History

For quick access to high quality information for your assignments, try the links on these pages.

Set up the University VPN system to access these resources any time, anywhere! 

Free until 30th April 2024Oxford University Press most read items from 2023

Try these extensive primary sources covering newspapers, periodicals and magazines from 1600 onwards

fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

From Vienna, its chief listening post, and also from Prague and Warsaw, the AP covered Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Reporters rotated in and out of the Eastern bloc, writing about the declining influence of the Soviet Union, the last days of the Iron Curtain, and the political and economic re-structuring of the former Soviet satellites. These collections are composed almost entirely of wire copy, which was saved by the bureaus. The Vienna bureau files include copy documenting events in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, the former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and the former Yugoslavia in the years 1952 to 2000 (date spans vary by country). News releases from government news agencies are often interfiled. Look out for the Berlin documents dated August 1946 which were rescued from a cellar. Amongst other topics, they cover the food situation of German civilians.


Search and read a wide range of national and regional newspapers from 1741-1950.

Watch this short video to get a quick overview (we have parts 1 - 5).


Access facsimiles of 22 Chinese newspapers published in English between 1832 and 1953. They include the North China Herald and the Chinese Repository, which cover British/Western attitudes towards the Qing government and the Chinese people during and after the Opium Wars. They are considered critical primary sources in the study of late imperial China and Sino-foreign relations.

Additional access instructions:

For off campus access use this link


Use with care as this tabloid is known for its strong views but it can help with some assignments and certain dissertation topics. Search for stories or use the browse feature to flick through the paper on particular days, including special editions published in connection with Queen Victoria, George V, Elizabeth II's coronation and Winston Churchill. Use Nexis if you want to go beyond 2016.


Search all the newspaper and magazine archives which we buy from Gale Cengage in one go. Once you've done a search, use Term Clusters and Term Frequency on the right of the screen to help you analyse your results.

This 5 minute video shows you how to make effective use of the features available.

Watch this 2 minute overview video to find out how this could help you. If you're off-campus, make sure you connect to the VPN before searching so that you get the Gale archives which UoP has bought.


Access stories and photos from The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003). Use Nexis if you want to search up to the current day.

Additional access instructions:

For off campus access use this link


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

The world's first illustrated weekly newspaper containing useful background for Victorian topics in particular.


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

A British countercultural underground newspaper 1966-1986.


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

Founded in 1903, the Mirror plays a pivotal role in the history of journalism. Peaking in 1967, with a daily circulation of 5.25 million, the newspaper has had a history full of highs and lows. Today, it is the only mainstream left-wing tabloid remaining in the UK. Gale's Mirror Historical Archive, 1903-2000 features more than 800,000 pages of brand-new, full text searchable, scans of the complete run of the Mirror from 1903-2000, including the Sunday Mirror.


Access to the current New York Times and its archive

!  This item has restricted access. You must login to view access instructions.

Additional access instructions:

Only available by creating an account to use current service and the archive. To create an account go to nytimes.com/passes and create an account using your UoP email address

The Archive is accessed through the main page. To use the search facility click here


• Nexis Uni 

Full text articles from many news sources and trade journals both UK and international. Archives sometimes stretching back to the mid 1980s.

Additional access instructions:

For use in the UK only


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

This online archive includes African-American newspapers as well as titles that pre-date a state's admission into the Union. There is a wide variety of titles and date coverage e.g. Afro-American (Baltimore), Daily Hot Blast, (Anniston, Alabama) Detroit Free Press, The Washington Globe, with the oldest newspaper dating from 1800. There are numerous ways to search or browse.


Access current UK and international newspapers and magazines in full colour, plus a 365 day archive. Sync across devices once you're registered.

This video gives you a brief overview of what's available.

Additional access instructions:


Search over 15 ProQuest archives in 1 single search. Content includes

  • magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Prima, She
  • magazines covering cinema, theatre, TV, radio and gaming
  • 19th century British periodicals
  • a range of newspapers, including The Guardian and Observer, South China Morning Post and 19th century Chinese newspapers which were published in English
  • the John Johnson archive of printed ephemera 

fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

Founded in Hong Kong in 1903, this paper is known for its authoritative, influential, and independent reporting on Hong Kong, China and all of Asia, as well as its perspective of the rest of the world. Gain unique insights into modern Chinese history, 20th century politics, economics, and more. Search from 2000 up to the current day via Nexis Uni.

Additional access instructions:

Authentication required for off-campus access


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

1271 London and provincial newsbooks, newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets and single-sheet ephemera, 1600 to 1800.


fully searchable in EBSCO Discovery

Launched in 1855 as an affordable newspaper (it quickly cut its price to a penny), by 1876 The Telegraph was the largest-selling newspaper in the world. The newspaper was directed at a wealthy, educated readership and is commonly associated with traditional Toryism, despite its more "liberal" beginnings. The Telegraph Historical Archive has over 1 million pages of content and includes the Sunday edition from its inception in 1961. The archive offers a fundamental insight into domestic and international affairs and culture over a time span of almost 150 years.

Under the editorship of poet and Orientalist Edwin Arnold from 1873 to 1899, the newspaper published widely on foreign affairs and foreign cultures. This led to coverage of Stanley's expedition to Africa in search of David Livingstone, which it co-sponsored with the New York Herald in 1874. Its dedication to foreign news coverage was evidenced by its employment of several renowned special correspondents over the years, including: Winston Churchill, who reported from India in 1897, Rudyard Kipling, who braved the trenches of the First World War, and Clare Hollingworth, who, as the first female war correspondent, relayed the start of the Second World War from Poland.

During the twentieth century, The Telegraph cemented its reputation as a pioneering yet reliable source of news reporting. There was the infamous uncensored interview with Kaiser Wilhelm of 1908, in which he successfully alienated Britain, France, Russia, and Japan. In 1942, the newspaper published the cryptic crossword puzzle responsible for recruiting Allied codebreakers during the Second World War.


Search over 200 years of articles. Articles are full facsimiles of what was published on the day and you can view the article in its original page location if you want.

Watch this video showing you how to make the most of the features available.

 

Your Subject Team

 Anne Worden

Faculty Librarian

email Anne.Worden@port.ac.uk

phone (023) 9284 3243

 Sharon Bittner

Assistant Faculty Librarian

email sharon.bittner@port.ac.uk

phone (023) 9284 3234