Liverpool pamphlets

The collection of Thomas Dawson, surgeon, of 26 Rodney Street, given to the University in 1909 by Liverpool shipowner and University benefactor John W. Hughes.

Marine signals from Bidston Hill

More than 500 18th and 19th century pamphlets in 25 bound volumes, with Dawson's mss indexes dated 1860, his signature and address, and his armorial bookplate, lithographed by John McGahey. The binding titles group the collection into categories of Miscellaneous (from ballooning and botanic gardens via marine signals and murder trials to slavery and water supply: 14 volumes); Religious (6 vols); Medical (2 vols); Poetry (2 vols) and 1 volume of Oratorios.

Bookplate of Thomas Dawson, MRCS

Finding and using

  • Library catalogue records for Liverpool pamphlets: Spec G34.30-35 and Spec G35.1-19
  • Thomas Dawson's complete collection is listed in his article 'The pamphlet literature of Liverpool', Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire ns 5 (1865) pp73-138. It includes pre-1851 Liverpool guides.
  • John Davies, 'Liverpool guides, 1795-1914', Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire 153 (2004).
  • Liverpool in Print project.
  • Liverpool 800: Culture, Character & History, ed. John Belchem (Liverpool University Press, 2006).
  • More pamphlet collections.
  • The 19th Century British Pamphlets project provides online access via JSTOR to the full text of more than 20,000 pamphlets in major research collections.

Opening hours

Monday - Friday: 9.30am - 4.45pm

Appointments must be made at least one day in advance.

SC&A contacts

email: mwatry@liv.ac.uk
tel: (0151) 794 2696
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