The digital archive of the acclaimed BBC publication

The Listener was where the British did their thinking. Literate and engaged, it had the mild irony of all the best of British culture... The online archive is a seam of pure gold for researchers, politics, writing, theatre and social observation, but it offers many delights for browsers as well. JEAN SEATON Professor of Media History and Official Historian of the BBC. The University of Westminster Thursday, January , Issue 3197 Wednesday, January , Issue 1

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WHAT IS THE LISTENER? The Listener was a weekly publication, established by the BBC in 1929 as the medium for reproducing radio - and later, television - programmes in print. At the heart of The Listener was the BBCs cultural mission to inform, educate and entertain the general public. The very first edition of The Listener expressed its intention to preserve the text of certain broadcast talks in a regular and more or less permanent form.

KEY FEATURES OF THE LISTENER HISTORICAL ARCHIVE The complete run from 1929 to ,000 pages Digitally captured in full colour from print copies Full text and keyword searchable Multiple search paths and limiters to pinpoint results quickly Browse an index of contributors Cross-searchable with other Gale products Thursday, September , Issue 556

SUBJECTS COVERED INCLUDE: History Politics Science Literature Poetry Media & Journalism Arts & Entertainment Music Sports Advertising Thursday, November , Issue 3088 Thursday, April , Issue 2194

A RESOURCE FOR LITERATURE: The Listener built a reputation for discovering new literary talent and provided a platform for major 20th century writers. The magazine was frequently the first national weekly publication to publish a new poem by a major modern writer. Transcripts of writers broadcasts and interviews help capture the writers voice and chart the ongoing relationship between writers and the medium of broadcasting. Thursday, July , Issue 1634 Wednesday, July , Issue 235

A RESOURCE FOR THE ARTS: The journal dedicated pages to major literary and musical programmes by the BBC (which remains the largest commissioner of music and drama in Britain) 10% of its content was not connected to broadcasting at all, but featured in-depth reviews of books, films and art exhibitions. Invaluable resource for those researching the critical reception of the visual arts and how the wider public responded to popular culture in the 20th century. Thursday, July , Issue 2311 Thursday, December , Issue 3091

CONTRIBUTORS: Dylan Thomas Alan Bennett T. S. Eliot John Cleese David Attenborough Anthony Burgess Sebastian Faulks Germaine Greer E. M. Forster Ian Hislop John Peel George Orwell Philip Pullman Jeremy Paxman Sylvia Pankhurst Virginia Woolf Thursday, January , Issue 2593Wednesday, November , Issue 46 Thursday, August 11, 1988, Issue 3075

A RESOURCE FOR HISTORY: For over 60 years, the magazine reproduced broadcast talks on radio and television, thereby extending the life of a programme. Provides researchers with means of accessing the transcripts of early BBC broadcast recordings as well as the rich commentary that surrounded them. Through the online archive, researchers can trace the journey of publishing and broadcasting in the 20th century and the profound impact it had on shaping events and society. Thursday, April , Issue 744 Thursday, November , Issue 3039

TRANSCRIPTS: The archive provides a wealth of transcripts from broadcasts including: King George VIs message to the British public at the outbreak of WWII (1939) Prime Minister Atlee announcing the launch of the National Health Service (NHS) (1948) Panorama, BBCs flagship current affairs programme (1950s – 1980s) British Historian AJP Taylors series of TV lectures (1957 – 1967) Royal Institute Christmas lectures including Sir David Attenborough (1973), astronomer Carl Sagan (1977) and Ian Stewart (1997) Wednesday, January , Issue 260

A RESOURCE FOR POLITICS & SOCIETY: The Listener provided a balanced political overview, allowing researchers to explore an issue from multiple perspectives. Reflects the BBCs proximity to power, acting as an eyewitness to the major issues of the day and providing an informed critique of the 20th century as it happened. Broad range of content, from Anthony Burgess writing on the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, to Alistair Cookes much-loved letters on post- war American culture, to the columns of the BBCs political editor, John Cole, in the 1980s. Thursday, October , Issue 1645 Thursday, December , Issue 2789

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE: Although a British newspaper, The Listener was always internationalist in its world-view. Just like the BBC itself, it aimed to educate and enlighten its readers about events beyond their shores. The magazines reach was global with detailed coverage of revolutions in the Middle East including Egypt (1952), Libya (1967) and Iran (1979). Thursday, July , Issue 1222 Thursday, January , Issue 2439 Thursday, February , Issue 1613 Thursday, April , Issue 3008

ARTICLES OF NOTE: Users will find a diverse range of essays, interviews and reviews including: The Frontiers of Art and Propaganda by George Orwell (1941) Alistair Cookes famous Letter from America series ( ) and From Our Own Correspondent Wyndham Lewis, art critic for The Listener, wrote a series of articles on young British artists including Francis Bacon ( ) E.M. Forster on his life and books, recorded by David Jones (1959) Essays to accompany Sir Kenneth Clarks landmark art history series Civilisation (1969) Unemployment in the Seventies by Dorothy Wedderburn (1971) Watergate and the Editors (1972) The Eye by David Wilson, the first of several articles based on the Horizon popular science series (1969) Thursday, January , Issue 1553 Thursday, August , Issue 2211

PRODUCT FEATURES

PRODUCT DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY: Homepage with basic search Advanced Search Results Page Page Display with specifically designed viewer Print, download, mark list, documents Browse Editions and Contributors

HOMEPAGE: SPOTLIGHT ARTICLES Shortcut to pre-selected highlight content BASIC SEARCH Keyword/Entire Document and limit by date NAVIGATION

ADVANCED SEARCH: LIMIT the search section and/or article type LIMIT by illustration type Keyword or phrase search in Article Title, Keyword, Entire Document, Caption, Contributor and Document Number Set FUZZY none-high

RESULTS: Results can be SORTED by ascending and descending order Results can be LIMITED by publication section and article type SEARCH within results or start a new search and also mark items From each THUMBNAIL choose between Article, View Page and Browse Issue

PAGE DISLPAY: Selecting PAGE from the results displays the entire page of the issue in which the article appears. The article can be viewed as a clipped image as well. Other articles from the page can also be selected Search within ISSUE or new search ZOOM and Page Navigation Browse issue and see RESULTS contained within the same issue Mark item, print, , bookmark and use the citation TOOL

BROWSE BY DATE: All the front pages of the ISSUES for the selected year will display from Jan-Dec. Click on the thumbnail to browse the whole issue

ISSUE DISPLAY/RESULTS: The Results for this issue displays a LIST VIEW of the pages in the edition for an overview of the content Selecting the front cover thumbnail image from the BROWSE ISSUE displays the front page and all clipped articles on that page

BROWSE CONTRIBUTOR: Browse contributors to The Listener alphabetically Select BROWSE CONTRIBUTOR from the Browse drop down menu Type in the first few letters of the name or use alphabet LINKS to select a name Once the name has been selected the corresponding articles and pages display in a RESULTS list

CONTRIBUTOR RESULTS: The results from selecting a contributor displays in the same way as a normal search RESULTS page – the pages/articles can then be viewed in more detail by selecting Article View Page or Browse Issue

SEARCH HISTORY: Search History Enables the user to revisit and REVISE previous searches

MARKED ITEMS: Add items to the list to REVISIT at a later point. Users can also save, and print a list of results or an article

CONCLUSION

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: Offering nearly 130,000 pages across six decades. Makes the inaccessible accessible - Complete print run - Archive is all in one place and is convenient to use as well as saving valuable shelf space. An essential resource across a range of disciplines including History, Politics, Science, Literature, Arts and more. National and International content. Multiple search and limit options. Browse editions week by week, cover to cover. Thursday, January , Issue 3098

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