British History

The Nineteenth Century Collections Online includes Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange; British Politics and Society; British Theatre, Music, Literature: High and Popular Culture; Children's Literature and Childhood; European Literature, 1790–1840: The Corvey Collection; Europe and Africa, Colonialism and Culture; Mapping the World: Maps and Travel Literature; Photography: The World Through the Lens; Religion, Reform, and Society; Science, Technology, and Medicine, 1780–1925; Science, Technology, and Medicine, 1780–1925, Part II; Women: Transnational Networks.

British Library Newspapers, Part I and II (1800–1900) include regional and local newspaper titles that illuminate diverse and distinct regional attitudes, cultures, and vernaculars, providing an alternative viewpoint to the London-centric national press. Parts III (1741-1950), IV (1732-1950), and V (1746-1950) add even more regional and local depth, encompassing powerful provincial news journals, local interest publications, and specialist titles. Part VI Ireland (1783-1950) provides the Irish perspective, a counterpoint to the major U.K. daily newspapers. Part VII Southeast Asia (1806–1977) adds rare English-language newspapers published in present-day Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.

Nineteenth Century U.K. Periodicals, Part I: Women's, Children's, Humor, and Leisure provides insight into the evolving life of British culture, where reading for leisure, women's rights, children's entertainment, and sports grew as publishing expanded. Part II: Empire explores Britain's empire-building throughout the nineteenth century through the periodicals from its colonies, covering the public response to the abolition of the slave trade, the First Opium War, Queen Victoria's assumption of the title of Empress of India, and the "Scramble for Africa."

The Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003 combines information and the power of pictures to provide unique perspective on virtually every aspect of modern life and those who helped shape it over more than 160 years. With its debut in 1842, the Illustrated London News (ILN) became the world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, marking a revolution in journalism and news reporting. The publication presented a vivid picture of British and world events—including news of war, disaster, ceremonies, the arts, and science—with coverage in the first issue ranging from the Great Fire of Hamburg to Queen Victoria's fancy dress ball at Buckingham Palace.

The Telegraph Historical Archive is the fully searchable digital archive of what was once the world's largest-selling newspaper. Launched in 1855, the Telegraph is generally seen by press historians as the start of a new era of journalism that emerged following the repeal of stamp duty and signaling the first step towards the mass-market journalism of the Daily Mail.

Sourced from the archive of The Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers, located at Stationers Hall in the City of London, Literary Print Culture: The Stationers Company Archive, 1554–2007, allows access to a vast and unique collection of primary source documents. The collection is widely regarded as one of the most important primary sources for studying the history of the book as well as publishing history, the history of copyright and the workings of an early London Livery Company. Explore the variety of documents to uncover the story of the role the Stationers Company played in the history of the book trade.

A ground-breaking and engaging reference work providing over 60,000 specially-written signed biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of the British past, from the earliest times to the end of the year 2020. State-of-the-art search options, extensive internal cross-referencing, access to articles from the original DNB, and navigation by "themes" combine with rigorous research and scholarship to make the Oxford DNB one of the most innovative and important reference sites available online.