Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (ncse) 2018
We are excited to announce a second edition of the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (ncse): www.ncse.ac.uk. Funded by King's College London, and Birkbeck, University of London, it has been upgraded by King's Digital Lab to survive the challenges of its second decade. It remains an edition of six key titles from across the period - the Monthly Repository, Northern Star, Leader, English Woman's Journal, Tomahawk, and Publishers' Circular - but the Facsimiles portion has been completely redesigned and augmented (see https://ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/). As well as new navigation and display, this part of the resource now has visual realisations of statistics for each title, a new bibliography covering the last decade, two new reflective essays (one on the new edition and the other on the development of the field), and the first of a series of pedagogical pieces (on how ncse's Tomahawk illustrations by Matt Morgan, might be used in the classroom).
First launched in 2008 and now in its second edition, ncse remains free and open to all.
Laurel Brake, Jim Mussell, and Mark Turner
Resources
This section provides a curated selection of materials for researchers interested in periodical studies. Whether you are looking for active research networks, recent publications, theoretical perspectives, or updates from the ESPRit community, you will find valuable resources here.
ESPRit is committed to supporting scholars at all career stages, and this page will continue to evolve as we expand our offerings.
If you have any suggestions for additional resources, please feel free to reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Available resources
Below, you will find a selection of available resources. Click on the titles to access them:
➡️ Projects and Networks This section features a growing selection of research projects, networks, and websites related to periodical studies, with a focus on European research
➡️ Periodical Theory and Methodology This page currently features a summary of the MLA Convention on Periodical Theory/Methodology (Boston, 4 January 2013), which discusses key approaches to periodical studies
➡️ Recent Publications A regularly updated selection of recent book publications related to periodical studies
➡️ ESPRit Prize Learn about the ESPRit Prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of periodical research
➡️ Postgraduate Corner (Upcoming) We are excited to announce the forthcoming Postgraduate Corner, a dedicated hub for resources useful to postgraduate researchers. This section will also provide a space for postgraduates to showcase their work
➡️ Newsletter Archive Browse past issues of the ESPRit Newsletter, which provides updates on ESPRit activities, events, and developments in the field of periodical studies
Current Newsletter
Become a member of ESPRit and receive the newsletter by signing up for our listserv. The newsletter contains information about European periodical research and information about upcoming events (see the Archive). If you'd like us to include announcements or information in the newsletter, send us an e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Newsletter Archive
ESPRit regularly shares updates, announcements, and important information with the periodical research community through our Google Groups mailing list. These updates cover upcoming conferences, new journal issues, calls for papers, and other relevant ESPRit news.
On this page, you can browse past announcements and newsletters from previous years.
Past Newsletters
To receive the latest updates
To receive the latest ESPRit updates directly in your inbox, subscribe to our mailing list by joining the ESPRit Google Group.
If you have news or information you'd like to share with the ESPRit community, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For more details about ESPRit and ways to get involved, visit our Membership page.
Projects and networks
The following is a growing selection of research projects, networks and websites related to (primarily European) periodical research. If you have any suggestions, please send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Research networks, societies and centres
- History in Popular Cultures of Knowledge, University of Freiburg (English site)
- Institut Deutsche Presseforschung (Institute for the Study of the Historical German Press; in German)
- Middlebrow Network, focused on research on the term "middlebrow" (includes a mailing list)
Research projects and databases
- Chinese Women's Magazines from the Late Qing and Early Republican Periods, database providing access to Chinese women's magazines from the first half of the 20th century
- Magazines, Travel and Middlebrow Literature in Canada 1925 - 1960; research project on Canadia, but with a focus on the representation of European cities
- Modernist Journals Project, aims to provide digital editions of significant Modernist magazines
- History in German Illustrated Magazines of the 19th Century (ca. 1850-1914/18), University of Freiburg
- Project on Victorian Periodicals "Histories for the Many: Historical Lifeworlds in Victorian Family, Women’s and Children’s Periodicals", University of Freiburg
- The Curran Index (Identifying the men and women whose stories, poems, and articles appeared anonymously in nineteenth-century British periodicals.)
- NoRMMA: Network of Research: Movies, Magazines, Audiences. (A research network situated at the University of Kent but open to all scholars interested in fan and film magazines and their position as a meeting ground between industry and audiences.)
- WeChangEd: Agents of Change: Women Editors and Socio-Cultural Transformation in Europe, 1710-1920, Ghent University
- SpaTrEM: Spaces of Translation: European Magazine Culture 1945 – 1965, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and Nottingham Trent University
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KYPSELI: database on Ottoman Women's Press (19th century - 1923), University of Crete.
Other websites of interest
- Book History and Print Culture Network, blog on Interdisciplinary Perspectives from German-Area Scholars
- Europeana, site dedicated to the digitilisation of European cultural heritage
- At the Free University Berlin several researchers are concerned with periodical research; see the Institute for Media and Communication Studies and the Institute for Arts and Media Management
- Magazine Modernisms, blog dedicated to Modern Periodical Research
- Mapping the Magazine 3, papers presented at the Mapping the Magazine 3 Conference, held at Cardiff University 7 and 8 July 2011
- Nineteenth Century Index, source for nineteenth-century books, periodicals, official documents, newspapers and archives
- Research cluster Asia and Europe in a Global Context at the University of Heidelberg, includes research on public spheres and periodicals
- Weimar Studies Network, resources on the history, culture and society of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933); includes links to German periodicals online
Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)
ESPRit actively collaborates with institutions and research groups worldwide to advance the study of periodicals. These agreements strengthen academic exchange and cooperation. Since 2020, we have formalized partnerships with the following institutions and networks:
- Libera università di lingue e comunicazione IULM (2020)
- TransfoPress – Transnational network for the study of foreign language press from the 18th–20th century (2022)
- PéLiAs – Périodiques, Littérature, Arts et Sciences (2022)
- G.R.I.R.T. – Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire sur les Revues de Théâtre (2023)
- RSVP – The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals (2023)
- Институт за књижевност и уметност – Belgrade Institute for Arts and Literature (2022, renewed in 2024)
- Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo" (2024)