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African Newspapers

The British Library Collection

From culture to history to geopolitics
Summary
Learn what makes this product unique
  • A unique database of 19th-century African newspapers offering all-new coverage
  • Created in partnership with the British Library and its world-renowned curators
  • An invaluable historical record for students and scholars in dozens of academic disciplines

African Newspapers: The British Library Collection features nearly 60 newspapers from across the African continent, all published before 1900. Originally archived by the British Library—the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the largest and most respected libraries in the world—these rare historical documents are now available for the first time in a fully searchable online collection. From culture to history to geopolitics, the pages of these newspapers offer fresh research opportunities for students and scholars interested in topics related to Africa.

An unmatched chronicle of African history
Because Africa produced comparatively few newspapers in the 19th century, each page in this collection is significant, offering invaluable insight into the people, issues and events that shaped the continent. Through eyewitness reporting, editorials, letters, advertisements. obituaries and military reports, the newspapers in this one-of-a-kind collection chronicle African history and daily life as never before. Students and researchers will find news and analysis covering the European exploration of Africa, colonial exploitation, economics, Atlantic trade, the mapping of the continent, early moves towards self-governance, the growth of South Africa and much more.

Created in partnership with the British Library
The British Library’s incomparable collection of African newspapers is the result of the close and often controversial relationships between Great Britain and African nations during the period of colonial rule. Now, Readex has partnered with the Library’s expert curators to digitize this robust archive, opening new avenues for scholarship. Among other highlights, African Newspapers: The British Library Collection includes publications from Djibouti, Egypt, Mauritius and Saint Helena, as well as deep new coverage of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Dozens of notable, frequently requested titles
Among the many rare and essential in this series are the Egyptian Gazette (Cairo), Journal Franco-Ethiopien (Djibouti); Central African Times (Blantyre, Malawi), Commercial Gazette (Port Louis, Mauritius), Times of Marocco (Morocco), St. Helena Guardian (Jamestown, St. Helena) and Express en Oranjevrijstaatsch Advertentieblad (Bloemfontein, South Africa).

The world’s most comprehensive collection of African historical newspapers
As the third collection of African historical newspapers published by Readex, African Newspapers: The British Library Collection complements, amplifies and enriches Readex’s existing African Newspapers series. All three collections can be searched concurrently via a single interface for access to nearly every newspaper published on the African continent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. No other digital resource offers such wide-ranging and comprehensive coverage of Africa during this pivotal period.

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Take a step toward access for your library
An unmatched chronicle
...invaluable insight into the people, issues and events that shaped the continent.
Areas of Study
This product supports the following subjects
African & Middle Eastern Studies
Politics
War & Conflict
World History
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