LibGuides: English &amp; Film Studies Subject Guide: Primary sources

Digital primary source collections

Black thought and culture This link opens in a new window
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Interviews, speeches, essays, letters and other works published by African Americans
Black Women Writers This link opens in a new window
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Fiction, poetry and essays from African women writers
Caribbean Literature This link opens in a new window
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Poetry and fiction produced in the Carribean during the 19th and 20th centuries. The texts are in the original languages (English, Spanish, Dutch and various Creole languages), and are accompanied by dictionaries of the Creole spoken in these countries
Scottish women poets of the romantic period This link opens in a new window
Romantic poetry written by Scottish women, plus extensive contemporary critical reviews and scholarly essays
For off-campus access use your University of Dundee username and password.
Underground and Independent Comics This link opens in a new window
A collection of adult comic books and graphic novels, accompanied by interviews, criticism and journal articles
For off-campus access Login with your University of Dundee username and password
Sixties: Primary Document and Personal Narratives 1960-1974 This link opens in a new window
The Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives 1960–1974 brings the 1960s alive through diaries, letters, autobiographies and other memoirs, written and oral histories, manifestos, government documents, memorabilia, and scholarly commentary. With 125,000 pages of text and 50 hours of video at completion, this searchable collection is the definitive electronic resource for students and scholars researching this important period in American history, culture, and politics
For off-campus access Login with your University of Dundee username and password
Defining Gender 1450-1910 This link opens in a new window
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Defining Gender provides access to a collection of original documents relating to gender studies, gathered from Libraries and Archives worldwide. The collection includes letters and diaries; conduct and advice literature; poetry, and pamphlets, and manuscript journals.
For off-campus access use your University of Dundee username and password

Historical Texts

Search these resources directly, as none of the titles included in this collection are listed in the Library Search service
This is a vast collection of early printed books, which have been digitised from originals held in specialist Libraries
Many literary texts are included, ranging from Chaucer to Thackeray
Complete books can be downloaded as PDF files

Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
Early English Books Online (EEBO) features page images of almost every work printed in the British Isles and North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere from 1470-1700. Over 200 libraries worldwide have contributed to EEBO. From the first book printed in English through to the ages of Spenser, Shakespeare and of the English Civil War, EEBO's content draws on authoritative and respected short-title catalogues of the period and features a substantial number of text transcriptions specially created for the product.
For off-campus access use your University of Dundee username and password
Early European Books Online. Collections 1-4 This link opens in a new window
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Early European Books traces the history of printing in Europe from its origins through to the close of the seventeenth century, offering full-colour, high-resolution facsimile images of rare and hard-to-access printed sources.
For off-campus access select Login through your library or institution, select region United Kingdom(UK Access Management Federation for Education and Research, select institution University of Dundee then login using your University of Dundee username and password

Newspaper resources

Burney Collection Newspaper Archive (17th to 18th century) This link opens in a new window
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Newspapers and news pamphlets gathered by the Reverend Charles Burney (1757 - 1817) form the largest single collection of 17th and 18th century English news media. Includes over 1,200 titles
British Library newspapers, 1800-1900 This link opens in a new window
Includes full runs of national and regional newspapers representing different political and cultural segments of the 19th century British society. Access is to collections 1 & 2, including The Dundee Courier, & The Glasgow Herald.
For off campus access use your University of Dundee username and password.
Scotsman Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
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The Scotsman in full text, from 1817-1950
Access is via the UK Federation. Login with your University of Dundee username and password.
The Times Digital Archive 1785-2019 This link opens in a new window
The Times in full text, including news, editorials, advertising, and images
For off-campus access Login with your University of Dundee username and password
British Periodicals This link opens in a new window
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A database of articles from hundreds of magazines and journals, from the late 17th century to the early 20th. Includes many literary journals, and illustrated popular magazines
For off campus access sign in with your University of Dundee username and password.

British Cartoon Archive

British Cartoon Archive This link opens in a new window
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This comprehensive archive gives access to 150,000 cartoons and caricatures published in British newspapers between 1904 and 2010.

Key University Archive Resources in English & Film Studies

You can use our primary source material dating from the 15th century as resources for all kinds of subjects, from creative writing to theatre, comics to book history. Rare books, journals, letters, and audio and visual archives provide inspiration for authors and help you understand the past. For film studies you can use our primary source material, such as screenwriters’ collections, audio, visual and publishing collections to explore literature, film and theatre. These collections provide an insight into the role of the director; script writing and editing; casting and technical aspects of film production.