Historical Newspapers
Newspapers are invaluable for their immediacy, recording history as it happened. The following are a few of the databases that provide historical newspaper access (other available titles can be found by searching the Library's Databases A-Z list):
- Times digital archive, 1785-2019 This link opens in a new windowFull-text and full-image articles from the Times of London for the years 1785-2006
- Sunday Times Historical Archive, 1822-2021 This link opens in a new windowCompletely separate from the Times of London, the Sunday times is known for their investigative journalism, providing commentary and analysis of the week's news.
- Irish times (1859-2015) This link opens in a new windowThe historical Irish Times provides comprehensive news reporting as well as sports, business, arts, lifestyle coverage, and more.
- 19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowProvides access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S.
- Harper's weekly This link opens in a new windowProvides access to Harper's Weekly, the illustrated 19th and early 20th century "national newspaper," an important resource for examining America on a cumulative week-to-week basis from 1857-1912. Through this database one can discover news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature, and advertisements that shaped and reflected public opinion of the times.
Historical Dictionary
- A Dictionary of Science, Literature & Art (1853)An historical dictionary in the Making of America digital library, written pre-publication of Darwin's On the Origin of the Species and The Descent of Man
Materials at the Kenneth Spencre Research Library
Searching for Historical Context Resources
The following collections may include literature, newsreels, diaries, letters, and various ephemera including posters, maps, advertisements, trade cards, programs, and more:
- C19, the nineteenth century index This link opens in a new windowC19 Index includes the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index, Periodicals Index Online, and American Periodicals Series. It indexes books, government publications, archival collections, and serials.
- Victorian popular culture This link opens in a new windowContains a wide range of material relating to popular entertainment in America, Britain, and Europe in the period from 1779 to 1930.
- London Low Life This link opens in a new windowThis collection brings its users to the teeming streets of 19th century London through posters, penny fiction, chapbooks, maps, cartoons, song sheets, and more.
Historical Magazines & Periodicals
The following are examples of historical popular magazines and periodical literature (other than newspapers) accessible through KU collections:
- Times Literary supplement historical archive, 1902-2019 This link opens in a new windowCovers 1902 to 5 years ago with access to book reviews, film reviews, play reviews and more.
- Vogue archive This link opens in a new windowContains the entire run of Vogue magazine (US edition) from 1892 to the present day. Vogue is a unique record of American and international popular culture that extends beyond fashion.