Photocopies of c230 manuscript and typescript autobiographies of English, Welsh and Scottish working class individuals, c1790-1945, collated and copied by John Burnett, David Mayall and David Vincent for their The autobiography of the working class (Harvester Press, Brighton, 1984-1989). The majority of authors recall memories of their childhoods and early working lives in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Sidney George West slide collection, [1934-1937] comprises glass lantern slides depicting images of Portugal. Each slide has been numbered and labelled. They include scenes of Lisbon, Estoril, Cintra, Mafra, Evora, Santarem, Thomar, Coimbra, Luso-Bussaco, Vizeu, Oporto, Braga, Bom Jesus, Viana Do Castelo, Aveiro, Leiria, Batalha and Alcobaça and images of rivers, valleys, religious buildings and traditional scenes including a festival and bullfight. An inventory prepared by West, dated 13 September 1934 - 6 December 1937, is enclosed and gives details of each slide.

Letter from Samuel Smiles of 6 Granvill Park Terrace, Blackheath, London to R Harrison, Esq, 22 Jun 1860. Answering enquiries on 'the actual condition of the working classes'. 'The bulk of the writers who write for the working classes are, though very decent penny a liners, for the most part people who know nothing about them, and merely get up what will sell for the day.'

Autograph, with signature.

Archive, 1754 to date, of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA; formerly the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, or Society of Arts), created by the Society in the course of its activities, and comprising records of its administration (Ref: AD), and records of its activities and events (Ref: PR), also including some printed material dating back to 1634.

Administrative records of the Society include:

Records of Miscellaneous Committees to discuss the programme and administration of the Society, including the Committee of Correspondence and Papers and the Committee of Miscellaneous Matters, 1754-1848 (Ref: AD.MA/104).
Records of the Society from 1754, later the Council (established 1845) (Ref: AD.MA/100).

Records concerning Chairmen of Council (from 1846) and Council membership (Ref: AD.MA/102).

Records of Secretaries (administrative head of the Society), after 1994 known as the Director (Ref: AD.MA/101).

Records of Presidents (Ref: AD.MA/103).

Records of Membership/Fellowship, relating to subscribers to the Society, originally termed 'members', referred to as 'Fellows' from 1908 (Ref: AD.MA/900). (The archive does not include extensive biographical information on RSA Fellows, although dates of membership of Fellows are usually recorded.)
Records concerning the Society's House in John Adam Street from its design and construction by the Adam Brothers, including correspondence, papers, notes, leases and other legal documents, relating to administration, management, alteration and repair of the building (Ref: AD.MA/300).

Records of various House Committees set up at different times to look at the building, its use, function, administration and management (Ref: AD.MA/305).

Accounting and financial records produced by various committees including the Accounts Committee and Finance and General Purposes Committee (Ref: AD.MA/400).

Annual Reports recording the Society's activities over the year, initially within the Journal (from 1852), but later as a separate publication (Ref: AD.MA/701).

Records relating to general lectures (developed from the 1850s when the Society ceased the award of premiums for inventions), with correspondence mainly concerning administrative arrangements for speakers and publication of their texts (in the RSA Journal) and suggestions for topics for discussion (Ref: AD.MA/800).

Records relating to the RSA Silver Medal awarded annually for the most interesting lecture over the preceding year (Ref: AD.MA/803).

Records relating to production of the Journal and other publicity, promotion and communication (Ref: AD.MA/203).

Donations and collections, comprising objects and artefacts donated to or bought by the Society (Ref: AD.MA/204).

Records of the Society's activities (such as award schemes, exhibitions, conferences, seminars and lectures), including joint initiatives with a range of other organisations, include:

Guard Books (30 volumes), 1754-1770, containing correspondence and papers about all Society activities and committees, on a range of subjects (Ref: PR.GE/110).

Manuscript versions of the Society's Transactions, comprising draft versions of the printed Transactions, including drawings, plans and diagrams in support of claims for premiums and awards. Also general correspondence to the Society on various 19th century campaigns, conferences and committees, covering subjects including lectures (arrangements for dates, speakers, chairmen, participants; suggestions for subjects, submission of lecture texts, corrections to texts, requests for tickets/programmes, acceptances, apologies for non-attendance etc), examinations (requests for syllabus, copies of certificates, programmes, rules; complaints, arrangements, agreements with colleges, details of examiners etc), membership (requests for information, applications, replies to circulars, notes accompanying subscriptions, resignations, complaints), Council/committee chairmen (intention to attend meetings, acceptances, general arrangements for meetings, requests for information, dates, times etc), Journal (receipt/non-receipt of copies, reciprocal arrangements with other libraries, requests for extra copies, corrections to proofs, advertising, arrangements for making blocks, photogravures etc), House (letters from freeholders, solicitors, contractors; booking of rooms), staff (applications for employment, testimonials, sick notes etc - a very small number of items), general (invitations, letters from bankers, auditors, business circulars, requests for funding, suggestions for campaigns, policies, events etc), and including artistic copyright, uniform musical pitch, domestic economy, art workmanship, musical training, food committees, patent law reform, prevention of fires in theatres and education exhibitions (Ref: PR.GE/118-19, 121).

Records relating to Premium and Programme committees (Ref: PR.GE/112); Albert Medal (founded 1863) (Ref: PR.GE/101); Memorial Tablet (blue plaque) scheme (founded 1866) (PR.GE/122); War Memorials Advisory Council (established 1944, disbanded 1948), concerning memorials of the Second World War (Ref: PR.GE/117); Exhibition of Exhibitions (1951), concurrent with the Festival of Britain, to commemorate earlier ground-breaking Society exhibitions on contemporary art (1760), industrial design (1847-1850), photography (1852), industry (1761), and the first international exhibition (1851) (Ref: PR.GE/102); R B Bennett Commonwealth Prize (endowed 1944) for outstanding contribution to the promotion of the arts, agriculture, industries and commerce of the Overseas Empire (Ref: PR.GE/116); Commonwealth Committee (Ref: PR.GE/113); proposals and planning for the Festival of Britain (1951) (Ref: PR.GE/103); events for the RSA Bicentenary (1954) (Ref: PR.GE/107); Benjamin Franklin Medal (instituted 1956) (Ref: PR.GE/100); Trusts, bequests, fundraising and development (Ref: PR.GE/111).

Records relating to manufacture and commerce, including the Paris Exhibitions (1844-1900) (Ref: PR.MC/109); Great Exhibition (1851) (Ref: PR.MC/107); International Exhibition (1862) (Ref: PR.MC/108); Chicago Exhibition (World's Columbian Exposition, 1893), British Section (Ref: PR.MC/112); Industry Year/Industry Matters (1986) (Ref: PR.MC/100); Tomorrow's Company (begun 1994), concerning the role of business in a changing world (Ref: PR.MC/115); Redefining Work (launched 1995) (Ref: PR.MC/116); Forum for Ethics in the Workplace (1997) (Ref: PR.MC/117); Manufacturing, Wealth Creation and the Economy (1998) (Ref: PR.MC/118).

Records of subject-based standing committees set up by the Society from 1754 to judge awards and premiums in particular areas, including minutes and correspondence about awards and attendance at and structure of committees: Agriculture (Ref: PR.MC/103), Chemistry (Ref: PR.MC/105), Colonies and Trade (Ref: PR.MC/104), Manufactures (Ref: PR.MC/102), Mechanics (Ref: PR.MC/101), and Polite Arts - including prints, drawings and other artwork submitted for award (Ref: PR.AR/103).

Records relating to fine and applied arts, including exhibition of works of Ancient and Medieval Art (1847-1850) (Ref: PR.AR/105); exhibition of the works of William Etty and William Mulready (1848-1849), including general correspondence, printed matter, catalogues, press cuttings, tickets and notices about mounting of exhibitions, and attendance (Ref: PR.AR/112); British Art in Industry Exhibition (1935) to publicise good design in articles of everyday use (Ref: PR.AR/101); Humorous Art Exhibition (1949-1950) (Ref: PR.AR/100); Art for Architecture scheme (from 1990), aiming to enhance the urban environment by encouraging cross disciplinary approaches to building and landscape projects, and associated with the Jerwood Art for Architecture Award (introduced 1994) (Ref: PR.AR/110); Shakespeare in Schools (begun 1992), a pilot project to introduce Shakespeare to children (Ref: PR.AR/108).

Records relating to promotion of design, including the Design Bursaries Board, Design Committee, the Design Board, Design Advisory Group and Design Section (Ref: PR.DE/106-7); Industrial Art Bursaries Competition (started 1924), succeeded by the Design Bursaries Competition, Competition of Industrial Designs and Student Design Awards (Ref: PR.DE/100); Royal Designers for Industry (RDI) scheme (created 1936) to encourage a high standard of industrial design (Ref: PR.DE/101); Bicentenary Medal (instituted 1954) for exceptional influence in promoting art and design in British industry (Ref: PR.DE/102); Presidential Awards for Design Management (instituted 1964) to recognise outstanding design policy (Ref: PR.DE/105).
Records relating to education, including the RSA Examinations Board (PR.ED/100); the Education for Capability programme (initiated 1979) to counteract academic bias in British education and promote practical, organising and co-operative skills (Ref: PR.ED/107); the future of Technological Higher Education in Britain (1982), a study group to consider the problems facing Britain in the development of technological higher education (Ref: PR.ED/118); Home-School links (from 1988) (Ref: PR.ED/108); Parents in a Learning Society, a development project to involve parents in education and assess home-school work (Ref: PR.ED/104); the National Advisory Council for Careers and Educational Guidance (established 1994), to promote and advise on provision of guidance for learning and work (Ref: PR.ED/103); Education Futures (2000) (Ref: PR.ED/116).

Records relating to the environment, including the Campaign for the Preservation of Ancient Cottages (begun 1926) to protect cottage architecture, establishing a fund which purchased or restored cottages near Worthing, at Bibury, Gloucestershire, West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Chiddingstone, Kent, and elsewhere (Ref: PR.EN/100); three 'Countryside in 1970' Conferences (1963-1970) (Ref: PR.EN/104); Environment Committee (formed 1971) to identify and anticipate major environmental problems and provide a forum for discussion (Ref: PR.EN/107), which began the Pollution Abatement Technology Award Scheme (PATAS) (1983-1986) (Ref: PR.EN/103), succeeded by the Better Environment for Industry/European Better Environment Awards for Industry (BEAFI/EBEAFI) (1987-1991) (Ref: PR.EN/101); the Environment Committee's sub-committee the RSA-Cubitt Trust Panel (to 1991), devoted to the built environment and working with the Cubitt Trust to convene conferences, seminars and an annual Cubitt Lecture (Ref: PR.EN/106); After the Earth Summit - What Next? (1992) (Ref: PR.EN/128); RSA Environmental Management Awards (begun 1993) (Ref: PR.EN/102).

The Early Library (Ref: SC/EL/1-5), comprising c500 printed works collected by the Society before 1830, including journals and periodicals, and c300 pamphlets and tracts covering broad-ranging topics relating to premiums and awards of the various sectional committees (Agriculture, Polite Arts, Chemistry, Manufactures, Mechanics, and Colonies and Trade), and including extracts from proceedings of other societies and learned institutions.

The Women's Library continues to document the development of feminism in the UK, and examples of '3rd wave' activity can be found within our Zine Collection. The Zine Collection began with a donation of 50 zines by Ladyfest London in 2002. This Collection comprises self-published magazines reflecting contemporary feminism and the attitudes and concerns of young women in the UK today. It currently includes over 150 indexed zines on topics ranging from music, feminism, art, fashion, food, politics, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, popular culture, travelling, relationships, parenting and much more. The Women's Library aims to collect and preserve women's zines from the 1970s to the present day.

The archive includes the papers, correspondence, diaries and manuscripts, recordings, research material and publications of Professor Eric Mottram and spans the period 1928-1995. Covering his own creative work and academic publications, it also reflects his wide-ranging cultural investigations in the field of twentieth century American and English literature, film, music, art, theatre and popular and material culture. A major series of files about named authors and poets covers figures as diverse as Robert Creeley, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Charles Olson, Ezra Pound, Jerome Rothenberg, Muriel Rukeyser, William Burroughs, Basil Bunting, Bob Cobbing, Roy Fisher, Bill Griffiths and Tom Raworth. Also of particular importance are a series of original tape recordings, mainly made by Mottram, of poets reading their work. Linked to this material is a rich series of little press publications and little magazines. The two chief aspects of Mottram's own work are reflected in his artist notebooks and essays. The former run from 1979-1988 and contain draft poems, notes on a whole range of research topics, with inserts of postcards, press-cuttings, photographs, cartoons, artworks and postage stamps to create a rich wallet of collage effects. The essay series, including published and unpublished material and supporting notes, reflects his wide-ranging contribution over nearly half a century to the teaching of American and English literature. Major groupings within the archive are as follows: personal papers including appointment diaries, 1951-1995, and correspondence with Ted and Joan Wilentz, 1963-1994; papers reflecting Mottram's own poetry including notebooks, and manuscripts, 1956-1995; papers reflecting his publications including reviews and collaborations, 1952-1988; editorial papers notably for The Poetry Review; correspondence with and/or papers relating to twentieth century creative writers, 1928-1998; little press publications, 1954-1998;little magazines, 1942-1998; papers relating to academic teaching, research and administration, [1952]-1994; Mottram's essay texts and associated material, 1947-1995; promotional material for literary events and from publishers, 1945-1958; artworks and posters, 1953-1994; photographs by Mottram, 1950-1995; and recorded material notably including original recordings of poets from both sides of theAtlantic reading their material, 1950-1998.

Papers of Albert Lancaster Lloyd, 1953-[1982], comprising materials relating to traditional folk music from around the world, especially Eastern Europe, notably newspaper cuttings, photographs, typescript notes, drafts of articles, diaries, notebooks, broadcast scripts and texts of lectures on subjects including:
English folk music, including erotic songs, ballads, carols, London songs, Morris dancers, North-East songs and poetry.
Romanian folk music, [1955-1973], including notes on subjects including costume, customs, instruments, proverbs, social life and topography, as well as a large number of photographs depicting native song and dance.
Hungarian folk music, [1946-1970s], including notes on subjects such as art, custom, dance, history and instruments.
Bulgarian folk music, [1954-1960s], including papers, correspondence and photographs on costume, dance, recorded music, and topography.
American folk music, [1949-1967], including materials on cowboys, blues and jazz, spirituals, work songs and vagrants.
Industrial song, [1950s-1970s], including miners, textile workers, political songs, and American work songs.
The collection also includes material on Chinese and Australian traditional music.

Papers of Martin Lightfoot, mainly relating to his career from 1981 onwards. They include papers concerning his work for the House of Commons Select Committee on Education and from his time at Brunel University. The latter include lecture and teaching notes on public and social administration, school management, equal opportunities and education, multiculturalism in education and educational politics and government; material relating to the research projects 'Expectations of Higher Education' and 'Recreating Education: London and Education Reform'; and some general papers relating to the work of Centre for the Study of Community and Race Relations and the Educational Policy Centre. Also included are papers reflecting Lightfoot's general interests in race relations, public administration and education, including a small amount of material relating to his membership of the Education Reform Group.

Personal papers of Lionel and Pansy Jeffrey, political activists and race equality campaigners, including material from various organisations and committees including minutes, correspondence, brochures, newsletters, academic papers, draft speeches and reports.

Records of Hansib Publications Limited, including issues of the African Times, Asian Times and Caribbean Times; and publications on a variety of topics relating to Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean including poetry, literary studies, history, politics, diaspora, music, sport, law, society, colonialism, racism, slavery and travel. Also some promotional and publicity material.

British National Party election ephemera, De Beauvoir Ward, London Borough of Hackney, Jun 1996, and British Nationalist, Apr 1995.