Delve into the theatrical world of eighteenth century society and explore how the Larpent plays reflect the politics of the time, the role of women, views on race and religion, opinions on empire, and European and British history. Eighteenth Century Drama features three distinct areas:

• Primary source documents; the focus of which is the Larpent collection of plays and Anna Larpent's Diaries
• The London Stage Database; and
• The Biographical Dictionary Database.

The collection provides digital versions of content originally in Adam Matthew Publication’s microfilm project Eighteenth Century Journals from the Hope Collection in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. It includes journals written for and by women and journals dealing with eighteenth-century drama, providing insights into London life during the period.

The collection is based on the holdings of the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin. As one of the finest collections of rare 17th and 18th century British periodicals in the world, it contains newspapers, magazines, journals, almanacs on diverse themes - politics, theatre and arts, mercantile and trading, current affairs, and literature.

Materials for Eighteenth Century Journals III are drawn from two sources: the British Newspaper Library at Colindale, London and Cambridge University Library. This section focuses on journals published outside of London. The inclusion of Canadian, Caribbean and Indian journals allows users to explore the ways in which major world events were reported in different areas of the globe. There are also a large number of Irish journals and British provincial publications.

The collection consists of material sourced primarily from Chetham’s Library in Manchester. A collection of rare magazines and newspapers, literary periodicals and political journals have been included to chart the transformation of Manchester during a time of rapid industrialisation and political turmoil. These varied sources are supplemented by a selection of periodicals, many European, from the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds.

Eighteenth Century Journals V includes the full run of The Lady’s Magazine, 1770-1832 from the British Library, Birmingham Central Library and Cambridge University Library. Readers of the magazine today can trace shifts in public opinion, taste, culture and political climate, making it a major source for scholars of gender, social and literary studies and an invaluable source for any scholar of the eighteenth century.