Scholarly Resources
for
Victorian Research

Welcome to the Victoria Research Web, a guide to research resources written by Patrick Leary, the founder and manager of the long-running VICTORIA discussion list for Victorian Studies. Like VICTORIA, the VRW is dedicated to the scholarly study of nineteenth-century Britain, and to aiding researchers, teachers, and students in their investigations of any and all aspects of this fascinating period.

The various sections of the VRW are intended to supply advice and links to help Victorianists find the practical information they need, whether it's an archive catalogue, a bibliography, a listserv address, a sample syllabus, a cheap place to stay in London, or a journal's submission guidelines. A facility for searching the VICTORIA archives puts at your fingertips over ten years' worth of scholarly discussion by Victorianists around the world.

Increasingly, the VRW has become a modest publishing medium for brief reference works created by some of the finest scholars in the field. These extraordinary resources include the Curran index to Wellesley revisions, the VanArsdel guide to periodical research, Sally Mitchell's introduction to researching Victorian fiction, the Weedon guide to using Victorian publishers' records, and "At the Circulating Library," Troy Bassett's database of three-volume novels, in addition to topical bibliographies, biographies, archive descriptions, and other aids to research prepared specifically for the VRW. Ben Haines's guides to London lectures and walks are published here exclusively, too, as part of the popular VRW guide to planning the research trip to Britain

The table of contents below will help you find your way to these and many other resources featured throughout the site. I hope that you'll enjoy your exploration of the Victoria Research Web, and find the information here helpful in your own Victorian research.

-- P.L.

Research Resources

• Archives: locating manuscript material
  • Key works of reference
  • The National Archives
  • NUCMC and A2A
  • 19th-century family and census data
  • A guide to Victorian holdings in selected archives in Britain and the U.S.
  • Other archival records
    • Victorian publishers' archives, including the new Weedon Guide to Research.
    • Banking records

• Printed Sources: Libraries, Serials, Pictures, Books:
  • Research guides to reference sources in libraries
  • Links to library catalogues
  • Using the British Library
  • Finding out about
    • periodicals
      • the VanArsdel bibliography
      • the Curran Index to Wellesley Revisions
      • "Biographies of Some Obscure Contributors"
      • other periodical research resources
      • The digital revolution: periodicals
    • newspapers and their own digital revolution
    • pictures of people and places
  • Bibliographical resources, including
    • "At the Circulating Library," a database of three-volume novels, and
    • topical bibliographies
  • Book reviews on-line

• Planning the Research Trip: tips for working in Britain
  • Online travel guides
  • Places to stay
  • Getting around
  • Getting connected
  • Fun stuff: Victorian sightseeing and the London Lectures List

Journals

The VRW journal guide: contributor and subscription information, tables of contents, and online resources for some of the major journals in the field. Now includes listing of book publishers' series.

Discussion

The VRW guide to discussion groups on the Internet of interest to Victorianists, including a facility for searching the VICTORIA archives.

Teaching

The VRW collection of syllabi and text suggestions contributed by teachers of 19th-century British history and literature. Send us yours!

Other Victorian Resources

The VRW annotated guide to related areas to explore on the Web.

• General Guides
• Victorian Studies Organizations
• Some Major Sites
• Other Resources of Interest

Acknowledgments