This two-part mini series of blogposts was written by MA Public History student Olivia Huidobro, who spent the summer of 2025 working for Special Collections as a Research Assistant. Photos for these blogs were sourced by Chelsie Mok, Teaching and Collections Co-Ordinator. Thanks so much Olivia and Chelsie!

During the summer, I have been researching UCL’s Special Collections to uncover printed and archival materials related to East London. Realising that perhaps the most important part of any place is its people, I focused on investigating East Londoners and their stories.  

Following are the lives of three very different figures connected to the area and its heritage across centuries. Through material in the collections, these persons come into focus, not only through their biographies, but also as lenses onto social movements, cultural identities, and the broader historical processes that have shaped East London’s communities. From an activist involved in one of the most famous labour strikes of the 19th century, to a Jewish writer and community member, to a controversial figure of the East India Company, their stories reveal the diversity and contradictions of East London’s past. 

Annie Besant and the Match Girls’ Strike of 1888 

Annie Besant, born in 1847, was one of the figures I encountered during my research. Although she was neither born nor based in East London – as was the case for many of other social reformers or social workers of the time – she became involved with the area through her left-wing politics and her activism around the organisation of unskilled workers. Besant was a socialist, theosophist, freemason, educationist, and a campaigner for women’s rights, Irish Home Rule, and Indian nationalism. 

By the mid-19th century, one of Bow’s best-known industries was match making – in particular, at the Bryant and May factories in Fairfield Works. Women and girls represented the majority of the workforce, responsible for removing matches from frames and boxing them. In 1888, while working as editor of The Link, the Law and Liberty League journal, Besant published an article criticising the poor working conditions and low wages provided by the company. In response, Bryant and May attempted to retaliate by dismissing three women they thought were whistle-blowers and therefore ‘trouble-makers’. This act would then spark a mass walkout, with around 1,400 match women and girls going on strike. Within days, Bryant and May decided to settle, re-hiring the fired workers, and promised to cease unfair deductions from pay and other improvements to their working conditions.  

Cover of Match Making / by Walter Lucas (FLS Rare Pamphlets E39)

The Making of the Match Box section from Match Making (FLS Rare Pamphlets E39)

The strike was successful because of the determination and organising efforts of the young working women themselves, although Besant’s role contributed to the efforts and was relevant in raising a strike fund, building support within the community, and ultimately leading the formation of the match girls’ union on July 27th, 1888 – the first for women only. The following year, Besant won the Tower Hamlets seat on the London School Board running on a socialist platform, and also emerged as a key figure in the growing ‘New Unionism’ movement. 

Finding material about her in UCL’s Special Collections was genuinely exciting: I came across an 1889 copy of the Fabian Essays in Socialism, to which she contributed alongside figures like George Bernard Shaw and Sidney Webb, as well as archival documents including her own letters to Karl Pearson, discussing feminism and political activism. 

Letters from Annie Besant to Karl Pearson (PEARSON/1/6/4)

Grace Aguilar and the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Congregation 

Grace Aguilar was born in Hackney in 1816  to a family of Sephardic Jewish refugees from Portugal. She was a novelist and poet, who brought Jewish subjects to the spotlight. Writing for a popular readership, she defended Judaism and argued for religious tolerance. Also, she specially addressed female readers with The Women of Israel (1845), a book of essays on Old Testament heroines. A first edition of this text is held within the Collections. Another particularly interesting find was a set of her papers, dated from 1831 to 1853, which included her manuscript notebooks as well as manuscript material in other hands – such as a book of tributes to Aguilar, a description of her last illness, and an account for the administration of her estate. These can certainly be a rich and underexplored resource for understanding the literary, religious, and cultural life of East London’s Jewish community in the 19th century. 

The Women of Israel by Grace Aguilar (SR MOCATTA PAMPHLETS BOX 1)

She and her family were active members of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation in London, which I discovered to be prominently featured in the Special Collections and thus discovering its significance for the area’s history. I was struck by the wealth of material showing up for searches like the ‘Bevis Marks Synagogue’, especially within the Mocatta Collection and the Gaster Papers. I enjoyed browsing through ephemera items, like visiting cards, greeting cards, cards of thanks and condolence, invitations, menus, place cards, table plans and guest lists, dance cards, programmes, orders of service, postcards, announcements, tickets, membership cards, price lists, forms, library slips, calendars, and pressed flowers. These small, everyday objects offer a glimpse into the community’s relationships, venues, fashions, meals, and other subtle patterns of cultural life. Many of these items are digitised and can be accessed here. 

Josiah Child and the East India Company 

East London is also entangled with darker aspects of British history. Josiah Child, born in 1630, was an economist, politician, and merchant who lived in Wanstead until 1673, when he purchased Wanstead Abbey in Epping Forest. He was involved with joint-stock companies from the early 1670s, an investor in the slave trade, and one of the founders and presidents of the Royal African Company. However, his primary focus was the East India Company, which is historically linked to East London, especially through its promotion of the East India Docks on the Isle of Dogs and the bustling trade that passed through them. Child served on the Company’s court and held positions as both deputy governor and governor, gaining powerful enemies and drawing widespread criticism along the way.  

In response to this opposition, he published a number of treatises, copies of which can be found in the Special Collections. One of them is titled “The great honour and advantage of the East-India trade to the kingdom”. The other one takes the argument further, arguing that “the East-India trade is the most national of all foreign trades”, that “the clamors, aspersions, and objections made against the present East-India Company, are sinister, selfish, or groundless”, and that “the East-India trade is more profitable and necessary to the Kingdom of England, than to any other kingdom or nation in Europe”. Dating from the last decades of the 1600s, the possibility to access these texts is an incredible resource to think about the history of colonialism, empire and trade, and the public opinion and discourse around it.  

That the East-India Trade is the most National of all Foreign Trades from A Treatise wherein is Demonstrated (STRONG ROOM E 610 C34/1)

The Company also played a prominent role in slavery, beginning to use enslaved labour and transport enslaved people as early as the 1620s, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. With the aim of mapping the material available on this issue and identifying resources for further study, I began the search for these difficult and often painful findings. The Collections seem to offer a wide-ranging view of the public discussions of the time and their political repercussions – covering issues like the Slave Registration Acts, the Slave Trade Act, the Abolition Act, and the wider anti-slavery movement. It is also relevant to consider the collections involved when finding this material: while most of the texts come from the Hume and Ogden Libraries, a few books belonged to Francis Galton’s library, bringing insights not only through their content but also through their context. 

One last archival material I would like to highlight are the Jamaican Plantation Records – a small number of records from the sugar plantations of Buff Bay River Estate and Fearon’s Place in Jamaica, which include details of enslaved individuals and are incredibly rare. This collection was donated to the UCL Centre for the Study of Legacies of British Slavery in 2020, and was passed to UCL Special Collections in 2023.

By visiting these lives and legacies, we can access some of East London’s social struggles, its cultural diversity, and the entanglements with global commerce and empire. The items that form part of UCL’s Special Collections help illuminate their stories, while also revealing broader historical processes – like the area’s activism, community identities, and colonial trade and slavery. All of these have shaped East London’s heritage and continue to influence its character today. 

Bibliography 

Grassby, Richard. “Child, Sir Josiah, first baronet (bap. 1631, d. 1699), economic writer and merchant.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 September 2004. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-5290. 

Satre, Lowell J. “After the Match Girls’ Strike: Bryant and May in the 1890s.” Victorian Studies 26, no. 1 (1982): 7–31. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3827491. 

Taylor, Anne. “Besant [née Wood], Annie (1847–1933), theosophist and politician in India.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 September 2004. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-30735. 

Valman, Nadia. “Aguilar, Grace (1816–1847), writer on Jewish history and religion and novelist.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 September 2004. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-217. 

“Annie Besant.” Wikipedia. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Besant. 

“East India Company.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Last updated July 15, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company.  

“Grace Aguilar.” Wikipedia (Spanish). Accessed 22 July 2025. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Aguilar. 

“Matchgirls’ Strike.” Wikipedia. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchgirls%27_strike. 

“Match Girls’ Strike.” English Heritage. Accessed 22 July 2025. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/match-girls-strike/. 

This two-part mini series of blogposts was written by MA Public History student Olivia Huidobro, who spent the summer of 2025 working for Special Collections as a Research Assistant, finishing a two-years long project to investigate what material we look after relating to East London. Photos for these blogs were sourced by Chelsie Mok, Teaching and Collections Co-Ordinator. Thanks so much Olivia and Chelsie!

Answering seemingly straightforward questions about East London can be harder than one might think. Where is it? What is it? And when? Although the East End is likely to hold a place in the imaginary of  Londoners and others alike, it certainly refers to a highly heterogenous space. I kept this in mind when I started with the ambitious task of researching UCL’s Special Collections looking to identify East London material. What I hadn’t anticipated was just how rich a local history would appear, one deeply shaped by the spaces, communities, and industries across this part of the city. 

In Beyond the Tower: A History of East London, John Marriott describes the emergence of East London as a distinct area in the 18th century. Precisely when London was becoming a metropolis, the East End became the manufacturing and commercial heart of it, drawing people from abroad with the promise of new opportunities, and acting as a place of refuge for those displaced. By the late 19th century, however, “the whole of East London was in the minds of many middle-class inhabitants as remote and inaccessible as the far corners of the empire”1. By finding material in the Collections that is related to the area, this project sought to explore and reflect on that complex, diverse, and often misrepresented history. As the UCL East campus approaches its third anniversary, having a selection of these items available for teaching will offer the possibility to promote a local object-based approach to learning. 

East London limits have been intensely contested. Charles Booth’s mapping placed it between the City wall and the River Lea, while Walter Besant broadly defined it as everything east of Bishopsgate and north of the Thames. In contrast to the latter’s diffuse definition, which represented the perception of outsiders unfamiliar with the area, Millicent Rose suggested delineating East London in detail, bounded by Aldgate in the west, the Lea in the east, the Thames to the south, and Clapton Common to the north.

For the execution of this project, the geographical focus included the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. The time scope, on the other hand, was actually shaped by the collection itself, and by the dates of materials that began to surface during the research – spanning from the 17th century to our present day.  

I was lucky to join the project after it had started, so a lot of groundwork had already been done by previous contributors. For example, they had done impressive work identifying relevant information in secondary literature to help develop a list of keywords, and had even started executing some of the searches based on those keywords. 

The search list, a key resource that acted as a guideline for my work, was subdivided into four categories: People, Groups, Companies & Industries, and Places related to the area. East London’s history quickly began to take shape through these terms and the materials they uncovered. Prominent groups included the Quakers, the Huguenots, and Irish and Jewish communities, and industries such as brewing, furniture-making, and sugar refining.  

The Places listed included not only names of neighbourhoods, but also theatres, synagogues, churches, hospitals, and docks, amongst others. Searching for specific sites like “Spitalfields”, for example, brought up printed material related to the presence of the Huguenot community, the silk weaving industry, clock-making, and the findings of archaeological excavations at the Spitalfields Market. Among the archival material, one of my favourite items were Gene Adams’ papers on the Spitalfields Projects. Carried out in the 1970s, this initiative aimed to raise the awareness of the area’s 18th century architecture which was being threatened by redevelopment. It also included a history trail and activities at the Geffrye Museum, a proposed Spitalfields street museum, and an exhibition of the area.  

A black and white photo of an exhibition space in Spitalfields. (GA/4/1/5)

Another search I found especially interesting, particularly for what it revealed about the area’s communities, was “Stepney”. The results included a book on the Stepney Jewish Girls’ Club, the marriage registers from St. Dunstan’s, an 18th-century volume about the Stepney Society (an early local charity), and a photograph of a home economics class at Stepney Green School. These items came from a range of collections, including the London History Collection, the Hebrew and Jewish Collection, and the Papers of Brenda Francis. 

A black and white photo depicting home economics classroom scene at Stepney Green School in the 1970s. (BF/1/1/30)

Cover page of ‘The Rules and orders of the Stepney Society’. (London History 1759 RUL)

The initial names in the People list, however, fell short in reflecting East London’s diversity. Most of these had been selected from published secondary literature and were, unsurprisingly, white men. It was also not always clear who the name on the list was referring to. To address this, we developed a curated directory featuring the biographies of both men and women connected to East London, which also informed the project with topics and movements relevant to the area’s history. Although after looking at the catalogues I realised that the Collections didn’t always have material related to the people listed, the resource may remain as a reference of a more diverse set of stories of the lives within the area. 

My research then continued with the aim of highlighting significant women who had lived or worked in East London. At this stage, I broadened my sources beyond academic journals to include digital and collaborative platforms like Wikipedia and the East End Women’s Museum. One of the most compelling discoveries was East London’s strong activist heritage, shaped by progressive groups campaigning for the rights of workers, women, and local communities. I was particularly drawn to the networks surrounding socialist figures, which came into focus through organisations such as the Dockers’ Union, the Women’s Trade Union League, the Independent Labour Party, and the East London Federation of Suffragettes, among others. 

Towards the end of the project, the list compiling all of the East London material in the collections reached over 1,400 items. Within this extensive compilation is also reflected the outreach, diversity and the layered histories within the area itself. As a result, we also decided to create a narrower list, which included only the most relevant items while still enabling us to explore a wide range of topics, including education, feminism, workers’ rights, public health, crime, navigation, city planning, the silk industry, and many, many more.  

Although this stage of the research project has concluded, its outcomes are still to come. The findings could support future teaching initiatives and help shape a dedicated subject guide on London, making it easier for students, researchers, and the wider public to discover the city’s stories through the university’s Special Collections.  Ultimately, the project not only helped to map material and relevant themes of East London history, but also evidenced the capacity of collections to prompt new questions, build connections, and offer different perspectives on familiar places. 

Bibliography 

Marriott, John. Beyond the Tower: A History of East London. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vkwsx. 

Written by Sophie Bouckaert, UCL Archives and Records Management programme.

As part of the Curation and Stewardship module of the UCL Archives and Records Management module, students have the good fortune to be able to choose between many fabulous institutions for a 2 week work placement. I chose to spend my two weeks with UCL Special Collections as I had already been exposed to some of the great people working in UCL Special Collections and the rich and varied materials they work with through teaching sessions delivered as part of the course. I was also keen to broaden my experience of working in different archival environments, and had no previous experience of working within a higher education institution.

I was intrigued and a little apprehensive when Katy emailed to let me know I would be working with archive related to Tlaloc, an experimental poetry magazine published in the 1960s and 1970s. My task would be to sort, list and catalogue these archive materials to improve their accessibility, but given my limited familiarity with poetry – and especially experimental forms of poetry – would I even be able to identify what I was looking at?

Some preliminary research revealed that Tlaloc was a small press magazine with an emphasis on concrete and visual poetry, that is, poetry in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance; or, as John J Sharkey (one of the poets contributing to Tlaloc) put it: “The essence of a poem is inferred through a simple language pattern without necessarily having to ‘read’ it.” (John Sharkey, 1971, p.9)

A selection of concrete poems, showing examples of different textual layouts.

Tlaloc was edited by Cavan McCarthy, a poet and librarian at the Brotherton Library in Leeds. First issued in 1964, and running to 22 issues by the time it wrapped up 1970, Tlaloc was born at almost precisely the same time as UCL’s collection of Little Magazines. It featured the work of many of the key players of the British literary avant-garde, including Benedictine priest dom sylvester houedard, Scottish poet and artist Ian Hamilton Finlay, pioneering sound and visual poet Bob Cobbing and Angela Carter, English poet and writer known for her feminist, magical realism, and picaresque works. McCarthy was also the European editor for the Directory of Little Magazines and the Small Press Review, as well as producing his own Loc-Sheet newsletter. As such, he had an extensive literary and publishing network of connections into which UCL’s English Librarian at the time Geoffrey Soar was able to tap – with the result that UCL’s collection now contains this archive alongside countless rare items published by poets, artists and small collectives from around the world.

The archive itself came in the form of 5 boxes labelled “Tlaloc Files” each containing folders already labelled by Cavan McCarthy – ranging from record copies of his publications, original submissions to Tlaloc from over 100 poets and artists around the world, correspondence with writers, publishers and distributors, drafts of McCarthy’s own poetry and writing, as well as his own collection of Little Magazines published by other imprints. Despite the labelling of the of the boxes, it was clear that the materials they contained were much broader than Tlaloc and so, in discussion with Katy, I sought to develop a cataloguing structure that would make that evident to future users, while maintaining the prominence of Tlaloc and the context that had been provided by McCarthy. Thus the McCarthy Collection was born!

Various issues of Tlaloc found in the archive.

Much of the material was in the form of loose printed or manuscript sheets, and largely produced using the cheap and low quality materials common to the Small Press of the 1960s and 1970s. It was nevertheless in reasonably good condition, perhaps in part due to the limited access and use it has seen to date given its uncatalogued status. That was something my work would hopefully change, making details about the collection publicly available and searchable – but, before that, it would need some re-packaging into archive standard files, folders and boxes to ensure it could continue to be accessible to users for many years to come.

The work I was able to complete on this collection was eye-opening. I learned so much about UCL’s amazing Small Press collections, notable figures in the experimental poetry field and some of the challenges facing publishers and distributors at this time – many of McCarthy’s own writings focused on censorship and obscenity prosecutions undertaken during this period to limit the development of the field and suppress counter-cultural movements. Beyond that, I loved engaging with the various Special Collections teams from digitisation to outreach, conservation to reader services – thank you to all those who supported me through my work placement!

Sophie’s catalogue of the McCarthy archive can be found online here: https://archives.ucl.ac.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=MCCARTHY&pos=1

Image credit: Howard Kordansky, 2024 Book Prize winner

The Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize celebrates and encourages student book collectors who are passionate about any type of book, printed, or manuscript material. It is open to any student studying at a London-based university who has a collection of printed and/or manuscript material focused on a cohesive theme.  

The winner will receive £600 as well as an allowance of £300 to purchase an item for UCL Special Collections. The prize will also include the opportunity to give a talk on your collection as part of the UCL Special Collections events programme.

Your collection should be based around a theme which has been deliberately assembled and that you intend to continue growing. Past shortlisted and finalist collection themes include post WWI Jewish experiences, transgender authors, and Arabic voices in science fiction and graphic novels.  

Your collection does not need to include items that are valuable, old, or historically important. Instead, your collection can include anything from comic books to postcards, 19th century novels to modern YA fiction. As long as it has a dedicated theme, you are welcome to apply! 

To apply, you must:

• Be a current undergraduate or postgraduate studying for a degree at a London-based university. Both part-time and full-time students are encouraged to apply. 

• Have a cohesive collection of at least 8 items.   

• Fill out our online application form by April 25th.  

• Shortlisted applicants will be asked to present their collection to the prize judges on May 19th. 

Below are several resources that can help you plan your application. However, please feel free to contact library.spec.coll.rarebooks@ucl.ac.uk with any specific questions you might have about the prize. 

Collection of Emma Treleaven, 2023 Book Collecting Prize winner

To apply or to learn more about the eligibility criteria: 

• The Anthony Davis Book Prize webpage. 

 For advice on what a collection can look like: 

• How to be a student book collector (and apply for the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize) 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Collecting with Intention 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Interview with LSE Library 

 Conversations with previous winners and finalists: 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Interview with Emma Treleaven (2023 winner) 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Books that built a zoo 

• Q&A with Erick Jackaman, 2021 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize Runner Up  

Announcements of previous winners: 

• 2024 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize Winners announced! 

• Winners of the 2023 Anthony Davis Student Book Collecting Prize 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 2022: results announced 

• Announcing the winners of the 2021 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 

• Results announced for Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 2020 

Call for Applications 

In 2025, we are celebrating 60 years of small press collecting at UCL. We are looking for a small press to take up a temporary residency at UCL to help us celebrate and contribute to the programme of events and activities which will run over the course of the year.  

About the residency 

The residency is a collaboration between UCL Special Collections and the Slade School of Fine Art. We are offering a flexible, temporary residency for a small, independent press to develop a publishing project(s), engage with our collections, and feed into our small press anniversary celebrations in 2025.  

The successful press will spend up to 6 weeks or part-time equivalent at UCL, anytime between 1 May and 31 December 2025 (although alternative dates and residency duration might be accommodated, subject to space, staff, and funding availability; the exact schedule will be agreed with UCL Special Collections on appointment.).  

The press will have part-time access to a studio space and the printing workshop at The Slade (including equipment for all forms of intaglio printing, screen printing equipment, an Albion Press, lithography facilities, digital printing suite, a risograph, and bookbinding tools; visit The Slade website for more information about available facilities).  

The press will have freedom to develop a programme of activity, with support from colleagues at UCL Special Collections, but will be expected to:  

• work across the two UCL campuses and engage with staff and student communities at UCL Bloomsbury and UCL East;  

• curate a short programme of activity, feeding into our 60th anniversary celebrations; 

• by the end of the residency, produce a publication (or a group of publications).  

Publications produced during the residency will be acquired by UCL Special Collections and become part of UCL’s Small Press Collections.  

The Small Press in Residence will receive:  

• a grant of £5,000; 

• a part-time studio space at The Slade, on UCL Bloomsbury campus (please note the space might not be available for the duration of the residency, due to other demands on the space; we will discuss space requirements and availability with the appointed press); 

• part-time access to The Slade printing and binding workshop facilities (please note the facilities might not be available for the duration of the residency, due to other demands on the space; we will discuss facilities requirements and availability with the appointed press); 

• mediated access to UCL Special Collections;  

• access to and staff with specialist knowledge of the collections; 

• support in organising and embedding at UCL any proposed programmes of activity.  

The Small Press in residence will be required to provide, as a minimum:  

• a publication, or a set of publications;  

• at least two live public outputs – one at each of the UCL’s two campuses – during or after the residency period, such as talk, event, workshop; 

• a blog post for the UCL Special Collections blog on any aspect of the residency; 

• acknowledgment of the grant in any resulting publications.  

UCL Special Collections will work collaboratively with the Small Press in Residence to develop any programming. We encourage activities with capacity to engage UCL’s diverse staff and student communities in innovative and unexpected ways, showcasing in the process the potential of collections, and our Small Press Collections in particular, for cutting-edge programming. 

About UCL’s Small Press collections  

The UCL Small Press Collections were established in 1965 and now consist of over 4,000 independent literary Little Magazines, artists magazines and counter-cultural newspapers, and over 20,000 poetry pamphlets, artists’ books, and other experimental publications. The collections are global in scope with material having been collected from Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia. Strengths of the collections include concrete and visual poetry, Fluxus, and mimeographed magazines. 

Eligibility and Selection Criteria 

The residency programme is open to applicants of any nationality, background, or career stage. Individuals and groups/collectives/communities of interest will all be considered. No affiliation with UCL, past or present, is required.  

Small presses interested in applying will need to ensure that they are eligible to work in the UK before applying. UCL will undertake Right to Work checks for successful candidates. Please us the UK government website to check if you are eligible to apply and what documentation might be required. UCL is unable to support visa applications for this scheme.  

The Selection Committee will consider applications according to the following criteria:  

• suitability of the press and its engagement to date with small press printing and publishing traditions;  

• an interest in engaging with and responding to our collections; 

• the potential of the proposed residency programme to increase visibility and public understanding of small press as a practice and of our Small Press collections;  

• the potential of the project to engage the UCL staff and student community, across the two campuses;  

• the feasibility of the proposal.  

Application process 

Applications should be submitted by Monday, 31 March 2025, 12:00 noon and include:  

• a completed application form;  

• a short CV (up to 2 pages); for group applications, please include a CV for each member of the group involved in the application (uploaded via the application form); 

• a short portfolio of up to 5 pages showcasing the Press’ work to date (uploaded via the application form);  

• a statement of up to 800 words, outlining your proposed publishing project(s), including details of ways in which you plan to engage with our collections and feed into our Small Press Collections anniversary celebrations in 2025 (uploaded via the application form). 

Any evidence submitted after the closing date will not be reviewed by the panels. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact UCL Special Collections before submitting a formal application, to discuss any access, technical, or curatorial requirements that their residency might require. Email: library.spec.coll.rarebooks@ucl.ac.uk. 

Applications will be shortlisted by a panel composed of UCL’s Special Collections experts. Notifications of the award will be made by 16 April 2025. Feedback will be provided to all shortlisted candidates. We regret that we cannot provided detailed feedback to all other applicants.  

This post is by Pia Russell, who was was awarded the ‘Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellowship’ by the Research Institute for Collections in 2023.

Maria Lawson. A History Canada for Use in Public Schools. Toronto: W.J. Gage, 1908. p. 2. https://archive.org/details/historyofcanadaf0000laws/page/2/mode/2up

This scholarship occurs in the homelands of the WSÁNEĆ and LƏK̓ʷƏŊƏN peoples on whose lands the University of Victoria now stands and whose relationships with this land remain today.

Constructing settler colonial origin stories

In 2020 a petition signed by more than 268,000 people, asked the United Kingdom (UK) government to make the teaching of Britain’s colonial past more prevalent in the compulsory primary and secondary curriculum.  In doing so, signatories hoped that children in UK schools would learn how: “Colonial powers must own up to their pasts…and how this contributes to the unfair systems of power at the foundation of our modern society.”[1]  The following year, the UK’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities released a report which included among its 24 recommendations the teaching of an inclusive curriculum regarding the making of modern Britain.[2]  While these initiatives are not without challenges, they do demonstrate two important aspects.  First, that so often schools are ground-zero for debates about collective historical consciousness.  And second, that the UK is beginning a process of self-reflection about their colonial legacies which can feel overdue to many in former colonies.  While there is much public and scholarly discussion of our so-called postcolonial world, those living today in the peripheries of former empires continue to experience imperial realities as very much a part of our present.

In British Columbia (BC), Canada’s most western province, the Ministry of Education implemented an entirely revised elementary and secondary (K-12) curriculum in 2016.  A leading influence of this redesign was a response to calls for increased Indigenisation and decolonisation, largely influenced by the 2015 findings of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Commission of Canada.  The TRC was a federal government inquiry which sought to document the painful histories of the Indian Residential School (IRS) system and provide survivors of this system with opportunities to share their experiences.  Among the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action, many relate specifically to education.  For example, Call 62.i asks governments at all levels to: “Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.”[3]  Today, BC’s K-12 curriculum policy includes Indigenous ways of knowing and being at every grade level and in every subject.[4]  While considerable work still remains ahead, it is nonetheless a start towards decolonising the often fractured relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples living within the context of the Canadian state.  Whether it is controversy about curriculum, statues, the commonwealth, or museum collections, the process of how decolonisation is discussed in the heart of former empires—the imperial metropole—feels rather different than how it is increasingly discussed in its former colonies.

One powerful way for learners and educators to think about colonial legacy, is to understand how the narratives of our past often inform our present.  Reflecting on our historical consciousness asks that we think critically about how it is we came to know our past.[5]  By critically re-reading settler colonial origin stories we might begin to trace a line of how power was, and continues to be, expressed in the lives of people on the colonised ground.  In Canada, for most non-Indigenous people, a leading source of such stories has been school textbooks.  As the Education Librarian in Special Collections at the University of Victoria (UVic) Libraries, I curate BC’s historical textbooks (BCHT) collection.  It is a growing print and digital archive of our province’s textbook history.  In Canada, education is structured provincially so over the past 153 years of BC’s existence, a defined corpus of textbooks has been required reading for hundreds of thousands of public school pupils.  What stories might these textbooks have told children over time about the place they called home?  To be clear, we cannot always assume that just because children read a textbook that somehow meant they adhered to its ideology—what book historians often refer to as the receptivity fallacy[6]—but we can imagine that their interactions with the book’s narratives introduced them to commonly held attitudes portrayed in the textbooks.  So, what were the early textbook stories that British Columbian’s told their future citizenry about colonization and empire?  And, how might these compare to the textbook stories told in the heart of empire, the British metropole?

Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellowship

Self-image of Pia Russell, outside the Institute of Education (July 2023)

In July 2023, I had the remarkable opportunity to ask these internationally comparative scholarly questions about colonisation and empire in children’s school books when I was the 2023 Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellow at the Research Institute for Collections (RIC) at University College London’s Faculty of Education and Society.  Here I had the opportunity to review dozens of UK textbooks in the IOE’s Historical Textbooks Collection that were contemporaneous to the ones I curate in BC.  Currently my focus is on the first fifty years of BC’s textbook history.  During the fellowship, I also developed wonderful professional collaborations with counterpart colleagues such as the exceptional Dr. Nazlin Bhimani, Research Support and Special Collections Librarian.  Together, we were able to share best practices for the unique technical aspects of the rare books we curate, and also comparatively discuss the social contexts our collections exist within.  Serving as a Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellow initiated a completely new and innovative line of inquiry within my existing program of scholarship.  My long-term scholarship has focused on decolonising, anti-racist, and feminist analyses of these unique historical sources.  Most often I partner with and take guidance from Indigenous colleagues who work locally.  This is essential, truth-telling work that seeks to establish more respectful cross-cultural research partnerships and personal connections.  Through a Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellowship, I was able to include a dynamic international dimension to my historical textbook scholarship and this provided a beautiful complement to my already established local relationships closer to home.  When engaging in decolonising work in such deeply colonised lands as British Columbia (a problematic colonial name, to be sure), such complementarity not only strengthens the scholarly work but also takes seriously the responsibility of being a historian working in this place.  When reflecting on the histories, presents, and futurities of the Indigenous homelands where I reside, understanding the centuries old power structures of the British empire that instigated this colonisation through actions such as map making, land surveying, and textbook provisioning is essential.  Through my Fellowship at the UCL’s RIC, I strengthened my understanding of critical imperial studies alongside my engagement with local Indigenous ways of knowing and being.  As a result from dialog with colleagues such as Dr. Bhimani and while examining rare books in the RIC, I am now better able to fulfill my responsibilities as a historian who hopes to raise up previously suppressed voices and bring their histories in from the literal and figurative margins of both BC’s and Britain’s historical school textbooks.  Our vocational partnerships show much future promise and I look forward to exciting public history work together in the years to come.

Side-by-side: comparing historical textbook narratives

One specific outcome of my time as a Liberating the Collections Visiting Fellow at the Research Institute for Collections (RIC) was the development of a teaching resource that utilises these textbooks as historical objects of truth-telling instigation.  The resource seeks to embrace a pedagogical approach that is comprehensively decolonising.  By drawing upon both the UK’s Key Stage Three History curriculum alongside BC’s Grade 9 Social Studies curriculum, we now have an internationally cohesive, curriculum-aligned, learning tool.[7]  This resource guides teachers and students through critical re-readings of historical textbooks to reveal that narratives of empire did not tell the whole story and had considerable consequences lasting up until today. (more…)

Emma Treleaven, PhD candidate at the London College of Fashion, won the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize in 2023 with her collection My Own Two Hands: Books and Ephemera About Making Dress and Textiles Before 1975. She also won the Antequarian Booksellers Association’s National Book Collecting Prize in 2023 with the same collection. She spoke to Special Collections about her experience book collecting and applying for the prize.

Emma Treleaven, 2023 Anthony Davis Student Book Collecting Prize winner

Tell us a bit about yourself and your collection!

How did your collection begin? Has it changed over time?

What was your process for discovering and choosing the theme and what to add to your collection?

A portion of Emma’s collection

Did anything surprise you in the process of collecting?

What made you want to apply for the book collecting prize?

Did you encounter any challenges during your application process? How did you overcome them?

Emma’s collection on display at a 2023 Rare Books Club session

What was your favourite part of the application process?

What advice would you give someone hoping to get into book collecting? 

Thank you to Emma for talking about her experiences applying to the Anthony Davis Student Book Collecting Prize! You can read more about her collection at:

• Winners of the 2023 Anthony Davis Student Book Collecting Prize.

• The ABA National Book Collecting Prize 2023 Winner: Emma Treleaven.

• My Own Two Hands: An Interview with Emma Treleaven.

There’s still time to apply for the Anthony Davis Student Book Collecting Prize yourself! Visit the prize webpage to read about the application processes. Applications are open to any student enrolled at a London-based university.

Photo of Kelmscott School pupils sitting in the Culture Lab at UCL East. Rare books they are about to explore are displayed on a table in the foreground.

Last term the Outreach team of UCL Special Collections were delighted to collaborate with Year 9 History enthusiasts at Kelmscott School in Waltham Forest. The club, called Becoming an Historian, took place over six weekly after-school sessions at Kelmscott School. The 18 students defined the skills and qualities which make a good historian, learnt how to undertake historical research of primary resources, and each explored an item from UCL Special Collections in-depth. They chose Natural History as their theme and enjoyed investigating historical beekeeping, beautiful marine watercolours and whether plants have feelings. The students learnt to communicate their research in different ways for different audiences. Here they have produced informative and engaging museum labels to create a digital exhibition. You can also read their personal responses to the collection items on X (previously Twitter).

The students concluded their project by coming to visit UCL East and really enjoyed seeing the original Special Collections items they had been researching, in the Culture Lab:

It was great to see the book that I’ve been working on, it was really rewarding

It was interesting to see the source in person. There were a lot of things you do not catch when using an online version.

It felt really cool looking at something created almost 100 years ago!

UCL Special Collections say a huge thank you to the students for undertaking this research and for helping to tell the stories of these extraordinary rare books and archives in our care.

Every Man His Own Doctor (1673) by John Archer

The title page for part two of John Archer’s 1673 herbal Every Man His Own Doctor.

This rare book was written in 1673 by a man named John Archer (1660 – 1684), a King’s chemical physician who believed that every person should know about what they put into their bodies and the effects this might have. The book includes home remedies and cures to treat and prevent pox, gout, dropsy and scurvy. It also includes ways of calming your mind, exercising, sleep and the uses of tobacco.
Lukas

‘Every Man His Own Doctor’ by John Archer is a book that focuses on herbal medicine. It provides information on various plants and their benefits. The book is implying that people should take serious care of their health. It’s great for those who are interested in exploring different treatments and is useful for those who want to learn more about healthcare.

Madeeha

‘Every Man His Own Doctor’ was written by John Archer. He published the book in 1673, written in English. The book is about diet, herbs and medicine in the 1600s. The book provides detailed information on the properties and uses of numerous herbs. It also includes advice on maintaining a healthy life. The book aims for people to take control of their lifestyle and to benefit from natural remedies.

Noor

Original hand painted artwork by Marian Ray for her filmstrip Seeds (1940s – 1980s) 

Artwork by Marian Ray c.1940s – 1980s, for her educational film Seeds

Marian Ray was a successful business owner who began work in the 1940s producing filmstrips for schools. She worked at the BBC during World War Two as an animation artist. She would study seed growing as a source of material, and produced film artwork and a booklet covering: the evolution of seeds and how they grow and live; the nutrients they need; different types and shapes of seed; the animals that love to eat the seeds.

Ayub

The archive of Marian Ray contains artwork and a booklet on seeds. It contains in-depth information about seeds, how they work and different types. It is also about the evolution of seeds, how they grown and live. There are numerous diagrams that show different seeds and parts of seeds.

Raqeeb

Remarks on Rural Scenery by John Thomas Smith (1797)

An illustration of Hackney looking extremely peaceful from John Thomas Smith’s 1797 book Remarks on Rural Scenery.

Remarks on Rural Scenery was published by John Thomas Smith, a painter and engraver, in 1797. It shows engravings of rural areas of London in the 18th century; however, these areas are not so rural today. Westminster is depicted as a vast, green area, Hackney a quiet village, Deptford a woodland area with a large cottage. This book is a good way to see what life was like during the 1700s, and to see just how much the world we live in has changed since then. It can help us to discover more about human life and geography through images before the invention of the photograph.

Anton

Marine Sketches from Nature by Edward Duncan (c.1840s – 1880s)

A page from Edward Duncan’s sketchbook Marine Sketches from Nature, featuring a drawing of seagulls swooping in the air and a watercolour landscape of the sea with distant land mass and a golden sky (1840s – 1880s)

In the Victorian era Edward Duncan, a famous British artist, published his sketchbook of marine paintings. The sketchbook, dating from 1840s – 1880s contains watercolour paintings of the sea, boats and landscapes. Duncan was born on 21 October 1803 and died on 11 April 1882 aged 78. He made two sketchbooks – Marine Scraps and Marine Sketches – filled with beautiful watercolour sunsets and oceans. Some of his paintings were called The Shipwreck, The Lifeboat and Oysters.

The sketchbooks are part of Egon Sharpe’s Collection and were donated to UCL Special Collections. Now everyone can benefit from his beautiful sketches.

Amelie

During the Victorian era a series of sketchbooks dating from 1840 – 1880s were made by a British Man called Edward Duncan. He lived from 21 October 1803 to 11 April 1882. These sketchbooks are called Marine Sketches from Nature and Marine Scraps. They contain various sketches and watercolour paintings of marine harbours, animals, landscapes and nature.

Edward Duncan married a woman called Bethia Higgins. The auction of some of his stunning works three years after his passing, took just three days, which showed how sought after his work was.

Kitty

The Feminine Monarchie or The Historie of Bees by Charles Butler (1623)

The title page double spread of Charles Butler’s The Feminine Monarchie or The Historie of Bees (1623).

The Feminine Monarchy or the History of Bees is a beekeeping guide that was made by Charles Butler. This guide was used for over 250 years, before people developed moveable comb hives. Charles’ book has ten chapters from swarm catching to the benefits of bees to fruit (pollination). This 1609 science treatise is considered the first book on the science of beekeeping and was translated into Latin in 1678.

Iris

The Feminine Monarchy was made by Charles Butler. He was born in 1571 and passed in 1647. He observed that bees produce wax. He also learned that wax is produced from their own body. He was among the first to assert that the leader was a ‘woman’ aka the queen bee. The Feminine Monarchy was originally published by Joseph Barnes, Oxford in 1609. The book was later translated into Latin.

Diana

The Feminine Monarchy is a guide ‘written out of experience’ by Charles Butler. It is a 1609 science treatise and is considered the first work on the science of beekeeping. Its 10 chapters on bees, which have been used for 250+ years, detail the following: bee gardens; hive-making materials; swarm catching; enemies of bees; feeding bees; and the benefits of bees to fruit (pollination). It has been translated into Latin.

Mariam

Plant Autographs and their Revelations by Jagadish Chandra Bose (1927)

The title pages of Jagadish Chandra Bose’s Plant Autographs and Their Revelations (1927)

This book is about a series of studies on whether plants have feelings and thoughts. One particular tree in Faridpur, Bangladesh, was struck by lighting and now bends at a 60 degree angle. Until it doesn’t… During the morning the ‘neck’ of this tree (Phoenix sylvestris) points upwards. However, during the evening, the tree bows downwards to look like it was praying, which is how this tree earns its name The Praying Palm. ‘Pilgrims were attracted in large numbers. Offerings were made to the tree which had been ‘the means of effecting marvellous cures.’

James

Plant Autographs and Their Revelations is a book about a series of studies that indicate whether plants have feelings or not. There is one tree in the book called the Praying Palm of Faridpur. This tree was a date palm (Phoenix sylvestris). They call it the Praying Palm because in the morning the tree points upwards and in the afternoon it bows downwards. This looked as if it was praying. Pilgrims were attracted in large numbers. Offerings were made for the tree for alleged faith cures. These trees can be found in Bangladesh or Bengal.

Kristian

The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms: with observations on their habits, by Charles Darwin (1881)

The title page of Charles Darwin’s 1881 book The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Actions of Worms: with observations on their habits

This is an 1881 book by Charles Darwin on earthworms. It was his last scientific book and was published shortly before he passed away. The first edition went to press on 1^st May, and it was remarkably successful , selling 6000 copies within a year, and 13,000 before the end of the century.

Gabriel

Booklet to accompany Marian Ray’s handmade  filmstrip Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection (1940s – 1980s) 

A booklet titled Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection by Marian Ray, to accompany her hand illustrated educational film (c.1940s – 1980s)

We learnt about Marian Ray, a successful businesswoman who was born in 1923 and died in 1999. She created educational film strips for schools, mostly homemade. She translated and sold them to more than 70 countries. She worked in the audio-visual era in World War Two. Her earliest film strips were in black and white and called ‘Cotton’ and ‘Evolution of the Horse.’ One film she made was about Charles Darwin.

Amir

Marian Ray was born in 1923 and died in 1999. She was a successful businesswoman and she made educational film strips for schools. They were homemade and were translated for more than 70 countries. In World War Two she worked in the audio-visual era. Her earliest film strip, black and white, was named ‘Evolution of the Horse.’ She made depictions of Charles Darwin’s observations of horses.

Ismael

In our previous blog post we introduced our project to catalogue the archive of Moses Gaster, and looked at some of the letters sent to Gaster on topics as diverse as Sunday trading and Hebrew braille. In the second of our two posts relating to the project, Gaster Project Cataloguer Israel Sandman discusses Gaster’s charitable activities.

From the Gaster Archives: A Glimpse into Moses Gaster’s Charity Activities

By Dr Israel M. Sandman, Gaster Project Cataloguer

Moses Gaster was a multifaceted person. He was the chief rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in London, and, by extension, of all Spanish and Portuguese Jews’ congregations under the British Empire. He was a polymath academic scholar, with strong focuses on comparative folklore and linguistics. He was a key figure in the emergence of modern Zionism. And he was a go-to person for Jews worldwide, for help with their various needs and wants.

Charity Appeals to Gaster:

Daily, Moses Gaster received multiple charity appeals, some in the post, and some in person during his reception hours. While he donated from his personal funds to Jewish and other worthy causes, as seen in receipts, lists of donors, and gentle reminders to honour his pledges, what he could do from his own funds was a mere drop in the ocean of need.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1 [formerly file 131/44]

Charitable Funds on a Community Level:

Addressing the vast needs faced by people in fincial hardship required charitable funds on a community level. Charitable funds established in the Jewish community enabled Gaster to help the Jewish individuals and worthy institutions that turned to him from Palestine, North Africa, elsewhere in the Near East, India, West Indies, Eastern and Central Europe, the East End of London, the length and breadth of Britain, and elsewhere. We shall examine two such funds, one of which was well established, and another of which was an ad-hoc fund set up to meet a specific need.

Case 1: Gaster Helps S. Edelstein via the Board of Guardians of the Poor of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue:

Shalom Edelstein was a Romanian Jew residing in London’s East End, which at the turn from the 19^th to the 20^th century was the first place of settlement for many Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. Reading between the lines of Edelstein’s 21 March 1899 postcard to Gaster, written in ornate Hebrew full of allusions to classical Jewish literature, and in which he mentions his ill health, one gets the impression that Edelstein was more a man of the mind than a man of the body, and that he shared interests with his “landsman” Gaster.

London 21/4/99 כבוד הרב החכם הבלשן סופר מהיר בלשונות החיות, רב ודרשן לעדת הפורטוגעזים, בעיר הבירה לונדן, והמדינה וע”א כש”ת מו[“]ה ד.ר. גאשטער נ”י. הנני בזה לכתוב למ”כ את רשומתי, כמו שבקש מאותי, אולי יאבה לכבדני במכתבו, ומפני כי מעת ראיתי פני כ”מ, לא נתחדש שום דבר, – רק שאני חלש מאד, ואנני בקו הבריאה, עד כי בכבדות אוכל לקום ממשכבי, – לכן אקצר ואומר שלום. והנני מוקירו ומכבדו כערכו הרם. פ”ש, כשמי, – שלום הן תוי ונוי S. Edelstein 17 Winterton St. Commercial Road, E.

London 21/4/99 His honour, rabbi, sage, linguist, speedy scribe in living languages, rabbi and preacher to the congregation of Portuguese [Jews] in the capital city London and the [entire] country, and furthermore [possessor of] the ‘crown of Torah’, our Master Rabbi Dr Gaster, may his lamp shine! I am hereby writing my address [Hebrew: רשומתי or רשימתי] to his honour, as requested by him. Perchance he will desire to honour me with a letter? On account of the fact that since I have seen his honour’s face, nothing new has occurred – aside from my being very weak: I am not keeping in good health, so much so that it is only with difficulty that I can arise from my couch – I will therefore be brief, and say ‘farewell’ [Hebrew: Shalom]. I hereby hold him precious and honour him, in keeping with his lofty worthiness, Greetings of Shalom, in keeping with my name, Shalom [Peace], being my mark and my charm S. Edelstein 17 Winterton St. Commercial Road, E.

[Image, Transcription, and Translation of S. Edelstein’s 21 March 1899 Mostly Hebrew Postcard to Gaster. UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1. Formerly file 117, item 9]

Multiple Communications Between Edelstein and Gaster:

This was not their first communication. In the postcard, Edelstein refers to their having had a face-to-face meeting; and he notes that Gaster had asked him for his reshuma / רשומה [or: reshima / רשימה], presumably meaning his address. Presumably, this indicates that Edelstein had asked Gaster for assistance; and that Gaster was going to try and help him. Three days later, on 24 April 1899, Edelstein sent another postcard to Gaster, this one in Romanian. Apparently, to help Edelstein, Gaster turned to the charity board of the synagogue of which he was rabbi, the Board of Guardians of the Poor of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archives, GASTER/9/1 [formerly file 117/20]

The Board of Guardians’ Approval:

Nine days later, on the 3^rd of May, Gaster received a memo from the Board of Guardians. They would cover Edelstein’s train fare from London to Liverpool, and his boat fare from Liverpool to New York. However, that cost £5, and they did not have anything additional to offer Edelstein. Although that would mean that Edelstein would arrive penniless in New York, the Board had reason to believe that Edelstein would nonetheless be admitted to the USA. It seems that Edelstein was permitted to enter the United States, for we have a long letter, in Romanian, which he sent to Gaster from New York. Towards the end of that letter, he updates Gaster about a certain D. Gottheil. The Gaster Archive contains letters to Gaster from a Professor Richard Gottheil, relevant to the writing of Jewish Encyclopedia articles and possibly to Zionism; but it is unclear whether there is a link from Richard to D. Gottheil.

London May 3^rd 1899

Dear Dr. Gaster,
re – S. Edelstein
With difficulty I succeeded in securing a passage for this man per “Tonfariro” which will sail from Liverpool on Saturday next. The fare came to £5 which includes railway fare to Liverpool so that I have nothing to hand over to the man. I am informed that by this line it is not necessary for him to have a certain sum of money in his pocket on arrival in New York.
Yours faithfully,
J.Piza

The Board
would do nothing
for Haham Abohab
J.P.

[UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1. Formerly file 118/11]

The Limitations of Working Through the Board of Guardians of the Poor:

In addition to the limits of what the Board felt capable of doing for Edelstein, at the end of their memo, the chairman adds an apologetic side note. He mentions that the Board did not approve a different request, for funding for a certain Hakham (rabbi/sage) Abohab. It is noteworthy that Edelstein was a Central / Eastern European Jew, while the name Abohab indicates a Jew from the Islamic countries. Although the Spanish and Portuguese tradition is more aligned with the traditions of the Islamicate Jews, the Spanish and Portuguese Board approved Edelstein’s request, not Abohab’s. This seems to indicate an objectivity on the part of the Board. It appears that the reason for the Board’s limits in giving was the fact that the Synagogue was experiencing financial difficulties; and in order for Gaster to carry out his wide range and full scale of charitable activities, he needed additional sources of funding, beyond those available through his own congregation

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1 [formerly file 131/85]

Dear Sir,
The Gentlemen of the Mahamad [executive committee] invite your attention to the Statements of Accounts of the Synagogue, and the Report of same for the year 1899, which have been circulated amongst the Yehidim [members] of the Congregation, & I have particularly to point out that the result of the year’s working shews a deficit of £595.-, and that the Elders have been compelled to sell out Capital Stock to meet this & other deficiencies accrued since 1895, amounting in the aggregate to £1608.-
This position, which is a very serious one, was duly considered by the Elders at their recent Annual Meeting, and they requested the Mahamad to take such steps as they might think necessary, to call attention, in the first instance  …

The Ad Hoc Fund for “Our Poor Roumanian Brethren”:

The Crisis of Romanian Jewry:

One additional source of charity funds, independent of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue and its Board of Guardians, is an ad hoc fund that Gaster seems to have created himself. The fund is for ‘our poor Roumanian Brethren’, as described in Benjamin Ritter’s letter to Gaster, accompanying a cheque from a collection taken up in Vine Court Synagogue. At this juncture (around 1900), Romanian Jews were experiencing an unusual level of persecution, and were seeking to leave Romania. From all directions, individuals and institutions were turning to Gaster for solutions and financial help; and Gaster did respond.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive. GASTER/9/1 [formerly file 135/20]

The Vine Court Synagogue:

The Vine Court Synagogue was a congregation of Eastern European Jews, in the Whitechapel section of London’s East End. As noted, the East End was the first place of settlement for many Eastern European Jews. Thus, this congregation would have had particular sympathy for the Romanian Jews, as did Gaster, who was a Romanian Jew, and who received many charity appeals from the community of his origin. Gaster’s relationship with the Eastern European immigrant Jews of the East End came to good use in his finding the best ways to help his Romanian brethren.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1 [formerly file 135/81]

The Blaustein (Bluestein) Family and their Relocation from Romania to London:

Another Romanian Jewish party helped through Gaster’s efforts is the Blaustein (Bluestein) family. (The surname seems to have been anglicised from Blaustein to Bluestein.) While it would take further research to try to discover the source of the funds Gaster used to help them, and to piece together this family’s full story and the relationship between all the family members, the partial story that emerges from the documents below is worthwhile in and of itself.

Mrs. Ch. Bluestein was a Romanian Jewish widow. One of her sons had a disability. Gaster had helped the family, and now they were established in London. The son with the disability was gainfully employed. Another son, who was to be married, ‘also earns a nice living’. Mrs Bluestein writes to invite the Gasters to the wedding, and to express her gratitude to Moses Gaster.

UCL Special Collections. Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1 [fomerly file 131/58]

I beg to enclose your invite for my son’s wedding. I hope you will come, as you was always a good friend to me when in need so I am happy to let you know of my joy thank God my son is doing a respectable match – and I hope you will live to see joy by your dear children in happiness with your dear wife I am the widow whom you helped to bring over the crippled son from Bucherst, he is grateful to you as he thank God earns £2 – 0 – – weekly – and is quite happy – and my son that is to be married also earns a nice living. We often bless you for everything & I am pleased to tell you of my joy as well as I did my trouble. With best respect, yours gratefully,

Mrs Bluestein

Printed Wedding Invitation Addressed to the Gasters, Sent by Mrs Ch. Bluestein. The Hebrew line at the top is from the prophecy of restoration in Jerimiah 33:11, and is used in the Jewish wedding liturgy: ‘A voice of joy and a voice of gladness, a groom’s voice and a bride’s voice’.

In Summary

Gaster was heavily involved in charity work, on a scale that required communal funding. Although the Board of Guardians of the Poor of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, Gaster’s congregation, provided funding for those beyond their own community, they were too financially limited to finance the full scope of Gaster’s work. Thus, we see that Gaster raised charity funds elsewhere, too. One example of this is Gaster’s ad hoc fundraising network on behalf of Romanian Jewry, which at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century was undergoing strong persecution. We see how Gaster met this challenge, and we see the sweet fruit of his labour.

Blog post by Israel M. Sandman

Deborah Fisher, Gaster Project Cataloguer, shares some of her work.

We have recently started an exciting new project to fully catalogue the archive of Rabbi Dr Moses Gaster (1856-1939) and make the collection more easily available for research. Supported by external funding, the project runs from August 2023 to March 2024, and two project cataloguers will be carrying out the work to sort, list and catalogue Gaster’s extensive correspondence.

The Gaster Papers is the largest and most significant Jewish archive collection at UCL Special Collections. The bulk of it is correspondence between Dr Gaster and a range of individuals and organisations across the Jewish and wider community. It includes both incoming letters and copies of outgoing ones, and comprises around 50 linear metres of material.

Gaster was a Jewish communal leader, prominent Zionist and prolific scholar of Romanian literature, folklore, and Samaritan history and literature, as well as Jewish subjects. Born in Bucharest, he was expelled from Romania in 1885 because of his political activities. He settled in Britain and was appointed Haham (spiritual head) of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community, and later also Principal of the Judith Lady Montefiore College in Ramsgate. He was a founder and president of the English Zionist Federation and played an important role in the talks resulting in the Balfour Declaration of 1917.

The archive also has wider significance beyond Moses Gaster himself and is an important resource for research into late 19th and early 20th century history, both within and beyond the Anglo-Jewish community. Gaster corresponded with a huge range of individuals and organisations: a biographical index of Gaster’s well-known correspondents for the period 1870-1897 includes nearly 400 names, including rabbis; Jewish, Christian and secular scholars; politicians; financiers; doctors and even royalty. He received correspondence from Britain, Europe, America, the Middle East, India, South Africa and Australia.

Letters from the archive

The letters received by Gaster cover a broad range of topics, such as aspects of Jewish law and religious practice, charity appeals on behalf of individuals and organisations, and meetings attended or publications produced by Gaster for various societies including the Royal Asiatic Society, Society of Biblical Archaeology, and Folklore Society. 

The samples below reflect the diverse nature of the correspondence, providing a glimpse into Gaster’s daily life and the tasks and responsibilities he undertook. 

Shopkeepers and Businesses

In a letter dated 28 August 1896, Gaster is invited to attend a meeting in support of the Jewish Master Bakers. The Sunday Observance Laws and the Bread Acts of 1822 and 1836 prohibited bakers from baking on Sundays due to the Christian Sabbath, but as Jewish bakers were also unable to bake and sell bread on Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath), they would only have stale bread to sell during the limited trading hours on Sunday as well as on Monday morning. Many Jewish bakers did bake and sell fresh bread on Sundays in violation of these laws; this met with opposition from Christian bakers, who felt that it gave the Jewish bakers a competitive advantage. This tension led to Christian bakers reporting these Jewish bakers to the authorities, so that they would be prosecuted and fined. The letter below, written on behalf of the Jewish Master Bakers, invites Gaster to a meeting to discuss the matter.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1

The restrictions on Sunday trading also affected other Jewish shopkeepers. The Gaster ephemera collection contains a flyer for a protest meeting against the “Sunday Closing of Shops and Markets Bill” in June 1906, at which Gaster was Chair. 

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/1/A/2/701

Hebrew Braille

Gaster was a highly respected scholar and linguist, and as such was asked by the National Institute for the Blind in June 1930 to serve on a commission for the development of a standardised Hebrew Braille code, to replace the regional variations already in existence. Furthermore, Gaster himself had lost his sight by this time, and so it may have been considered a matter of personal interest to him. 

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1

Gaster responded that he would be willing to participate in this work, and that he had previously been involved in the preparation of an alternative writing system for Hebrew for blind users, albeit different from Braille. 

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1.

Ultimately, Gaster does not appear to have been directly involved in the work of the Commission; it emerged that there could only be one English member of the Commission with knowledge of Hebrew, and that position had already been filled. But the National Institute for the Blind did continue to seek Gaster’s advice on the subject in a private capacity, as the letter below shows.

UCL Special Collections, Gaster Archive, GASTER/9/1

A broader discussion of the history of Hebrew Braille is found in the American Jewish Archives: https://sites.americanjewisharchives.org/journal/index.php?y=1969&v=21&n=2 

Blog post by Deborah Fisher, Gaster Project Cataloguer, UCL Special Collections.

Our next blog post later this week will continue to explore the Gaster archive, with an article by Gaster Project Cataloguer, Israel Sandman.

More than a decade ago, the family of Eleanor Jacques discovered a cache of papers hidden in a handbag in a garden shed. On the envelope was written ‘Letters to be destroyed’ and upon opening them, they found handwritten letters to Eleanor from George Orwell, who had been her next-door neighbour in Southwold, Suffolk.

At an event in 2018 to celebrate the discovery of these letters, another sensation was created when an audience member announced that she had at home letters from Orwell to her aunt, Brenda Salkeld, also a Southwold neighbour.

There had long been rumours of the existence of these letters amongst Orwell scholars, who hoped to uncover more correspondence with these long-standing female friends. Through serendipity, both sets emerged with a year and were purchased by Richard Blair, Orwell’s son. The letters have now been placed in the Orwell Archive in UCL Special Collections, catalogued and digitised for public access, with the kind permission of the Orwell Literary Estate.

What is so special about the letters?

The letters span a long range of time, 1931-1949, and continue throughout both of Orwell’s marriages – to Eileen in 1936 and Sonia in 1949. They reveal new details about Orwell’s life in the 1930s – including his overlapping romances, his love of ice skating, and his struggle to write and publish his first novels. They also show that the two women, whom he met while staying with his parents in Southwold, had a profound importance in his life lasting long after his romances with them appear to have ended. Eleanor would go on to marry one of Orwell’s best friends, Dennis Collings.

In a letter to Brenda in 1940, four years into his marriage with his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, and as a German invasion appeared imminent, he wrote: “It’s a pity … we never made love properly. We could have been so happy. If things are really collapsing I shall try and see you. Or perhaps you wouldn’t want to?” Orwell also wrote to Brenda from his hospital bed (at University College Hospital), sending his last letter four months before his death in 1950, just as he was about to marry his second wife, Sonia Brownell.

The letters also reveal something of Orwell’s writing practice. D.J. Taylor, who helped to track down the letters and has just published an updated biography of Orwell, said:

“In terms of improving our understanding of Orwell’s work, I have a strong suspicion that his letters to Eleanor reminiscing about their country walks at Southwold may have inspired similar passages describing Winston’s affair with Julia in Nineteen Eighty-Four.”

The collection is also notable for the playful drawings Orwell added in the margins of his letters to Brenda, something that is rarely found in his other correspondence. They include images of Billingsgate Fish Market, windmills and the infamous ice rink.

The bulk of the letters have not been publicly available before.

The George Orwell collections at UCL

The George Orwell Archive has been a cornerstone of UCL Special Collections for over 60 years. Deposited by his widow in 1960 and built up over subsequent decades, it is the main resource for Orwell scholars around the world. Comprising manuscripts and typescripts, diaries, notebooks, letters, photographs and family material, including the papers of his two wives, Eileen and Sonia. UCL also holds substantial book collections relating to Orwell, including books owned by him and rare editions of his works.

At UCL Special Collections, we look after collections that, as a whole, tell a larger story about our shared history and culture. Some items may have a high monetary value, but many like the 1970s workbooks preserved in our Baines Archive, collectively help us understand the history of education.  

‘Book of Bones’ from our Baines Archive.

Preserving history doesn’t depend on past collectors. Student Book Collectors play an important role in capturing a snapshot of history. Collections like the 2020 winner “Books that Built a Zoo” allow us to understand the intersection between children’s literature and animal conservation. “Read my Genders: A Trans for Trans Collection” captures the voices of modern-day transgender writers and advocates.  

But you don’t just have to take our word for it. Chelsea Collison, Learning and Engagement Officer at LSE Library, has written about her favourite collection and how it helps her better understand history.  

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m the Learning and Engagement Officer at the London School of Economics Library where I work closely with the curators to tell the stories of the collections to a wider audience. I do this via workshops schools and public events for university students and beyond. I specialise in using learning outside of the classroom to increase public awareness, appreciation, and curiosity for heritage, history, and nature.

Outside of work, I enjoy exploring the outdoors whether in the urban parks within London or further afield during travels outside the city. Growing up in Florida, I spent my formative years playing in the waves on the eastern coast, hiking through swamps and tree canopies, or paddling around the crystal blue springs. These memories along with an early job as an educator at a natural history museum have developed a deep feeling of awe and wonder for nature in all its forms.

Chelsea Collison, Learning and Engagement Officer at LSE Library is looking at collection items.

If you were applying for the Anthony Davis Book Collection, what would you submit?

If I were applying for the Anthony Davis Book Collection the theme would be women in natural history. In what has historically been a male dominated field, it’s important to learn about the women who have contributed to biodiversity sciences despite the many social and cultural barriers they were up against. Examples includes works by Mary Anning, Rachel Carson, and Maria Sibylla Merian (to name just a few!). I have a particular interest in scientific illustration as I’m always impressed by the level of observation skills and detail required for creating something that is scientifically accurate and not just pretty.  Of course, I also enjoy these works because they are also beautiful and serve as inspiration for my own artwork! Although natural history is not something that is a specialty for LSE, there are still some gems on this topic to be found within The Women’s Library collections! Some other examples can be found on the Biodiversity Heritage Library Flickr page. 

Chelsea would submit a collection of women in natural history if she was applying for the book collecting prize.

How do you choose what to add to your collection?

I would want to build a collection that would represent a wide range of ecological biodiversity within the books and illustrations (botany, mycology, entomology, etc.) but also a diversity of the women represented. I would place special interest in books that highlight geographical areas that are special to me including Florida, and now England, which have both experienced high levels of environmental degradation meaning many of species represented in older books and illustrations may now be extinct.

One of the items Chelsea picked.

What does this collection mean to you?

To me, this collection would tell two hidden stories, one of people and one of place. The story of people would highlight the often forgotten or unknown women of science and their important contributions to the field. The story of place would highlight impacts of environmental degradation and climate change by showcasing illustrations of species that no longer exist in these places we have come to call home.  

Thank you very much to Chelsea for talking to us! If you’d like to learn more about LSE’s Library collection, visit their website.

If you have a collection of books, postcards, leaflets or other print items that tells an important story to you or a subject your passionate about, consider applying for the Anthony Davis Book Prize! Details of how to apply, and more examples of other books collections, are available on our blog.  

UCL Press’s Paper Trails: The Social Life of Archives and Collections and the University of Stirling’s Oral History of the Pandemic Project are pleased to invite contributions on the broad theme of Creative Responses to the History of Covid-19. Since 2021, researchers at Stirling have been interviewing the University’s staff and students about their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Inspired by the playful approaches of ‘creative history’, the researchers at Stirling have now produced a highly innovative history based on their oral interviews. Co-produced by academics, archival staff, curators, and students, with creative input from artists and musicians from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, this history will be presented on Paper Trails in the form of written text, film, animation, and music.

The editors of Paper Trails – a collaborative, peer-reviewed, open-access BOOC – now invite researchers from across the higher education, archive, and museum sectors to submit new proposals for additional contributions to a special edition on Creative Responses to the History of Covid-19. In addition to the Stirling history, this edition will showcase the diverse ways in which these sectors experienced, recorded, and interpreted the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The deadline for proposals is 19^th June 2023, and the deadline for submissions will be 20^th October 2023. Contributions may be submitted to the following streams and can be in a variety of formats and lengths:

• Research Stories: full-length research articles.
• Co-Production: outputs from projects in which non-academic, undergraduate, and postgraduate audiences collaborate with others to create new work based on research collections.
• Collection Profiles: shorter, descriptive or narrative pieces that highlight collections of interest.
• Engagement: Reflective pieces that focus on a broad range of engagement activities.

Paper Trails is edited by Andrew Smith, Director of Liberal Arts, Queen Mary University of London, a.w.m.smith@qmul.ac.uk. The University of Stirling Oral History of the Pandemic Project team is led by Stephen Bowman (Lecturer in History, stephen.bowman@stir.ac.uk), Rosie Al-Mulla (Archivist, rosie.al-mulla@stir.ac.uk), and Sarah Bromage (Head of University of Stirling Collections, sarah.bromage@stir.ac.uk).

The Anthony Davis Book Prize is open to any student studying at a London-based university who has a coherent collection of printed and/or manuscript material. The winner will receive £600 as well as an allowance of £300 to purchase an item for UCL Special Collections and the opportunity to give a talk on their collection as part of the UCL Special Collections events programme.  

Items from the collection of 2022 winner Hannah Swan

The collection should be based around a common theme which has been deliberately assembled and that the collector intends to continue growing. However, the items in the collection do not have to be valuable or historically important – anyone who collects items from comic books, to postcards, to modern publications is welcome to apply!  

Books from Daniel Haynes’ collection, the 2021 winner

The prize is intended to encourage the collecting of books, printed and manuscript materials by students by recognising a collection formed by a London student at an early stage in their collecting career. All current undergraduates and postgraduates studying for a degree at a London-based University, both part-time and full-time, are eligible to enter for the prize. 

Books from Alexandra Plane’s 2020 winning collection

For more information: 

To apply or to learn more about the eligibility criteria:

• the Anthony Davis Book Prize webpage. 

For advice on what a collection can look like: 

• How to be a student book collector (and apply for the Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize) 
• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Collecting with Intention 

Conversations with previous winners and finalists: 

• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize: Books that built a zoo 
• Bound to read: collecting Victorian texts in 20th-century bindings from Bookish: The Birkbeck Library Blog
• Q&A with Erick Jackaman, 2021 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize Runner Up 
• Florilegium: gathering the language of flowers from Bookish: The Birkbeck Library Blog

Announcements of previous winners: 

• Results announced for Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 2020 
• Announcing the winners of the 2021 Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 
• Anthony Davis Book Collecting Prize 2022: results announced 

Keep an eye out for future blog posts on what book collecting can look like!  

We look forward to seeing your book collection! 

Items from 2022 finalist Jessie Maier’s collection ‘