recommend — the written half of the long-form shift. Same test as the shows: curiosity, preparation, and a willingness to be interesting rather than loud. Every title opens in a new tab.
The core list
The six we'd hand to anyone starting from scratch.
Natural Selections
Dr. Heather Heying
Evolutionary biology applied to modern life, written with more care than the online arguments about it.
Chamath Palihapitiya
All-In network
Long memos on markets, capital cycles and technology from one of the All-In besties.
Kara's Newsletter
Afterlives of Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney's companion writing to the podcast: power, death and politics in the ancient world.
The Diary
Diary Of…
The written side of the Diary of a CEO world — lessons, frameworks and post-interview notes.
Dad Saves America
Dad Saves America
Fatherhood, schooling and civic life, argued in good faith and at essay length.
Markets, macro and money
For readers who want Bloomberg-grade analysis without the terminal.
Chartbook
Adam Tooze
The economic historian's running commentary on debt, energy and geopolitics, with the charts to back it.
Noahpinion
Noah Smith
The former Bloomberg Opinion columnist on economics, industrial policy and technology.
The Overshoot
Matthew C. Klein
Ex-Barron's and Bloomberg: rigorous macro on inflation, trade imbalances and the labour market.
Money Stuff
Matt Levine, Bloomberg
Not a Substack, but the finance newsletter everyone else is imitating. Free by email.
Odd Lots
Tracy Alloway & Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg
The newsletter companion to the podcast on the weird plumbing of the financial system.
History and the ancient world
Historians writing at length, without the textbook voice.
History, Etc
Dan Jones
The medievalist and bestselling author on the past, the present, and the writing life.
My Life in the Past
Lucy Worsley
The historian and broadcaster on the domestic detail everyone else edits out.
It's All Ancient History
Honor Cargill-Martin
A classicist on Rome, Greece and why the ancient world keeps explaining the modern one.
Res Obscura
Benjamin Breen
Strange, beautifully sourced corners of early modern history, drugs, maps and all.
The Medieval Chronicle
HistoryMedieval
Weekly dispatches from the Middle Ages for people who like their history properly footnoted.