Primary Sources: Digital Collections

Empire Online
This resource brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of “Empire” and its theories, practices and consequences. The materials span across the last five centuries and include a broad range of documents such as slave papers, images, exploration journals, and correspondence.

The Making of the Modern World
A series which covers the history of Western trade economics, and industry. It is also strong in the evolving status of slavery, the condition and making of colonization, the Atlantic world, Latin American/Caribbean studies, and the economic theories that championed and challenged capitalism in the nineteenth century.

Age of Exploration
This resource features rare manuscript and early printed material, highly illustrated maps and documents, diaries and ships’ logs covering key events in the history of European Maritime exploration from 1420–1920. The collection also includes audio visual material sourced from the British Film Institute and the Explorers Club.

EuroDocs
Links connect to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. In addition, you will find video or sound files, maps, photographs or other imagery, databases, and other documentation. The sources cover a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural).

Global Commodities: Trade, Exploration, and Cultural Exchange
This resource brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history. The commodities featured in this resource have been transported, exchanged and consumed around the world for hundreds of years. They helped transform societies, global trading operations, habits of consumption and social practices. Includes coffee, sugar, Gold, and spices.

Nineteenth-Century Collections Online
Monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in both Western and non-Western languages. Subject areas include politics, society, popular culture, literature, maps, religion, women’s history, and more.

Eighteenth-Century Collections Online

Food and Drink in History