Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2022 July 3

= July 3 =

Looking for a specific issue of a London newspaper
I've been looking for a scan of the August 1745 issue of The Craftsman (possibly called The Country Journal). I haven't been able to find it, as it is not in the HathiTrust archive linked from the Wikipedia article's bibliography. I suppose it's possible that it just has not been digitized. Any leads would be appreciated. 98.170.164.88 (talk) 02:01, 3 July 2022 (UTC)


 * From an overview of digitized British newspapers it says The Craftsman is digitized and should be accessible for higher ed and through some libraries. (An entry in the LoC references that it's on microfilm too.) It's not on ProQuest or Gale (which is all I can access from here), but I don't know what system all the British papers are on. If you're not in higher ed then any major library should have some connection to these systems, and if not for public use then their reference librarian would have it and would easily help you if you email them. Failing that... ever use a microfilm reader? SamuelRiv (talk) 02:36, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the response.
 * I'm not a student, nor have I ever used a microfilm reader (though I'm familiar with the concept and suspect I could learn to operate one if needed).
 * This WorldCat entry has some hits near me, but they're all private university libraries and such, and the entry says "1731-1737", more or less the same years as on HathiTrust, and "14 volumes", the same as HathiTrust. That fact makes me question whether the 1745 volume would even be included. All the other WorldCat entries for the newspaper (that I found) only had hits hundreds of miles away. But I guess this avenue could still be tried.
 * If there is some copy on the Internet somewhere, that would be far more convenient of course. I don't understand why these things aren't more easily available if the digitized scans exist. Copyright shouldn't be an issue, after all. Oh well, I guess they have to make money somehow. 98.170.164.88 (talk) 03:12, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * If that WorldCat hit is the same thing I saw on ProQuest then it's a book reprint of just the political pieces from those years of the newspaper, not the whole broadsheets. If you are in the UK and have access to a big city then really the best thing to do is email the reference librarian at the central library location (or whatever email the library wants you to go through first), since that's the kind of thing they're paid to do. The library website may even have an online request form for such things. One thing to specify when you do this is that you are believe the papers have been digitized and would prefer the digitized version. Some libraries have a different and more burdensome process if you want physical access to older archives (though I don't know how "old" the 18th century is considered to be for UK archives). SamuelRiv (talk) 04:02, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * > it's a book reprint of just the political pieces from those years of the newspaper
 * Ah, I see. I'd want the original newspaper and not a selective reprint, so maybe that wouldn't work even if it was for the right year.
 * > If you are in the UK and have access to a big city
 * Sadly I live an ocean away. Thanks again, though. 98.170.164.88 (talk) 04:25, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Well you could still try your local major library, since there's a general baseline of databases that every institution subscribes to that may or may not include these old UK papers. It doesn't hurt to ask. They might even be able to do a resource exchange with counterparts in the UK if necessary (and if they feel particularly motivated). The other thing to do is request on a forum where Brits in higher ed might be hanging out and willing to help – so/and/or if you're interested in the reference for X, ask on a popular forum related to X. SamuelRiv (talk) 04:42, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * If your local university has a copy in its library (or appears to), you could see if you can apply for a reader's ticket even if you are not a student there. I have such a ticket for one of the universities in my city, and whilst I can't borrow books, I can go and read them onsite. Chuntuk (talk) 09:27, 5 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Unfortunately "It would seem, however, that few issues between 22 Dec. 1744 and 7 Oct. 1749 survive." Card Zero  (talk) 18:19, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Oh, good find. That's a letdown. 98.170.164.88 (talk) 23:28, 3 July 2022 (UTC)