British History

Collection of English Caricatures Case +W778.186, No. 1476 Not in online catalog. Use George catalog.

In the field of British history the Newberry Library is unusually rich, covering the Middle Ages through World War I.

Serial sets of printed primary sources are a major strength of the British history collection. These types of sources would include

• Publications of official bodies, such as Record Commissions, P.R.O and Historical Manuscript Commission
• Publications of national societies, such as Catholic Record Society and Huguenot Society of London
• Nearly complete holdings of national and local historical society publications in any part of the British Isles

Other special strengths include

• Recusant books, pamphlets and manuscripts written between 1559 and 1829
• 19th century British political pamphlets, with heaviest concentration the first six decades
• 18th and 19th century periodicals
• Irish History
• Local histories and records
• Travel literature
• Biography, autobiography, memoirs
• History of learning, education, libraries

Most English-related manuscript holdings are in the Ayer Collection, and relate to voyages, travels and cartography. Newspapers is one area that is far from comprehensive. However, the Newberry Library holds the bibliographic tools necessary to support historical research in British history and prepare for research in British archives and manuscript collections.

The following Newberry Library Bulletin articles provides a useful examination of the type of material the Newberry has for the study of British Literature & History: Nineteenth Century British Pamphlets at the Newberry Library & Nineteenth-Century English Periodicals.

See also:

• Checklist of Post-1500 English manuscripts

Bibliographic Guide for British History