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Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture

The History of Tourism

Indulge with the wealthy as they experience health inspired visits to luxury spas. Assess the entrepreneurial activities of businessmen such as Thomas Cook who democratised longer-range travel. Discover the pleasures of nineteenth and twentieth century leisure travel and the dramatic growth of tourism for the masses.

This collection charts the development of one of the world’s largest and most culturally significant industries. The growth of leisure travel has profoundly influenced global society in the past two hundred years and the unique primary sources in this resource allow scholars and students to trace the evolution and impact of this phenomenon.

From the emergence of travel agencies in the 19th century, to the impact of wilderness tourism on American national identity, and the golden age of package holidays in the 1970s, this content offers a wealth of essential material for any scholar or student of social, cultural and business history.

Material is sourced from a wealth of international archives, including the unique archives of Thomas Cook, the world’s best known travel agency and a pioneer of tourism for the masses.

This collection consists of below Key brands of tourism,

  • Thomas Cook
  • Rand McNally
  • Wagon-Lits
  • Lunn Poly (Polytechnic Touring Association)
  • Camping and Caravanning Club
  • American Hotel Association (AHLA)
  • Pullman Company
  • Cunard White Star Line
  • Raymond and Whitcomb Tours
Highlights
  • Records of package travel innovator Thomas Cook from its first tour in 1841 through to the modern era
  • Material on iconic seaside resorts such as Coney Island, Rockaway Beach and Blackpool
  • Early accounts of the ‘American Grand Tour’ describing the birth of American vacations
  • Guides to wilderness tourism destinations such as Yosemite, Yellowstone and the White Mountains
  • Marketing materials showing the extraordinary growth of international package holidays in the 1960-1980s
  • Promotional films from the 1930s-1960s encouraging leisure travel

Key data

Source archives

  • Blackpool Central Library Local History Centre
  • Brooklyn Historical Society
  • California Historical Society
  • Camping and Caravanning Club Archive
  • John W Hartman Center, Duke University
  • George A Smathers Libraries, University of Florida
  • Edgar and Louise S Monroe Library, Loyola University New Orleans
  • Massachusetts Historical Society
  • Michigan State University
  • The National Archives, UK
  • The Newberry Library
  • New Hampshire Historical Society
  • New York Academy of Medicine Library
  • Thomas Cook Archives
  • University of Westminster Archives
  • Travel diaries and journals
  • Scrapbooks
  • Photographs
  • Guidebooks
  • Film
  • Posters
  • Postcards
  • Leaflets and brochures
  • Correspondence
  • Periodicals
  • Maps
  • Government documents
  • Printed books
  • Ephemera
  • Prints, engravings, illustration and sketches
  • Brad Beaven, University of Portsmouth
  • Sean Griffin, Brooklyn Historical Society
  • Marguerite Shaffer, Miami University
  • Tony Sharkey, Blackpool Central Library Local History Centre
  • Paul Smith, Thomas Cook Archive
  • Anthony Stanonis, Queens University, Belfast
  • Michele Strong, University of South Alabama
  • Eric G E Zuelow, University of New England, Editor of Journal of Tourism History
  • Business and Economics
  • Cultural Studies
  • Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Irish Studies
  • North American Studies
  • Interactive world map enables quick and easy searches by region, country and US state
  • Interactive chronology charting the history of tourism through the ages
  • The Business of Travel, an A-Z biographical list of the major businesses and organisations
  • Contextual essays written by leading academics and collection specialists
  • Fully searchable image gallery
  • Read first-hand accounts of fascinating journeys in Eyewitness Travels
  • Carefully selected external links to aid research
  • Search directories providing useful keywords, countries and states found within Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture: The History of Tourism

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