Throughout December 2021, the editors of the Bibliography of British and Irish History have been running a Christmas themed #FridayFind on the Institute of Historical Research’s twitter channel to highlight some of the research you can find in the Bibliography.
The first #FridayFind is Martin Johnes’ book Christmas and the British: a modern history. This book discusses how the Christmas traditions established by the Victorians – with their focus on family, commerce and religion – continue to not only influence today’s celebrations but also how traditions have been adapted since 1914 to meet the changing beliefs and social, cultural and economic positions of British society.
Victorian Christmas card. Source: Nova Scotia Archives
The next #FridayFind is Patricia Zakreski’s article The Victorian Christmas Card as Aesthetic Object: ‘Very interesting ephemeræ of a very interesting period in English Art-production’ published in 2016 in the Journal of Design History. This article discusses the interactions of sentimentality, economic value and fine and decorative art aesthetics in the history and development of 19th century Christmas cards.
Another #FridayFind from BBIH is Maria Hubert’s book Christmas in Shakespeare’s England which highlights some of the many Elizabethan Christmas festivities including feasts, masques and plays.
The last Christmas themed #FridayFind fell on Christmas Eve and highlighted Frank Baker’s chapter The metamorphosis of Charles Wesley’s Christmas hymns, 1739-88 in Charles Wesley: Life, Literature and Legacy. This edited volume discusses the continuing importance of Charles Wesley as a prominent 18th century hymn writer and one of the founders of the Methodist movement.
The last #FridayFind from BBIH fell on New Year’s Eve. To celebrate the coming of the new year, we highlighted Hannah Forsyth’s article ‘Making Night Hideous With their Noise’ New Year’s Eve in 1897, which was published in History Australia in 2011. This article uses newspaper reports to examine Sydney’s first urban celebration of New Year’s Eve in 1897.
The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the largest and most comprehensive guide available to what’s been written about British and Irish history, from the early 1900s to 2021.
It’s an essential resource for research and teaching, providing up-to-date information (and links) on over 633,000 history books, articles, chapters, edited collections and theses. New records are added in three annual updates. These records are searchable by a wide range of facets including: title, author, chronology, date and form of publication, historical topic and geographical region.
The Bibliography is a research project of the UK’s Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society, and is published by Brepols. BBIH is a subscription service and is available remotely via university and research libraries worldwide.