Alexander Rose
@alexrose.com
Author of "Washington's Spies" (made into the TV series TURN), "The Lion & The Fox," and "Empires of the Sky." America's 78th Most Famous Historian. Writes the freebie Substack, "Spionage" (Ye Olde Worlde spy stories).
Pinned
Alexander Rose
@alexrose.com
· Nov 23
So, anyway, here's the cover of my new book coming out in May. We spent an exciting three weeks debating the subtitle: "and" or an em-dash, "World War II's" or "of World War II," that kind of thing.
Advice to Authors: Whenever I’m down I like to head over to Amazon to read all my one-star reviews. The exemplary cavalcade of stupidity never fails to entertain.
April 1, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Advice to Authors: Whenever I’m down I like to head over to Amazon to read all my one-star reviews. The exemplary cavalcade of stupidity never fails to entertain.
Been busy for a bit finishing the new book ("Phantom Fleet"--out May 20), but here's a new post about historical intelligence from my Spionage Substack--
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
A New Golden Age: The Secret Letters of Mary Queen of Scots
AI is aiding codebreaking, but humans still matter more
open.substack.com
March 21, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Been busy for a bit finishing the new book ("Phantom Fleet"--out May 20), but here's a new post about historical intelligence from my Spionage Substack--
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
One of life's sweetest revelations was the discovery that in the late 70s Telly Savalas narrated a series of three touristy documentaries on Britain's most splendid cities (Birmingham, Portsmouth, and Aberdeen), despite never visiting them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHV...
Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham
YouTube video by seacaptainjoe
www.youtube.com
February 15, 2025 at 12:03 AM
One of life's sweetest revelations was the discovery that in the late 70s Telly Savalas narrated a series of three touristy documentaries on Britain's most splendid cities (Birmingham, Portsmouth, and Aberdeen), despite never visiting them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoHV...
You know what I love about @scrivenerapp.bsky.social? It's that in the Release Notes they use words like "erstwhile." (They missed a trick, though, by omitting, "we daresay.")
February 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
You know what I love about @scrivenerapp.bsky.social? It's that in the Release Notes they use words like "erstwhile." (They missed a trick, though, by omitting, "we daresay.")
Just returned from a most enjoyable @socintelhist.bsky.social
conference at the Spy Museum. Here I am, in mid-sentence, lecturing a rapt audience eagerly awaiting the next speaker.
conference at the Spy Museum. Here I am, in mid-sentence, lecturing a rapt audience eagerly awaiting the next speaker.
Lunch with the authors: Nicholas Reynolds, @douglaslondon.bsky.social, @ellenwapo.bsky.social, and
@alexrose.com.
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@alexrose.com.
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February 9, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Just returned from a most enjoyable @socintelhist.bsky.social
conference at the Spy Museum. Here I am, in mid-sentence, lecturing a rapt audience eagerly awaiting the next speaker.
conference at the Spy Museum. Here I am, in mid-sentence, lecturing a rapt audience eagerly awaiting the next speaker.
I think I would definitely watch a spin-off to “Parks and Recreation” centred on the crazy adventures of Jean-Ralphio and his sister (with frequent Henry Winkler cameos as Dad). Also bingeable: “The Life and Loves of Ron Swanson.”
February 4, 2025 at 2:47 PM
I think I would definitely watch a spin-off to “Parks and Recreation” centred on the crazy adventures of Jean-Ralphio and his sister (with frequent Henry Winkler cameos as Dad). Also bingeable: “The Life and Loves of Ron Swanson.”
Recently learnt that the fellow who named Everest pronounced his name as “Eve-Rest,” not “Ever-Est.” Handy bit of pedantry to one-up opponents whenever this particular subject pops up in conversation.
January 31, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Recently learnt that the fellow who named Everest pronounced his name as “Eve-Rest,” not “Ever-Est.” Handy bit of pedantry to one-up opponents whenever this particular subject pops up in conversation.
Don’t care what you urban elites say; Brut aftershave rocks. It’s the kind of thing Buzz Aldrin would splash on when he’s heading out for a walk on the Moon, or Cortes before he burns his ships and conquers the Aztec Empire. Just gets the job *done* and makes you smell like Evel Knieval.
January 29, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Don’t care what you urban elites say; Brut aftershave rocks. It’s the kind of thing Buzz Aldrin would splash on when he’s heading out for a walk on the Moon, or Cortes before he burns his ships and conquers the Aztec Empire. Just gets the job *done* and makes you smell like Evel Knieval.
Somehow, inexplicably, the cat, despite having an IQ of roughly three, continues to trick me into feeding her twice. But I’m getting wise to your traps and snares, my feline friend.
January 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Somehow, inexplicably, the cat, despite having an IQ of roughly three, continues to trick me into feeding her twice. But I’m getting wise to your traps and snares, my feline friend.
Spammers are getting frighteningly good. I almost fell for this one, it’s so eerily professional.
January 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Spammers are getting frighteningly good. I almost fell for this one, it’s so eerily professional.
I’ve been nurturing, via strategic allotments of seeds, a family of rare black squirrels in the garden; there’s now four or five of them, I think. I like to believe that my name (Hu-Man Who Walks Among Us) is whispered with the piety reserved for the Lord among the Israelites of yore.
January 8, 2025 at 1:08 PM
I’ve been nurturing, via strategic allotments of seeds, a family of rare black squirrels in the garden; there’s now four or five of them, I think. I like to believe that my name (Hu-Man Who Walks Among Us) is whispered with the piety reserved for the Lord among the Israelites of yore.
Discovered this morning that Sid Vicious’s favorite ABBA song was “Fernando.” Given the terribleness of that song, seems a pretty punk move.
January 4, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Discovered this morning that Sid Vicious’s favorite ABBA song was “Fernando.” Given the terribleness of that song, seems a pretty punk move.
I learned today that it’s not “Britannia rules the waves” but “Britannia, rule the waves.” It’s an aspirational exhortation, not a declarative statement of fact. (Also, a handy piece of pedantry to one-up know-it-alls.)
December 23, 2024 at 8:58 PM
I learned today that it’s not “Britannia rules the waves” but “Britannia, rule the waves.” It’s an aspirational exhortation, not a declarative statement of fact. (Also, a handy piece of pedantry to one-up know-it-alls.)
I had no idea that the person who could out-Bob Fosse Bob Fosse was Bob Fosse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrZ...
Bob Fosse dance numbers - " The Rich Man's Frug "
YouTube video by Freds Channel One
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2024 at 5:30 PM
I had no idea that the person who could out-Bob Fosse Bob Fosse was Bob Fosse. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrZ...
Symptoms of robocitis may include temporary confusion.
December 17, 2024 at 3:09 PM
Symptoms of robocitis may include temporary confusion.
When you text me, or anyone, and cryptically say, “Can we talk soon [or similar]?”, please append a note briefly stating the subject about which you’d like to talk and include an executive summary of its relative urgency. Otherwise, it sounds worryingly ominous.
December 12, 2024 at 8:10 PM
When you text me, or anyone, and cryptically say, “Can we talk soon [or similar]?”, please append a note briefly stating the subject about which you’d like to talk and include an executive summary of its relative urgency. Otherwise, it sounds worryingly ominous.
No kidding around, the theme to “Knots Landing” is super-catchy. Been humming it all day.
Seems like a nice place to live.
Seems like a nice place to live.
Knots Landing Opening Season 7
YouTube video by Foxokles
youtu.be
December 7, 2024 at 7:36 PM
No kidding around, the theme to “Knots Landing” is super-catchy. Been humming it all day.
Seems like a nice place to live.
Seems like a nice place to live.
I'll tell you who's making bank right now: the owners of Bluesky.com.
Blue Sky | 2025 Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Planners
The Blue Sky planner is the solution to your planning needs. Select from our assortment of 2025 daily, weekly, and monthly planners for the new year!
Bluesky.com
December 3, 2024 at 7:31 PM
I'll tell you who's making bank right now: the owners of Bluesky.com.
The most terrifying words in the English language: “I’d like to invite you to join my professional network on LinkedIn.”
December 2, 2024 at 11:27 PM
The most terrifying words in the English language: “I’d like to invite you to join my professional network on LinkedIn.”
I’m reading Hare’s 1883 guidebook to Pompeii, which contains this soundly Whiggish opinion: “The windowless houses . . . look more like ruined cow-sheds or pig-sties than anything else . . . A winter of the nineteenth century would be unendurable in the comfortless toy houses.”
December 2, 2024 at 11:26 PM
I’m reading Hare’s 1883 guidebook to Pompeii, which contains this soundly Whiggish opinion: “The windowless houses . . . look more like ruined cow-sheds or pig-sties than anything else . . . A winter of the nineteenth century would be unendurable in the comfortless toy houses.”
For the sake of curiosity, I'm trying to trace the first use of the following dialogue: "It's quiet." "Too quiet." I noticed that James Coburn says it in Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron," but surely that can't have been the first time.
December 2, 2024 at 11:23 PM
For the sake of curiosity, I'm trying to trace the first use of the following dialogue: "It's quiet." "Too quiet." I noticed that James Coburn says it in Peckinpah's "Cross of Iron," but surely that can't have been the first time.
I believe I have found the Least Informative Table of Contents of all time.
November 23, 2024 at 5:08 PM
I believe I have found the Least Informative Table of Contents of all time.
So, anyway, here's the cover of my new book coming out in May. We spent an exciting three weeks debating the subtitle: "and" or an em-dash, "World War II's" or "of World War II," that kind of thing.
November 23, 2024 at 5:05 PM
So, anyway, here's the cover of my new book coming out in May. We spent an exciting three weeks debating the subtitle: "and" or an em-dash, "World War II's" or "of World War II," that kind of thing.