Records of the Stationers' Company, 1554-1920

Edited by Robin Myers, Honorary Archivist, The Worshipful Company of Stationers & Newspaper Makers.

Dating back to the sixteenth century, the Records of the Stationers' Company have withstood the ravages of time, neglect and war to provide a unique insight into the day-to-day workings of the printing and publishing world. Well-known as the single most important source for the history of the English book trade, this remarkable archive is now widely available on microfilm to scholars in their own libraries.

This microfilm edition of the entire archive up to 1920 supercedes an earlier microfilm of part of the Records to 1800. The expert editorship of the Company's archivist ensures that this will be the complete, definitive edition containing every document at Stationers' Hall that any researcher might want to see, properly organised and accompanied by a detailed and lucid guide.

The edition is especially significant because of the extensive material it contains that has never been made generally available before including over 60 boxes of little-known unbound documents touching on every aspect of the Company's affairs fully sorted and indexed for the first time.

Also among the newly available material are:
- the nineteenth century volumes of the Entry Book of Copies recording permitted publication and copyright books and those legally deposited in copyright libraries
- the Company's grants and charters as well as their early bequest and pension lists
- the only known set of folio printed livery lists and the so-called Beadle's Book providing, along with other membership records, a wealth of biographical information on the printing and publishing community.

Microfilm 115 reels accompanied by a printed guide

Guide: The Stationers' Company Archive 1554-1984: an Account of the Records
By Robin Myers
ISBN 0 906795 71 0