James Fox

Social historian of numeracy, communication, knowledge, books. Postdoctoral research assistant @universalstc. PhD from @StAndrewsHist. Co-editor @scilicet_

[Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) 📖🔍 @universalstc]

🚨Call for Papers: The 18th St Andrews/USTC Book History Conference on 'Print and Education' will take place 18–20 June 2026.

👉 Further details here: https://t.co/czJkN2hIu8

📅 Application deadline: 12 December 2025

#CfP #bookhistory #twitterstorians

[Smithsonian Magazine @SmithsonianMag]

Before Benjamin Franklin became a printer, newsman, author, inventor, philosopher, diplomat and founding father of the United States, he failed math twice. https://t.co/lZWMYKBVgG

[Dr Jacob Baxter @ernestjeb]

It was a real pleasure to celebrate my PhD graduation from @univofstandrews earlier this month alongside some truly wonderful people (including @moro_carlotta and @james_afox). It’s been one hell of a journey and I can’t wait for what comes next!

[James Fox @james_afox]

@Mchapelproject My only other thought is that Cajori's History of Mathematical Notations has quite a lot on fractions so may be worth a look!

[James Fox @james_afox]

@Mchapelproject I haven't! Could it simply be the yogh to represent 2/3 before the d?

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

We have made the decision to stop posting on twitter/X, and will jump ship to Bl*esky. Our deepest thanks to everyone who's followed us and read our blog so far. If you want to keep up with our content, come and join us!

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

💥 New post 💥
Sex, Scandal and Intrigue... On this #GuyFawkesnight, @james_afox tells us what a scandalous court case from 1700 reveals about the way the #GunpowderPlot was remembered in eighteenth-century England https://t.co/YayyqNbmIY

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

A petition from fourteenth-century Pistoia paints a lively picture of those who frequented its cathedral San Zeno ⛪ In today's archival post, @GuyFassler shares a story about barking dogs and rowdy children terrorising a medieval church #medieval https://t.co/hZs3WodgSC

[Maria Zukovs @m_zukovs]

I had the privilege of being interviewed by @ernestjeb for the @IHSA1950 podcast about my research on Franco-Irish relations, Dublin's newspapers and the French Revolution. You can check out the episode here: https://t.co/fGSGfEpL9k

[Basil Bowdler @BasilBowdler]

Very much looking forward to our second session of the semester, come along!

[Dr Elise Watson @elisewatson_]

Today is the first day of my new @HCAatEdinburgh @BritishAcademy_ project on female collaboration in the early modern book trade- unbelievably excited to get started! Watch this space for highlights 👀 (USTC 6110476)

[ISHR_StAndrews @ISHR_StAndrews]

The Institute of Scottish Historical Research @univofstandrews has a new page! Please do follow @ISHR_StAndrews and RT this post so we may continue to keep you informed about everything Scottish history (including our seminar series) at the University of St Andrews.

[St Andrews Early Modern Workshop @SAEarlyModern]

We're absolutely thrilled to share the term card for Martinmas 2024!

Be sure to join us either in person or online for what should be another stellar cast of papers, showcasing the very best of early modern research from California to India!

[Zoë Jackson @ZoeMJackson1]

Delighted to share that my first academic article has been published (open access) in The Seventeenth Century!

https://t.co/8mtzzb0Z8c

[James Fox @james_afox]

I've been interested in the diary of Janet Burnet for some time now, so it was great to get the chance to write about it for @scilicet_

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

⛈️Obsessed with the weather?? You're not alone...

In our latest post, @james_afox takes a deep dive into the diary of an 18th-century woman who recorded the weather nearly every day for 37 years.

https://t.co/yqaOvyvfVM

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

How good was the Latin of late medieval painters? and does it matter? 🎨In today's post, @GuyFassler tells us about an inscription beneath a painting in Pistoia that raises questions about what it meant to be literate in the early fifteenth century https://t.co/Abkq4lqQjH

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

Apart from being an important botanist, Carl Linnaeus was also prolific in his correspondence. In today's archival post, @GuyFassler and @Natalie_M_Smith translate and discuss a mysterious letter he recieved written in Hebrew📜 https://t.co/BP71u593Q9

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

We are used to descriptions of sights and sounds from history, but what about smells? 👃In today's post, @GuyFassler takes us on a guided tour through the smellscape of medieval Bologna #medievaltwitter
https://t.co/jWqKdlWhhw

[scilicetblog @scilicet_]

What can a set of doodles tell us about experiences of Royal childhood? 👑✍️ In today's post, @Natalie_M_Smith talks us through Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden’s childhood drawings of horses 🐴https://t.co/UBLXDiSI1k

[St Andrews Early Modern Workshop @SAEarlyModern]

🚨🚨 Just over a month to get your proposals in!! 🚨🚨