Nineteenth Century Literary Society offers unprecedented digital access to the peerless archive of the historic John Murray publishing company.

Held by the National Library of Scotland since 2006 and added to the UNESCO Register of World Memory in 2011, the Murray collection comprises one of the world’s most important literary archives.

This digital resource enables researchers to discover the golden age of the company that published genre-defining titles including Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Austen’s Emma, and Livingstone’s Missionary Travels.

In addition, the resource makes available the most complete archival collection of Lord Byron, charting both literary triumph and personal scandal.

Highlights

• Correspondence charting the founding of the business by John Murray in 1768
• Annotated drafts of Lord Byron’s works including Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and the poet’s personal papers
• The completed, first edition file copy of On the Origin of Species, with related correspondence from Charles Darwin
• Financial papers recording the sales success of hundreds of Murray titles
• Correspondence sent home from Isabella Bird’s travels in America, Australia and the Far East
• Drafts of David Livingstone’s seminal work, Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa, with proof illustrations
• Advertisements originally published in the Murray journal, The Quarterly Review

Key Themes

• Literature and poetry
• Publishing and book history
• The life and works of Lord Byron
• Travel and exploration
• Science and geology
• Politics and society