Getting started

If you are new to this site, you might find the tutorials prepared by our team members below helpful.

The website has been reorganised since these videos were first filmed; where the tutorials mention a glossary and data manual, please consult our FAQs.

There is a separate Tutorial for each of the three search functions within the Database, with audio transcription available.

We suggest you start with Tutorial 1 on our Simple Search function, which also explains how the data is structured and outlines the three main types of records that you will find within the Database – i.e., Agents, Books, and Libraries.

Tutorial 2 explains our Ranking tables, how they can be used to tailor search results, how they are organised, and what they count.

Tutorial 3 introduces our Advanced Search function, which allows users to search records across the database for specific characteristics in common (e.g. all borrowing records associated with smugglers or bankers). Users are strongly advised to consult the Frequently Asked Questions page elsewhere on this website for further information on what the database can – and at least as importantly can’t – tell us about reading habits in the eighteenth century.

Tutorial 1: Simple Searches and Record Types

 

Tutorial 2: Ranking Tables

 

Tutorial 3: Advanced Searches