These are a vast collection of printed pamphlets, books, and newspapers, printed mainly in London between 1640 and 1661, originally brought together by George Thomason, an important London bookseller and the friend of John Milton (1608-1674).
About the collection
Among the British Library’s unrivalled collections for the study of British history are the Thomason Tracts, one of the most important sources relating to the turbulent period of the English Civil War in the mid-17th century. These are a vast collection of printed pamphlets, books, and newspapers, printed mainly in London between 1640 and 1661, originally brought together by George Thomason, an important London bookseller and the friend of John Milton.
The collection consists of over 22,000 printed items, bound in 2,000 volumes: not only are many now unique, but these copies also offer extra evidence in the form of Thomason’s own annotations with publication dates and attributions of authorship.
The news pamphlets and newsbooks, which number over 7,200 and form just one part of the collection, provide detailed accounts of battles, negotiations, and political machinations.
The two volumes can be consulted online using word-searchable electronic facsimiles:
- Volume 1 covering 1640-1652 with an informative Preface providing in-depth information and context to the Collection
- Volume 2 covering 1653-1661 and indexes of authors (where known), subjects and an index to news media components