About Jeff Rich and The Burning Archive
The Burning Archive is where I explore the world’s deep transformations with history and stories —and help you make sense of it all. Welcome.
Every week, I share insights from 30+ years studying how the world changes: the end of empires, cultural upheavals, demographic shifts, and political chaos. I combine serious historical analysis with literary depth, bringing you scholarship without the jargon, wisdom without the pontificating.
This isn’t yet more news commentary from the mainstream or alternative channels.
It’s the deeper history that causes today’s headlines and tomorrow’s possibilities.
What You’ll Get
For Free Subscribers:
Weekly Saturday essays (1500-2000 words) on history, culture, and contemporary change
Access to my archive of 10+ years of writing
Monthly history book recommendations and literary insights
For Paid Subscribers ($50/year):
Monthly long reads (5000 words): deep dives into the year’s four core themes
Monthly World History Book Club Live Calls
Slow reads of the best world history and literature
Full access to History Guides and Nobel Prize Literature archive
Mid-week bonus content and reflections
By becoming a paid subscriber you immediately unlock, in your welcome email, access to:
my guide to 100+ history books to change your world view and
the real history of the post-1945 world.
For Angels of History (Founding Members $250/year):
Everything above, plus deeper conversations
Exclusive access to Civilizations in History and Nature program, based on Felipe Fernández-Armesto’s ground-breaking and mind-freeing, Civilizations
Direct input into topics and themes
2026 Themes
In 2026 I’m exploring four transformations reshaping our world
End of Empires / Decolonisation After the American Empire
Cultural Change After ‘Liquid Modernity’
Society After Ageing and Fragmentation
Politics After Democracy
I explore these themes in my monthly 5000-word essay, weekly explorations, and related slow read discussions, and on my YouTube channel.
Who I Am
I’m Jeff Rich—historian, writer, and former Australian government official.
I earned my PhD in history from Australian National University in 1993, then spent 33 years in government (mental health, education, social policy) while never stopping my historical research and writing. In 2022, I left government to write and think full-time.
Since then I’ve published four books, interviewed distinguished historians, appeared on many international commentary shows on YouTube and international TV, and built this community of over 7,000 readers who care about understanding the world through history and literature.
I write from Melbourne, Australia—which gives me a perspective from the periphery, rather than the usual commentary from the USA/Europe core. I believe in dialogue across borders, compassionate observation, and reading history to live more mindfully.
Why “Burning Archive”?
An archive preserves the past. A burning archive reminds us that history isn’t dead. “The past is not dead. It’s not even past.” But it can go up in flames if we do not take care of the memories and stories we tell each other about the past..
The name comes from Walter Benjamin’s “angel of history,” who sees the debris of the past piling up while being blown into the future by the storm of progress. We live in that storm. History helps us navigate it.
How to Follow
Subscribe here for weekly Saturday essays (free) or become a paid supporter for the full experience.
Follow the YouTube channels for accessible historical analysis and commentary on world affairs.
Read my books: Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat, From the Burning Archive, Gathering Flowers of the Mind and Cantos from a Cage.
Join the conversation. I read and respond to comments. I share and comment on the work of other independent minds, like you. This is a community of thoughtful people helping each other understand a puzzling world.
Let’s learn from history together.
