AM Primary Sources: English & Comparative Literature

Primary source materials on children’s literature and print culture from the Children’s Literature and Graphic Arts collections held by the American Antiquarian Society. The collection, covering 1810s-1920s, focuses on the output of New York publisher McLoughlin Bros and competitors such as Fisher & Brother and E.P. Dutton, but also includes publications from a selection of European publishers. In addition to books, the collection includes religious tracts, original artwork, photographs, sheet music, exemplars of games and toys, as well as archival materials dealing with the operations of McLoughlin Bros.

Primary source documents relating to gender from British archives; includes archival documents, essays, biographies and an interactive chronology.

Primary sources materials documenting the lived experience in England from 1500-1700. The material is sourced from the following libraries and archives: the British Library, Canterbury Cathedral Archives, Lambeth Palace Library, London Metropolitan Archives, the National Archives UK, the Newberry Library and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Materials range from legal records, to family correspondence, administrative records, wills, inventories, and commonplace books, and also include images of everyday objects used in early modern households.

Comprises primary source documents from the collection of John Larpent, the English Inspector of Plays from 1778-1824, including more than 2,500 plays. Also includes the diaries of Anna Larpent, his professional collaborator and wife, recording her criticisms of the plays and insights into the theatrical culture of the time. The companion text The London Stage, 1660-1800, listing every traceable performance, is included as a searchable database, as is A Biographical Dictionary of Actors etc. 1660-1800. Useful for researching such topics as censorship and politics; satire and social commentary; celebrity culture; fashion; the rise of opera in Britain; women and theatre; staging, technology, and performance practice; and the business of theatre.

19th century manuscripts from the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature, New York Public Library.

17th and 18th century manuscripts from the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds.

Sourced from the archive of The Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers (London), this primary source collection offers insight into the workings of the early book trade, the printing and publishing community, the establishment of legal requirements for copyright provisions, and the history of bookbinding, from 1554 to the 21st century.

Provides direct access to a widely scattered collection of original medieval manuscripts that describe travel - real and imaginary - in the Middle Ages.  Included are translations and supporting materials (all of which are fully searchable); maps showing the routes of the travelers; introductory essays by leading scholars.

Primary source materials from the archive of the John Murray publishing company, held at the National Library of Scotland, from its inception in 1786 through the long nineteenth century. A highlight of the collection are the manuscripts and personal papers of Lord Byron.

Complete facsimile images of over 230 manuscripts written or compiled by women living in the British Isles from 1500-1700. Contents include account books, advice, meditations, receipts, travel writing, and verse. Perdita manuscripts can be searched by name, genre, and first lines of both poetry and prose.

Primary source materials exploring the interactions between government policy and public philanthropy in Victorian and early twentieth-century British society, and demonstrating a shift in welfare reform, and the social tensions surrounding poverty and public welfare. Materials are sourced from the National Archives at Kew, the British Library and Senate House Library.

Manuscript collection of William Wordsworth and other Romantic poets, writers and artists. Includes notebooks, diaries, correspondence, travel journals and autograph books.