Research Guides: Making Shakespeare: Primary Sources

Featured Collections

Shakespeare Documented | Folger Shakespeare Library
All known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare, his works, and additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter

Eighteenth Century Drama: Censorship, Society and the Stage
Plays submitted for license between 1737 and 1824, and hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays.
The plays and social documents in this resource provide a view of every aspect of 18th c. theatre culture and wider society in England. Includes a unique archive of almost every play submitted for license between 1737 and 1824, and hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays. (Coverage: 1737-1824)
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Digital images of every page of more than 180,000 books published during the 18th century.
This collection can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gales digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.
The acquisition of this database was made possible through the support of the Unidel Foundation.
Early English Books Online
Digitized images of books published in England, 1475-1700.
This collection can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gales digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.

Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection
Covers 1604-1800
This collection can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gales digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.
British Library Newspapers
Covers 1800-1900
This collection can also be searched on Gale Primary Sources, an integrated platform that combines Gales digital archives into a single cross-searchable interface.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers (New York Times)
Covers 1851 to 4 years ago
New York Times articles and indexing are also available from:
- Academic OneFile and General OneFile provide the full text of New York Times articles, 1985 to the present
- Nexis Uni provides abstracts of articles in the New York Times (Final New York City Edition) from January 1, 1969 to May 31, 1980 and full text from June 1, 1980 to the present.
- Global Newsstream includes the New York Times, 1980 to the present.

Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection
British Theater Playbills | Trinity College
Nearly four hundred 18-19th Century British theater playbills given to Trinity College's Watkinson Library by Nathan H. Allen in 1916.

Artstor Digital Library (MOVED TO JSTOR 8/1/2024)
To be able to make full use of Artstor, you will need to register through a simple process. Personal registration permits you to save images and to print and download high-resolution images for permitted uses.