LibGuides: English: Primary sources

Library

Primary sources and reference materials

Primary sources include works of literature, newspaper archives, images, and films. Reference materials include dictionaries and encyclopedias.

You have access to a wide range of digital sources, and also printed materials in the main collections and our Special Collections.

Digital primary sources

You have access to a very wide range of digitised literary works from antiquity to the present day. At the top of the list below are the most commonly used resources; further down you'll find more specialised primary source databases.

ProQuest One Literature (including Literature Online) This link opens in a new window
Thousands of works of literature in English and other languages.
An excellent resource for literary study and research, including references to scholarly books, theses, journals and other critical materials, and approximately 500,000 literary works from around the globe. Highly recommended for in depth research.
Note: ProQuest One Literature incorporates Literature Online (LION)
Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window
Full text of most works published between 1473 and 1700. This is indispensible for literary research in the Early Modern period: it provides digital images of literary works and publications in other areas such as history, government, medicine and science.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) contains page images of every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473–1700.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
An essential resource for 18th Century literary research. ECCO contains digitised images of nearly 200,000 works: as well as literature, you will find scientific, religious, legal, historical publications from this period.
Over 180,000 titles published during the 18th Century, including critical information in history, literature, religion, law, fine arts, and science.
Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (OSEO) This link opens in a new window
Scholarly editions of literary works from antiquity to 1900 from Oxford University Press. Texts include editorial notes and introductions. You'll find works from other subjects too: history, philosophy, law, economics, medicine, for example.
Collection of primary material that ranges across a wide variety of subject areas, from philosophy, literature, and theology, to economics, linguistics, and medicine.
Drama Online (Core Collection) This link opens in a new window
This resource contains scripts of dramatic works from antiquity to the present by a wide range of playwrights. You'll also find here filmed dramas from the BBC, and recorded productions from Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
Dramatic works by playwrights from antiquity to the present day.
Eighteenth Century Drama: Censorship, Society and the Stage This link opens in a new window
Approximately 2,500 digital facsimiles of dramatic works collected by John Larpent, Inspector of Plays. In addition, this resource contains diaries kept by Anna Larpent, and other documents and ephemera relating to the London stage in the Eighteenth Century.
An archive of almost every play submitted for licence between 1737 and 1824, and hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays

Granta Magazine (new fiction and poetry)
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Digital version of every issue of Granta Magazine, containing new fiction and poetry. NB you may need to log in using your UOB username and password to use this resource.

Literary Manuscripts: Leeds This link opens in a new window
Digitised images of manuscripts, mainly of works of poetry from the 17th and 18th centuries, which are held at the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds Library.
Digitised images of nearly 200 manuscripts from the Brotherton Collection, University of Leeds Library.
Literary Manuscripts: Berg This link opens in a new window
This includes digitised images of notebooks, manuscripts, drawings and documents relating to Victorian literary figures from the Berg Collection at New York Public Library.
This includes digitised images of notebooks, manuscripts, drawings and documents relating to Victorian literary figures from the Berg Collection at New York Public Library.
Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape This link opens in a new window
This resource will be useful if you are working on Romantic poets such as the Wordsworths, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and others: the main collection includes digitised images of manuscripts from the collections of the Wordsworth Trust. This database also contains works of art from the Wordsworth Trust and photographs of the Lake District, and historical maps of the area.
A major online collection of working notebooks, verse manuscripts and correspondence of William Wordsworth and his fellow writers.
Shakespeare in Performance This link opens in a new window
This resource contains prompt books (play scripts annotated by theatre companies for performances) dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries, from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC.
Shakespeare in Performance showcases rare and unique prompt books from the world-famous Folger Shakespeare Library. These prompt books tell the story of Shakespeare’s plays as they were performed in theatres throughout Great Britain, the United States and internationally, between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
Loeb Classical Library This link opens in a new window
Works from ancient Greece and Rome: the original texts are accompanied by English translations and scholarly introductions and notes.
Searchable database of Greek and Latin texts with English translations.
Arcadian Library Online This link opens in a new window
Holdings of the Arcadian Library, revealing the shared cultural heritage of Europe and the Middle East. Especially strong on the history of science and medicine, and the diplomatic relations between European countries and the Ottoman Empire.
Holdings of the Arcadian Library, revealing the shared cultural heritage of Europe and the Middle East.

Overview

You have access to a wide range of online newspapers, dating from the 17th century to the present day. A very handy overview of our newspaper content provides access to individual resources. See the list below for details of selected titles.

19th Century British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Digitised images of a wide range of local and regional newspaper titles from the nineteenth century until 1913.
Digitised images of a wide range of local and regional newspaper titles from the nineteenth century until 1913.
Daily Mail Historical Archive This link opens in a new window
The Daily Mail Historical Archive, 1896-2004 includes more than one hundred years of this major UK national newspaper, viewable in full digital facsimile form, with copious advertisements, news stories, and images that capture twentieth-century culture and society
The Daily Mail Historical Archive, 1896-2004 includes more than one hundred years of this major UK national newspaper, viewable in full digital facsimile form, with copious advertisements, news stories, and images that capture twentieth-century culture and society.
Guardian/Observer Archive (1791-2003) This link opens in a new window
This archive contains digital images of the full text of the Guardian and Observer newspapers.
This archive contains digital images of the full text of the Guardian and Observer newspapers.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
A collection of newspapers and periodicals from postwar USA, published by a range of organisations: feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, literary scholars, and the extreme right-wing press.
Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
Listener Archive, the 1929-1991 This link opens in a new window
The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in 1929. Over its sixty-two-year history, the Listener attracted the contributions of literary icons such as E. M. Forster, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf. It also provided an important platform for new writers and poets, with W. H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, and Philip Larkin being notable examples.
The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in 1929. Over its sixty-two-year history, the Listener attracted the contributions of literary icons such as E. M. Forster, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf. It also provided an important platform for new writers and poets, with W. H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, and Philip Larkin being notable examples.
Telegraph Historical Archive (1855-2000) This link opens in a new window
The Telegraph Historical Archive contains full digital coverage of issues from the first in 1855 to 2000.
The Telegraph Historical Archive contains full digital coverage of issues from the first in 1855 to 2000.
Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
The Times Digital Archive includes digital images of every issue from its launch in 1785. The last three years of issues are not included in this archive.
The Times Digital Archive includes digital images of every issue from its launch in 1785. The last three years of issues are not included in this archive.
Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Historical Archive This link opens in a new window
The TLS Historical Archive contains authoritative, expert reviews of books, films and music. Coverage includes the earliest issue from 1902 to 2014.
The TLS Historical Archive contains authoritative, expert reviews of books, films and music. Coverage includes the earliest issue from 1902 to 2014.
Times Literary Supplement (TLS) [2010 onwards] This link opens in a new window
This resource provides recent content of the TLS (2010 onwards).
Times of India, 1838-2010 This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive online content of every issue from 1838-2010.
Comprehensive online content of every issue from 1838-2010.
Vogue Archive This link opens in a new window
Every issue of the American edition of Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month.
A searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month. The Vogue Archive preserves the work of the world's greatest fashion designers, stylists and photographers and is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
Platform allowing cross searching of primary source database provided by Gale, covering newspapers, historic journals and other material.
Lexis+ This link opens in a new window
A very good companion to the newspaper archives listed above.

The procedure for searching this database for news items is not obvious:
Select the 'News' tab (top right of the screen)
Enter your keywords into the search box
Use the options on the left hand side to refine your results by source, date, or industry

The list of results displayed gives only brief details.
To view the full article, click on the highlighted title of the article.
An authoritative resource for legal research. Coverage of recent national and regional news sources in the UK.

Overview

These resources are excellent for finding authoritative definitions of words and prhrases, and for researching the lives and contexts of writers and historical figures.

American National Biography This link opens in a new window
Nearly 1000 years of biographical information written by scholars relating to the USA.
Dictionary of Irish Biography This link opens in a new window
Nearly 10,000 biographies of people who influenced Irish history, literature and society.
Oxford Dictionaries This link opens in a new window
Bilingual dictionaries in a range of languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
High quality bilingual dictionaries in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window
Scholarly discussions of notable people who have influenced British history from Roman times to the present. Includes useful suggestions for further reading and research.
The national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century.
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) This link opens in a new window
The most comprehensive dictionary of the English language, which enables you to find definitions and discussions of the uses of words and phrases and how those uses developed and changed.
Provides definitions of words in English and the development of their use.

Overview

Via these resources you have access to millions of freeview TV and radio programmes, newsreels and screened performances of threatrical works.

BBC Drama Films and Documentaries This link opens in a new window
Film adaptations of plays from a wide range of playwrights.
Film adaptations of classic and contemporary plays.
Box of Broadcasts (BoB) This link opens in a new window
Millions of free to air radio and TV broadcasts from the UK.
Enables staff and students to record and watch freeview broadcasts, create clips from new and archived TV and radio broadcasts, and embed them into Blackboard/ presentations. Please note: it can only be accessed in the UK. It is each user’s responsibility to ensure that the materials made available are used strictly within the terms and conditions of the licence.
Globe on Screen This link opens in a new window
Filmed plays at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
Filmed plays at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
News on Screen This link opens in a new window
Newsreels from 1910 to the 1980s.
News coverage from 1910 to 1983 from the newsreels of organisations such as Pathe News, Gaumont British News and British Movietone News, plus access to films from Roundabout, the COI cinemagazine that promoted Britain to Asia from 1962-1974.
Kanopy This link opens in a new window
Movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos.

Overview

These resources provide access to images of artworks, architecture, sculpture and related art forms.

ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
Collections of images of artworks from around the world.
Primary source database for works of art
VADS (Visual Arts Data Service) This link opens in a new window
A portfolio of visual art collections comprising over 100,000 images that are freely available and copyright cleared for use in teaching, learning and research in the UK.
A portfolio of visual art collections comprising over 100,000 images that are freely available and copyright cleared for use in teaching, learning and research in the UK.

Overview

Diaries, narratives, surveys, interviews. These resources are particularly useful if you are studying 20th Century literature.

Mass Observation Online (1937-1967) This link opens in a new window
Mass Observation Online makes available personal diaries, surveys, and other materials to provide records of public opinion from the late 1930s to the late 1960s.
Mass Observation Online makes available personal diaries, surveys, and other materials to provide records of public opinion from 1937 to 1967.
The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives, 1960-1974 This link opens in a new window
Letters, diaires, oral histories, and many other documents from the USA, 1960-1974.
The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960–1974 brings the 1960s alive through diaries, letters, autobiographies and other memoirs, written and oral histories, manifestos, government documents, memorabilia, and scholarly commentary. With 125,000 pages of text and 50 hours of video at completion, this searchable collection is the definitive electronic resource for students and scholars researching this important period in American history, culture, and politics.

Printed primary sources

Search for primary sources among the Library's collections of printed editions of literary works, letters, diaries and facsimiles.

Essential primary sources

Early English Books Online (EEBO)

From the first book published in English through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare, EEBO contains over 146,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700) and their revised editions, as well as the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplement. Subjects covered include literature, history, philosophy, linguistics, theology, music, fine arts, education, mathematics, and science.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)

The largest and most comprehensive online historical archive of its kind and an essential resource for advanced study of the eighteenth century, this collection contains every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in the United Kingdom between the years 1701 and 1800.

Oxford Scholarly Editions Online (OSEO)

Full text editions of over 1500 works from antiquity to 1901. Each text comes with scholarly introductions and notes, and the database is fully searchable. Browse by author, or search for a work or word/phrase in specific texts or across the entire collection.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

The Oxford English Dictionary is widely regarded as the accepted authority on the English language. It is an guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of 600,000 words— past and present—from across the English-speaking world.

ProQuest One Literature (including Literature Online)

Over 500,000 works of poetry, prose and drama from around the world, from Anglo-Norman times to the present day. The majority of the works are in English, with significant collections in other languages, notably from Germany, Spain, Latin America and South East Asia.

Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive

Full text digital versions of the TLS from the first issue in 1902. There is a time lag in uploading of content so the most recent issues are not available. Recent content is available via an Exact Editions database.

British Library Newspapers

Digitised versions of newspaper content from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Locations of printed collections

Locations of printed collections relating to Anglophone literatures

Special Collections

The University's Special Collections encompass a wide range of material from different time periods and on numerous subjects.

Some material can be viewed online and you can consult physical items by appointment in the Special Collections Reading Room on the first floor of the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

Bristol University Theatre Collection

The Theatre Collection is one of the world’s largest archives of British theatre history and Live Art.

Finding and using archives in the UK

Our Introduction to finding and using archives in the UK guide provides further information about using UK archives for your research.