Queen Victoria, the longest reigning British monarch in history, was crowned queen on this day’s date (June 28) in 1838. The young queen inherited the throne at the age of 18, following the death of her uncle, William IV. During the first months of her reign the public was quite curious about the young queen. …
One recent acquisition is a collected set of Harriet Martineau’s Illustrations of Political Economy, along with two continuations of the series: Poor Laws and Paupers Illustrated and Illustrations of Taxation. These tales, first issued from 1832-34, brought Martineau literary celebrity. The didactic stories, based on the theories of T.R. Malthus and James Mill, were intended …
The list of periodicals related to British social history has recently been updated to include single-issue holdings and other titles from the J.F.C. Harrison Collection. The newly-added periodicals cover such topics as free thought, Methodism, and temperance.
A select number of British sociopolitical periodicals from the JFC Harrison Collection have recently been scanned and added to the Internet Archive. A total of 16 volumes from ten periodicals are now available. Titles include the annual journal of the Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society, John Bright’s Speeches on questions of public policy, and several titles …
For modern readers, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol conjures up images of bygone Christmas celebrations, including the Christmas feast prepared by the Cratchit family, complete with goose and steamed pudding. Many current cookbooks provide updated recipes for traditional Victorian Christmas fare, but what sorts of sources would a middle- or working-class cook like Mrs. Cratchit …
Special Collections recently acquired the 115-reel microfilm reproduction of the Records of the Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers. The Stationers’ Company was founded in 1403 and was a major force in London’s book trade both before and long after printing technology arrived in England. Throughout the centuries, many of London’s leading printers, publishers, …