Blog

The small spit of land off the coast of Massachusetts which maps refer to as ‘Nantucket’ was called the ‘far away land’ by its first settlers, the Wampanoag Nation. Nowadays, this small island, which at just under 273 km squared is smaller than Malta or the Maldives, is easy to reach by long-distance bus and the ‘Cape Flyer’, by high-speed ferry or by commercial airline.

The 2018 Football World Cup is in full swing, after kicking off (no pun intended, I promise) with Russia vs. Saudi Arabia. Football has long been accepted as crucial form of recreation and relaxation for the masses, and this is evident in reports on spectator sports during the Second World War, which can be found in Mass Observation Online. During times of crisis, Sport, particularly football in Britain was recognised as a way in which to raise morale.

Here in the office, everyone has their favourite search terms when exploring our new collections. I often search for “Devizes” to see what historic documents I can turn up on my own stomping ground. For a small Wiltshire town, the results so far have been surprisingly varied, with letters written from the house next to my favourite Chinese turning up in Colonial America, travel guides for canal walks in Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture, and tales of war-time community spirit in First World War.

This is the first in a two-part blog in which David G. Lewis, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology and Native Studies at Oregon State University, tells the story of discovering some previously unknown documents from Pacific Northwest explorer David Douglas within Adam Matthew Digital's collection Age of Exploration.

David Lewis wil be presenting more about his findings at ALA Midwinter 2019 on Saturday 26th January. If you are in attendance at the conference then come along to the Adam Matthew booth (#1012) at 11am and 2pm to hear more. 

Today is Robert Burns Day, and tonight, in celebration of the Scottish poet, village halls and pubs throughout Scotland will be decked in tartan and tables set for a hearty meal of cock-a-leekie soup and haggis.

Sport has many powers. It gives people purpose. It keeps us fit and healthy. It can unite a population and create waves of nationalism. And it can also be the answer to the question: how can a country as large as the Soviet Union raise its life expectancy from thirty-two years to nearly seventy within fifty years? According to the Soviet film Half a Century of Sport, credit for this remarkable achievement belongs to the sports program that was part of everyday life for millions of Soviet citizens.

A special guest blog by Dr Erin Redihan, Worcester State University.

On Friday 22 March 1765, the British Parliament voted to pass one of the most incendiary and politically damaging pieces of legislation in its history - the Stamp Act.

On the chilly morning of 6 June, 1944 – D-Day – massed Allied forces attacked the Nazi-occupied coast of Normandy. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and a pivotal moment of World War Two.

It has been 50 years since the words “that’s one small step..." were broadcast live to the masses, and the world knew that man had landed on the moon. The Apollo 11 mission had finally given the US the upper hand in the Space Race, more than a decade after the Soviet Union declared its intention to launch a satellite.

What on earth is a 'short snorter'? Assessing material for our newly released resource America in World War Two several years ago, I found myself faced with the archival catalogue of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and this very question.

On the 4th October 1883, the Orient Express embarked on its inaugural journey from Paris to Constantinople. I have taken this opportunity to delve into Leisure, Travel & Mass Culture to explore the fascinating stories and experiences that surround this train.

With the focus of a new semester, it’s always an exciting time to hit the road and talk to academics across the country about all things humanities and social sciences. The fact that it’s also conference season again means I have the privilege of exposure to fascinating lectures, great conversations with the academic community, and the opportunity to share the latest news from Adam Matthew Digital.

With the focus of a new semester, it’s always an exciting time to hit the road and talk to academics across the country about all things humanities and social sciences. The fact that it’s also conference season again means I have the privilege of exposure to fascinating lectures, great conversations with the academic community, and the opportunity to share the latest news from Adam Matthew Digital.

Prester John, the fictional Asian Christian ruler, dwelt within the western medieval psyche for centuries and features heavily in Medieval Travel Writing. He is the subject of numerous letters and as an artistic subject of the period. How, when there was so little physical evidence for his existence, did his legend persist?

Guest author Dr Beth Forrest explores the primary sources digitised in AM’s Food and Drink in History resource, looking at how cultural attitudes towards chocolate have evolved over time.

While we all face uncertainty about what to expect from the coming weeks and months, I wanted to use this blog to end this week on a lighter note and highlight some of the fantastic content I was able to find sitting on my sofa.

Having recently stumbled across a news story about two Parisian streets left frozen in time after a World War Two era film set had to be abandoned as the city went into lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak, I decided to delve into the America in World War Two resource to learn more about the city of light that ‘went dark’ during the years of German occupation from June 1940 to August 1944.

This week marks 80 years since Operation Dynamo, when over 300,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches and harbours of Dunkirk during the Battle of France. Although the event has been since immortalised through various star-studded blockbusters, docuseries and history books, I wanted to dig into our resources to find out how those living through the war experienced and responded to news of the evacuation.

Book Reading in War Time offers insights into the impact the first few months of the Second World War had on the book publishing industry, our libraries, and the books we were scrambling to read.

Holidaymakers the world over have put their passports away this summer as the global pandemic continues to make international travel difficult, if not entirely impossible. In an effort to recreate that holiday feeling, I’ve been seeking inspiration for future trips in some of the documents published in Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture: The History of Tourism.

Natalie Dale, editor at AM, alongside other members of the editorial team share their personal highlights of canines featured in some of our collections such as Interwar Culture and Mass Observation Project.

Following momentous votes in both France and the United Kingdom over the past month, Assistant Editor Alex Barr reflects on South Africa's 1984 general election, which marked a pivotal moment in apartheid history. Spearheaded by the nascent United Democratic Front, a mass boycott of this election undermined the legitimacy of the government and provided new impetus to the anti-apartheid liberation struggle.

Editorial assistant Jade Lilliman reflects on the 20th anniversary of Movember, the annual movement encouraging men to grow moustaches to support awareness and fundraising for men's health issues like prostate cancer and mental health. Jade delves into the Movember mission alongside historical perspectives on facial hair from the Mass Observation Archive, drawing parallels between past and present societal pressures on appearance.