BNA III. The new feature which allows users to broaden out keyword phrase searches to include degrees of separation between the words is a great addition. My early trials suggest a surprisingly small degree of increase in hits when moving across the 0 (no gap) to 8 (up to 8 intervening words) scale.

BNA II. The great news is that searching on specific phrases does produce much more refined results than before. But note that in contrast to names, if typing directly into the search box single quotation marks will not work: here you do need to designate your phrase with double quotation marks.

First piece of learning about the new British Newspaper Archive interface: do not use double quotation marks around names when searching. It generates a huge mishmash of irrelevant results with apparently random ordering. Single quotes or just the name without marks seem to produce specific results.

All fiction titles from the English Catalogue, Volume 4 have now been added! That means 1862–1889 are complete. Next up: the 1890s... • 27,471 title entries • 6,770 author entries (most with bios) Big thank you to my students from last semester who assisted me to this milestone.

Are you interested in developing genuinely interdisciplinary piece of research? Applications for the International Interdisciplinary Research Projects, focused on the theme of ‘Mobilities’ are now open. Apply now: https://bit.ly/4y9wiwJ

Applications are now open for Round 3 of our Microgrants! We’re funding innovative research in #19thC periodicals by providing seed grants for archival travel, digital access to subscriptions or repositories, or digital tools to support your research. Apply by 1 September here: buff.ly/7r9cM50

Still plugging the short survey on the future of the Curran Index. Interestingly, have had almost as many retweets of my original post as there have been actual completions of the survey. Closes on the 10th, so if your work touches at all on nineteenth century periodicals please have your say!

Martin Hewitt@vicmanch.bsky.social · 2w ago

We're running a short online survey to inform development of the Curran Index. If you're interested in Victorian periodicals, whether or not you've used the Curran recently, please complete the survey! Survey closes 10th August. Please retweet. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

I'm thinking that it probably is time that someone did write a satisfactory account of the history of Victorian Studies. I'm sorely tempted to try, but know I have far too many axes to grind...

Dr Jen Baker@jendeavour.bsky.social · 6d ago

I have yet to read the essays McDonagh responds to but her article in Volume 141 - Issue 2 - March 2026 of PMLA is extremely interesting to those who like me, are less familiar with the evolutionary history of "Victorian Studies" and want to interrogate it more

I have yet to read the essays McDonagh responds to but her article in Volume 141 - Issue 2 - March 2026 of PMLA is extremely interesting to those who like me, are less familiar with the evolutionary history of "Victorian Studies" and want to interrogate it more

Indeed. And tho this isn't the place for the close reading these pieces deserve, in preliminary, while the collapsing of VS into literary studies is an enduring frustration, here it is compounded by efforts to historize the field vitiated by recourse to a wafer-thin pastiche of its actual history.

Been fully occupied by #BAVS2026 so not yet tried out the new BNA interface. So much anticipation that at least some of the frustrations of the previous UI will be sorted, but also the fear that some things may be worse. Will get to it later today. Wish me luck!

Heather Tweed@heathertweed.bsky.social · 7d ago

Any other researchers/historians having issues with new British Newspaper Archive interface? My bookmarks have been migrated but 13 years of research bookmarked is now totally unsearchable without starting from scratch and my attached notes have disappeared!

Splurging #BAVS2026 messages this morning, lamentably after the event. But it was a hectic 3 days. @amymatthewson.bsky.social's final plenary on Aladdin and so much more was just the sort of eye-opening tour de force all conferences should end on. Conference fatigue dispelled. Here's to #BAVS2027!

We were treated to a fantastic fly-through of the book from @sorourke25.bsky.social , including a generous name check for @nathankhensley.bsky.social, whose own book was one of the runners up for the prize. I like the RSVP Colby Lecture model, but this was a great send off for #BAVS2026.

Marie Léger-St-Jean@marielsj.bsky.social · last wk.

The 2026 @bavs-uk.bsky.social-Rosemary Mitchell Prize for a second monograph goes to @sorourke25.bsky.social! 👏 The monograph started as a book about time so—don't worry—you can change topics midway through a project! Also, if the book you wanna cite doesn't exist, maybe 🫵 should ✍️ it! #BAVS2026

DVPP is already the most amazing resource for anyone interested in Victorian authorship, but the Beta version in development will clearly take things to a whole new level. Can't wait to see it live! Thanks to Alison Chapman for a fantastic opening keynote to #BAVS2026.

Marie Léger-St-Jean@marielsj.bsky.social · last wk.

Most Victorians read poetry in periodicals instead of in book form. Alison Chapman is leading the following database 👇 3 projects over 29 periodicals: - index - encoded editions - personography #BAVS2026

It's a great topic, and I'll be fascinated to see how it evolves to escape from the 'tyranny' of the archival survivals!

Marie Léger-St-Jean@marielsj.bsky.social · last wk.

Lois Burke —formerly at Tilburg University, now at the University of Stirling— is making her pitch for the usefulness of manuscript magazines. There is for instance "The Sunbeam Magazine" (1866), edited by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)... collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/1067... #BAVS2026

John Plunkett and Joe Kember brilliantly modelling scholarly collaboration and interdisciplinary methodologies in work on 'picture-going' in Victorian Britain at #bavs2026.

Darwin’s life story is one of the great scientific narratives of our time. Read more from Janet Browne, author of Darwin: A Biography. press.princeton.edu/ideas/a-new-... #darwin #evolution

A new biography of Darwin

This idea for this book began with a simple question: Why do so many modern biologists have a picture of Charles Darwin hanging in their laboratories?

press.princeton.edu

Already into #BAVS2026 at Liverpool. Great to see so many people at the lunchtime session to hear about plans for closer collaborations between BAVS and JVC from Julia Kuehn, and on COVE Studio and Editions and planned collaborations with BAVS from @felluga.bsky.social.

Now I am back on home turf, a huge thanks to @rs4vp.org for accepting my abstract for #RSVP2026 in Dublin for my first in-person rsvp. Everyone was extremely generous & kind, great panels, and I also got to catch up with familiar faces from other networks. Well done to all the organisers!

And what a great conference it was.

Clare Clarke@clareclarke.bsky.social · last wk.

Some lovely pics from the #RSVP2026 @rs4vp.org Closing Reception 😍😍 📷 By Pete

'Performing magnetism' is still on tour, we (the green man and I) have arrived in Liverpool for @bavs-uk.bsky.social

We're running a short online survey to inform development of the Curran Index. If you're interested in Victorian periodicals, whether or not you've used the Curran recently, please complete the survey! Survey closes 10th August. Please retweet. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Curran Index User Survey

Thanks for being willing to complete this short survey. Whether or not you have used the Curran Index recently (or at all) we are looking for opinions on how the Curran can best be improved and develo...

docs.google.com

British Library's EThOS platform for its online database of 650,000 doctoral theses back online. Hooray!

EThOS records restored

We are pleased to share that EThOS (E-Theses Online Service) is now available again following restoration work after the cyber-attack.

bl.uk

We're running a short online survey to inform development of the Curran Index. If you're interested in Victorian periodicals, whether or not you've used the Curran recently, please complete the survey! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Curran Index User Survey

Thanks for being willing to complete this short survey. Whether or not you have used the Curran Index recently (or at all) we are looking for opinions on how the Curran can best be improved and develo...

docs.google.com

An important book, and a required reference for anyone interested in Victorian society.

The English Historical Review@enghistrev.bsky.social · last mo.

Martin Hewitt @vicmanch.bsky.social reviews Male Professionals in Nineteenth Century Britain: Families, Intergenerational Mobility and the Rise of the Professions, by Laurence Brockliss and Harry Smith @bhamhistory.bsky.social academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-... @academic.oup.com

Delighted to see my essay on the early decades of the Gifford Trust lectures finally published. Tinged with great sadness that Chris Brewer, the mastermind of the project and editor, did not live to see the book in print. Thanks to Garrick Allen and everyone else involved.

Just a week to go before the first of my three sessions on the 'Real Victorians' for roundtable.org. Having fun putting finishing touches to my presentation slides with illustrations from Punch. Looking forward to meeting everyone attending next Thursday.

The CFP deadline is fast approaching for the 'Women and/of the Empire' conference at University of Oporto this October. But there's still time to respond. Should be a really interesting couple of days, in a location with its own strong connections to Victorian Britain. Hope to see you there!

Exciting news! @bavs-uk.bsky.social are hiring an ECR/Postgrad Rep to work alongside me to develop early career professional development and networking opportunities. 10th Sept deadline, details below ⬇️ DM me with any queries 🎉

BAVS@bavs-uk.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Do you want to join the BAVS Executive Committee? We have a vacancy for an ECR/Postdoctoral Representative (x 3-year term), and we'd love to hear from you if so! The deadline for applying is 10th September. More info here: bavs.ac.uk/executive-co...

So excited for this issue of the @bavs-uk.bsky.social newsletter with @ireadoldbooks.bsky.social! 🎉 30+ pages of amazing Victorianist content 🎉 a brand new feature from @gladlib.bsky.social 🎉 loads of CFPs and book review opportunities Check it out below👇

Dr Amy Waterson@ireadoldbooks.bsky.social · last yr.

📣🔥Hot Off the Press🔥📢 the BAVS Spring Newsletter has been published! Check your inboxes for news, reviews, CFPs, The GLAM Report, and more. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, especially our excellent review team. Contact us at bavsnews@gmail.com to pitch ideas! bavs.ac.uk/newsletters/