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Readex
@readex.com
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Established more than 80 years ago, Readex, a division of NewsBank, Inc., publishes unique, important, and carefully curated primary source collections for academic research.
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The experiences of women in wartime have been less well documented than those of men. Examining primary sources reveals the contributions, sufferings, and heroism of the women who lived through, and often participated in, conflicts across multiple centuries.

#VeteransDay #ThankYouVeterans
Women in War: From the American Indian Wars to the American Civil War | Readex
The experiences of women in wartime have been less well documented than those of men. Their contributions, their sufferings and heroism merit closer attention. The wealth of digitized primary sources in Readex collections offer fresh opportunities for researchers to study women who lived through, and often participated in, conflicts across multiple centuries and continents. In this post, we will touch on the diverse roles played by women in American wars from the early days of settlement through the middle of the 19th century. The earliest European settlements in North America conflicted...
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November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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📚 For centuries, timepieces were rare, delicate, unreliable, and expensive.

⏳ Timekeeping was once the esoteric province of scientists, mariners, royalty, and the clergy.

🕰️ Read about the unexpectedly fascinating history of horology.

#STEMDay #CelebrateSTEM
"The Mainspring of Civilization:" Elements of Timekeeping | Readex
In a world where cellphones and wristwatches are ubiquitous, it’s anachronistic to ask somebody what time it is. We’re immersed in time, and the evidence of its passage is all around us.Of course, timekeeping wasn’t always so formalized and accessible.For centuries, timepieces were rare, delicate, u…
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November 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
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Need a cure for your "nervous condition"? Find "A European Cure in America" in the "most picturesque part and on the border of the two Virginias."

From American Pamphlets Series 1 1820-1922 https://ow.ly/iQSw50XkZgb

#StressAwarenessDay #SelfCareMatters #HealthHistory #HealthHist #Histmed
A collage of early 20th-century images and text promoting the health benefits of mineral springs. The top image shows a grand multi-story resort hotel with arched walkways and landscaped grounds, likely a spa destination. The bottom-left section includes a highlighted excerpt from a 1915 Journal of the American Medical Association editorial affirming the therapeutic value of drinking mineral waters, describing it as “an established therapeutic custom.” To the right, two smaller images show picturesque spa architecture: one depicts a small domed pavilion among autumn trees, and the other a long colonnaded bathhouse nestled in green hills.
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 PM
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👋Hello #CharlestonConference! Stop by Vendor Showcase table 33 for news about Readex primary source collections covering 20th c global history and across U.S. history from the colonial period through the 21st c.

📱 Info also available in the Whova app.

#chasconf2025
Readex table at the Charleston Conference vendor showcase. Table covered in a maroon table cloth with the Readex logo on the front in white. Account representative Erin sits at the table with a laptop. Flyers are lying on the table. Two banners appear in the background. On the left the banner features a collage of historical figures with Readex superimposed over the collage. The banner on the right features an image of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Readex table at the Charleston Conference vendor showcase. Table covered in a maroon table cloth with the Readex logo on the front in white. Flyers are set in a small 3 tier stand on the table. Two banners appear in the background. On the left the banner features a collage of historical figures with Readex superimposed over the collage. The banner on the right features an image of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
November 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM
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Heading to the #CharlestonConference? Stop by table 33 at the Vendor Showcase to learn about the latest Readex primary source collections and how they support research and teaching at your university.
Invitation to visit Readex at the 2025 Charleston Conference, booth number 33.
November 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
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How can we understand the long shadow of men like Albert Pike and the "multitudes in his contradictions"? The Readex Blog offers a narrative drawn from coverage of Pike in historical newspapers, government docs, and periodicals: www.readex.com/blog/albert-...
October 29, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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#OTD in 1886, the Statue of Liberty was unveiled to national celebration. Newspapers marveled at its scale—“the head of the statue will hold comfortably forty persons.” How did the press shape Liberty’s early symbolism?

#History #PrimarySources #StatueOfLiberty
A collage featuring 19th-century newspaper clippings and illustrations celebrating the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. At the center is a color advertisement for “Pratt’s Astral Oil” showing the illuminated statue holding her torch aloft. Surrounding it are three black-and-white illustrations: people standing inside the statue’s head; a man seated beside Liberty’s massive foot; and a view of ships gathered for the naval parade during the unveiling. A newspaper headline reads, “Liberty Unveiled. A Monument to the Friendship of Two Nations.” The collage highlights public fascination with the monument’s size and symbolism. Text at the bottom credits American Broadsides and Ephemera, 1749–1900 and Early American Newspapers, 1690–1922.
October 28, 2025 at 3:10 PM
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Archives aren’t only repositories of politics and war; they also hold the echoes of laughter. In this new article, we examine how a single comic episode from the American Indian Wars illuminates broader questions about humor, discipline, and humanity in history. https://ow.ly/J3km50XaGvu
October 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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What makes a good joke? One 19th-century soldier struggled to explain and in doing so, left behind an accidental study in morale and identity. Readex’s newest post shows how primary sources preserve not just events, but the texture of lived experience.

#AmericanHistory #AmericanStudies
"As to this, I really cannot attempt to explain what I consider a good joke": One Soldier's Misadventure in Comedy on the American Frontier | Readex
In this environment of uncertainty and privation, it is unsurprising that some soldiers would find solace in humor. One such man was Captain Henry A. Ellis, 15th U.S. Infantry, who commanded Fort Garland.
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October 20, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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Vermont’s founding owes much to Ethan Allen’s audacity. His Green Mountain Boys not only seized Fort Ticonderoga but also shaped an independent republic before statehood: https://ow.ly/Fqts50X7jXT

#VermontHistory #RevolutionaryWar
October 17, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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👋 Enjoying #WHA2025? Stop by booth 13 and meet Karen from Readex!

Discover our newest primary source collections—spotlighting Native American studies, LGBTQ+ communities, and many other diverse voices shaping Western history research.

Let’s chat!
Readex booth at a conference featuring banners on Native American studies and historical research resources.
October 17, 2025 at 2:03 PM
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Historians find humanity in unexpected places. Our latest Readex blog uncovers a soldier’s “misadventure in comedy” — a 19th-century account that reveals how humor, discomfort, and duty intersected in military life: https://ow.ly/uoIC50XaF4F
🗃️ #PrimarySources #AmericanHistory
A black-and-white image of an 1800s newspaper titled Fort Garland Herald, edited by H. A. Ellis. The issue includes several short, humorous, and sarcastic local news items under headings such as “Local Intelligence,” “A Scurvy Bummer,” “Personal,” and “Miscellaneous.” Mentions include Captain Bean leaving for the East, a “snivelling brute” editor of another paper, a missing pigskin tippet, and local military figures like General John S. Mason and Chaplain La Tourette.
October 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
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Mission Impossible: America at War with Itself in its Indian Policy: https://ow.ly/NZaC50X6hrV

#IndigenousPeoplesDay, #HonorNativeHistory #NationalIndigenousPeoplesDay

Image: Kansa tribe, KAW Indian camp, 1872. Library of Congress
Two Native American women in traditional clothing stand on a wooded path while three others sit near a large tree in a forest clearing.
October 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
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How does 18th century genealogy reveal broader historical contexts?

▶️ https://youtu.be/cFl-jamtdqc

#VastEarlyAmerica #EarlyAmerica
October 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Ethan Allen was more than a Revolutionary hero — he was a philosopher, theologian, businessman, and land speculator. His life reminds us that the American founding was as much an intellectual and economic project as a military one: https://ow.ly/Pshm50X7j6b

#EarlyAmerica #IntellectualHistory
Black-and-white engraving depicting the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga (1775) during the American Revolution. In the foreground, Ethan Allen, dressed in military uniform with sword raised, confronts the British commander inside the stone fort. Allen is illuminated by a torch held by another figure, while a soldier carrying a lantern stands nearby. In the background, cannons and soldiers can be seen on the fort’s ramparts. The caption below reads: “Capture of Fort Ticonderoga. ‘By what authority?’ ‘In the name of the Great Jehovah & the Continental Congress.’”
October 9, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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The Puritan's instituted the first [US] book ban in 1637 - New English Canaan by Thomas Morton. Despite its rarity, the title lived on as a 17th c. New England history, referenced by Thomas Jefferson in 1814, a Boston newspaper in 1840, and many other works.

#BannedBooksWeek #EarlyAmerica
October 7, 2025 at 4:02 PM
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🎉🏆 Happy National Coaches Day! Stepping up for their players since the first contested slide into home base. ⚾

Image from American Broadsides and Ephemera, 1749-1900 https://ow.ly/pqGp50X6oza

#NationalCoachesDay #SportsHistory #BaseballHistory
Vintage illustration of a baseball game moment with players in late 19th-century attire at home plate, with a referee signaling a call.
October 6, 2025 at 6:40 PM
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In colonial America, the Quakers built communities to practice their faith free from government restraint. They embraced 'conscientious scrupulousness,' refusing to bear arms even during the #AmericanRevolution.

Early American Imprints: https://ow.ly/yT3M50X4Ai2

#NonViolenceDay #ChoosePeace
October 2, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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LGBTQ+ Life in America brings to light the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals throughout U.S. history.

Learn more about LGTBQ+ Life in America: https://ow.ly/qMc950X3KBy

#LesbianHistory #LGBTQHistory #lgbthistory #TransHistory #QueerHistory
Collage of newspaper clippings highlighting men in LGBTQ+ history. Headlines include: “Cecil Dreeme, by Winthrop” book notice (19th-century ad). “‘The Captive’ Boasts Cast of Stars” (theatrical news clipping). “Village Raid Stirs Melee: A police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a tavern frequented by homosexuals at 53 Christopher St., just east of Sheridan Square in Greenwich Village, triggered a near-riot early today” (news report on the Stonewall Riots). Inset photo: modern graphic reading “LGBTQ+ Life in America: The experience and impact of LGBTQ+ Americans as recorded by the news media.” Collage of historical newspaper clippings featuring stories about women and gender identity in America. Headlines include: “From documents transmitted to Congress it appears that the whole number of Pensioners under the several acts of 1818, 1820, and 1823 is about 12961…” (Independent Chronicle & Boston Patriot, Jan. 31, 1824). “A Romance of the War—The Adventures of a Girl Soldier, who Fought in the Battle of Shiloh and Perryville” (San Francisco Bulletin, June 17, 1871). Campaign ad for Kathy Kozachenko and Beth Brunton of the Human Rights Party, April 1, 1974, Ann Arbor News. Collage of historical newspaper clippings about transgender identity and gender transformation. Headlines include: “Woman Runner To Become Man: World Record Holder Has Option of Either Sex, Prague Reports” (Chester Times, Dec. 3, 1935). “Negro Masquerading: Another Frances Thompson Case in Memphis, Tenn.” (The World, Aug. 29, 1876). “A Strange Hallucination: Woman Transformed into a Man” (Sacramento Bee, June 25, 1915).
September 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
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Genealogy = history, reimagined. 🌿📜

In her book Lineage, Dr. Wulf shows how tracing family stories in 18th-century America uncovers far more than ancestry—it reveals the broader contexts shaping society.

Curious about how personal roots connect to bigger histories? Watch her talk.
Histories at Scale: Genealogy, Digital Access, and Facilitating Local Research
Genealogy is about more than tracing family trees—it’s about uncovering history itself. From online databases and popular TV shows to 18th-century records, the search for one's roots has always been…
youtu.be
September 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
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Histories at Scale with @kawulf.bsky.social

▶️ Dr. Karin Wulf presents insights from her new book Lineage, connecting individual stories to the larger sweep of history.

🗃️ #VastEarlyAmerica #LineageTheBook #ALA25
Histories at Scale: Genealogy, Digital Access, and Facilitating Local Research
Genealogy is about more than tracing family trees—it’s about uncovering history itself. From online databases and popular TV shows to 18th-century records, the search for one's roots has always been…
youtu.be
September 23, 2025 at 10:05 PM
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🍂 Happy First Day of Fall! 🍁 As we bid farewell to summer's warmth, let's embrace the autumn!

Image from American Broadsides and Ephemera, 1749-1900.

#NineteenthCentury #19thCentury #FallFestivities #AutumnVibes
Colorful illustrated calendar from The Youth’s Companion, dated A.D. 1879, showing October, November, and December months. The central illustration depicts three children harvesting apples: one boy in a hat gathering apples into a large basket, another boy reaching up to pick fruit from the tree, and a girl in a long yellow dress holding a small pail. Decorative floral borders surround the scene. At the bottom, a motto reads: ‘Not by companionship alone, by what one reads, a man is known.’
September 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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Hispanic history and American history are inextricably bound together. Discover the impact and experience of Hispanic Americans in this digital collection of primary source documents.

#HispanicHeritageMonth #PrimarySources #AmericanHistory
1-MINUTE VIDEO: Hispanic Life in America
Discover the impact and experience of Hispanic Americans in this digital collection of primary source documents. Hispanic history and American history are inextricably bound together. From the…
youtu.be
September 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
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📜 Although the 14th Amendment was ratified universally by the former Confederate states—it was required to regain Congressional representation—it was not observed consistently.

✒️ Read more on our blog: bit.ly/4l4zVgc

#ConstitutionDay #CivilWarHistory #USHistory #AmericanHistory
Excerpt from the U.S. Congressional Serial Set showing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The text states that no person who has previously taken an oath to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection, rebellion, or aided enemies of the United States may serve as a senator, representative, elector, or hold office, unless Congress removes the restriction by a two-thirds vote. Caption at the bottom reads: 'From: U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817–1994'.
September 17, 2025 at 12:56 PM
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A guide to researching and understanding one chapter of Hispanic history in the U.S. - Zoot Suit Riots: Opportunities for Discovery using Suggested Searches.

🔎 On the Readex Blog: bit.ly/42tDPIt

#HispanicHeritageMonth #InfoLit
Zoot Suit Riots: Opportunities for Discovery using Suggested Searches in Hispanic Life in America | Readex
In many of its primary source collections, Readex provides a significant enhancement for the user by including Suggested Searches to jumpstart research. Created and curated by the Readex editorial…
ow.ly
September 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM