Patrick Leary
@patrickleary.bsky.social
Historian, esp. 19c press, talk, book history. Author “Googling the Victorians,” “Punch Brotherhood,” etc. Co-founder SHARP, mgr VICTORIA. Fond of Old Time Radio, 60s Top 40, tennis, London. Liberal Texan in self-imposed Midwest exile. FRHistS
Reposted by Patrick Leary
Appreciate this coverage but it is hard to explain to people not in the Chicago area that THESE ARE NOT PROTESTS.
This is people coming out of their homes, doing anything in their power to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped.
It is coming for your city next, please be prepared.
This is people coming out of their homes, doing anything in their power to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped.
It is coming for your city next, please be prepared.
New from Bellingcat: “‘Pattern of Extreme Brutality’ — Tear gas, pepper balls among weapons used by federal agents at Illinois immigration protests.”
Read the full investigation:
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10...
Read the full investigation:
www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/10...
Tear Gas, Pepper Balls Among Weapons Deployed Against Illinois Protesters
A judge recently issued a restraining order on crowd-control tactics by federal agents in the state, including those involved in Operation Midway Blitz.
www.bellingcat.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Appreciate this coverage but it is hard to explain to people not in the Chicago area that THESE ARE NOT PROTESTS.
This is people coming out of their homes, doing anything in their power to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped.
It is coming for your city next, please be prepared.
This is people coming out of their homes, doing anything in their power to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped.
It is coming for your city next, please be prepared.
Small Chicagoland towns and villages like Skokie are doing their best to meet the moment. tinyurl.com/4j3f2eff
Protecting Your Rights | Skokie, IL
Village of Skokie is committed to protecting the rights of all residents and visitors—regardless of immigration status—by ensuring privacy, access to services, protection from discrimination, and conn...
tinyurl.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Small Chicagoland towns and villages like Skokie are doing their best to meet the moment. tinyurl.com/4j3f2eff
I saw this sign today at a mall in Skokie, Illinois, listing prohibited behaviors. All seemed more or less OK til I got to #9: “Free speech activity not authorized in advance.” Shove it, Westfield Old Orchard. We won’t be asking your permission for “free speech activity.”
October 26, 2025 at 1:01 AM
I saw this sign today at a mall in Skokie, Illinois, listing prohibited behaviors. All seemed more or less OK til I got to #9: “Free speech activity not authorized in advance.” Shove it, Westfield Old Orchard. We won’t be asking your permission for “free speech activity.”
Favorite sign at Wilmette, Illinois No Kings rally today: “If Kamala had won we’d all be at brunch right now.”
October 19, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Favorite sign at Wilmette, Illinois No Kings rally today: “If Kamala had won we’d all be at brunch right now.”
Reposted by Patrick Leary
The official CFP is a few days off, but I can't wait that long to announce that #BAVS2026 will be held in Liverpool, 27-29 July. We hope that some of the @rs4vp.org crowd will be able to make the trip over from #RSVP2026 and join @bavs-uk.bsky.social for more Victorian stuff. Details to follow.
October 15, 2025 at 10:51 AM
The official CFP is a few days off, but I can't wait that long to announce that #BAVS2026 will be held in Liverpool, 27-29 July. We hope that some of the @rs4vp.org crowd will be able to make the trip over from #RSVP2026 and join @bavs-uk.bsky.social for more Victorian stuff. Details to follow.
Great news for the cause of open access scholarship!
October 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Great news for the cause of open access scholarship!
Reposted by Patrick Leary
I was there again in the summer. It's a real throwback, and with some fantastic archival collections as well.
Somewhere free, quiet, and right next to Liverpool Street? 👀
Whether you’ve got a deadline looming, are polishing off a chapter on your lunch break, or hunting for a calm spot to do some work, our new Reading Room is open to you.
👋 https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/activity/reading-room/
Whether you’ve got a deadline looming, are polishing off a chapter on your lunch break, or hunting for a calm spot to do some work, our new Reading Room is open to you.
👋 https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/activity/reading-room/
Reading Room | Bishopsgate Institute
The Reading Room is separate to the Researchers’ Service, so if you’d like to look at our special collections and archives, you’ll need this instead https:
www.bishopsgate.org.uk
October 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
I was there again in the summer. It's a real throwback, and with some fantastic archival collections as well.
Reposted by Patrick Leary
Peterson Fellowships open today! Named for Yale professor and our dear friend, Linda H. Peterson, the Peterson Fellowship is designed to support one scholar for four full-time months conducting research focused on the British periodical press of long #19thC. Applications due Nov. 15!
The Linda H. Peterson Fellowship – RSVP
The Linda H. Peterson Fellowship was named after the widely influential Yale professor and longtime RSVP Board member and Vice President, Linda Peterson. The purpose of the Peterson Fellowship is to…
buff.ly
September 15, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Peterson Fellowships open today! Named for Yale professor and our dear friend, Linda H. Peterson, the Peterson Fellowship is designed to support one scholar for four full-time months conducting research focused on the British periodical press of long #19thC. Applications due Nov. 15!
So sorry to hear that Jane Goodall has died. She was just here in Chicago for the “Becoming Jane” exhibit at the Field. I treasure the memory of meeting her in 1971, after a lecture she gave; she was kindly, I was in awe. Lately I learned that she’s the heroine of several kids’ books, & rightly so.
October 1, 2025 at 6:38 PM
So sorry to hear that Jane Goodall has died. She was just here in Chicago for the “Becoming Jane” exhibit at the Field. I treasure the memory of meeting her in 1971, after a lecture she gave; she was kindly, I was in awe. Lately I learned that she’s the heroine of several kids’ books, & rightly so.
The indispensable Carlyle Letters Online, guided by Brent Kinser, has found a new home at Western Carolina University: carlyleletters.wcu.edu This magnificent resource features free access to all of the letters of the 50-volume Duke-Edinburgh edition completed in 2023. #Victorian #19th-c.
Carlyle Letters
carlyleletters.wcu.edu
September 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The indispensable Carlyle Letters Online, guided by Brent Kinser, has found a new home at Western Carolina University: carlyleletters.wcu.edu This magnificent resource features free access to all of the letters of the 50-volume Duke-Edinburgh edition completed in 2023. #Victorian #19th-c.
William & Mary University in Virginia is looking for an assistant professor of Global Victorian Literatures. Application deadline is November 9. williammary.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WM/det... #C19th #19th-c
williammary.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com
September 28, 2025 at 6:55 PM
William & Mary University in Virginia is looking for an assistant professor of Global Victorian Literatures. Application deadline is November 9. williammary.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WM/det... #C19th #19th-c
The journal Victorians (formerly The Victorian Newsletter) is out, with new format and new editor Kristen Pond, featuring a forum on amateurism and professionalization in science with intro by @aktange.bsky.social. Some terrific work here, and all is Open Access. muse.jhu.edu/issue/55573 #C19th
Project MUSE - Victorians: A Journal of Culture and Literature-Number 147, Summer 2025
muse.jhu.edu
September 23, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The journal Victorians (formerly The Victorian Newsletter) is out, with new format and new editor Kristen Pond, featuring a forum on amateurism and professionalization in science with intro by @aktange.bsky.social. Some terrific work here, and all is Open Access. muse.jhu.edu/issue/55573 #C19th
Reposted by Patrick Leary
New #OpenAccess article on #FirstView
Vivienne Seonaid Dunstan, 'The Scottish urban hierarchy and its interaction with the print trade and venues for reading, as revealed by an 1820s trade directory'
doi.org/10.1017/S096... #UrbanHistory
Vivienne Seonaid Dunstan, 'The Scottish urban hierarchy and its interaction with the print trade and venues for reading, as revealed by an 1820s trade directory'
doi.org/10.1017/S096... #UrbanHistory
September 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
New #OpenAccess article on #FirstView
Vivienne Seonaid Dunstan, 'The Scottish urban hierarchy and its interaction with the print trade and venues for reading, as revealed by an 1820s trade directory'
doi.org/10.1017/S096... #UrbanHistory
Vivienne Seonaid Dunstan, 'The Scottish urban hierarchy and its interaction with the print trade and venues for reading, as revealed by an 1820s trade directory'
doi.org/10.1017/S096... #UrbanHistory
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
VR does not accept essay, forum, or book review submissions written with Generative AI. VR staff does not use AI assistance
in our email correspondence or editorial practices. We work collectively to adjudicate, edit, publish, and promote scholarly writing. victorianreview.org?page_id=364
in our email correspondence or editorial practices. We work collectively to adjudicate, edit, publish, and promote scholarly writing. victorianreview.org?page_id=364
Preparing your submission – Victorian Review
victorianreview.org
September 10, 2025 at 12:05 AM
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
A really fine summary of this important aspect of the 19th-c newspaper press. Thanks, too, to the always terrific Victorian Commons for the link to this splendid clip about Dickens's experience as a Parliamentary reporter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AROf... #19thc #C19th @rs4vp.org
September 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
A really fine summary of this important aspect of the 19th-c newspaper press. Thanks, too, to the always terrific Victorian Commons for the link to this splendid clip about Dickens's experience as a Parliamentary reporter: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AROf... #19thc #C19th @rs4vp.org
Reposted by Patrick Leary
Julia Wedgwood (1833-1913) was an intellectual icon of the Victorian era ✍️
Alison Stone has created a fantastic #openaccess resource containing many of her diverse writings, inc lots of newly attributed journalism, plus a short biography and comprehensive bibliography.
www.juliawedgwood.org
Alison Stone has created a fantastic #openaccess resource containing many of her diverse writings, inc lots of newly attributed journalism, plus a short biography and comprehensive bibliography.
www.juliawedgwood.org
September 4, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Julia Wedgwood (1833-1913) was an intellectual icon of the Victorian era ✍️
Alison Stone has created a fantastic #openaccess resource containing many of her diverse writings, inc lots of newly attributed journalism, plus a short biography and comprehensive bibliography.
www.juliawedgwood.org
Alison Stone has created a fantastic #openaccess resource containing many of her diverse writings, inc lots of newly attributed journalism, plus a short biography and comprehensive bibliography.
www.juliawedgwood.org
Lord Houghton's reminiscence (ca. 1879) about the Courvoisier execution in 1840. Interesting, but not surprising, that Thackeray omitted this rhyming song from his magnificent essay in Fraser's Mag. about what he called "the sickening, ghastly wicked scene": "Going to See a Man Hanged." #victorian
August 27, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Lord Houghton's reminiscence (ca. 1879) about the Courvoisier execution in 1840. Interesting, but not surprising, that Thackeray omitted this rhyming song from his magnificent essay in Fraser's Mag. about what he called "the sickening, ghastly wicked scene": "Going to See a Man Hanged." #victorian
What a fun essay about photographs in middle-class parlours. I'm especially glad to know about Charlotte O'Conor Eccles and this piece in The Windsor Magazine about "the average hostess" babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md... #victorian #19th-c
August 27, 2025 at 1:44 PM
What a fun essay about photographs in middle-class parlours. I'm especially glad to know about Charlotte O'Conor Eccles and this piece in The Windsor Magazine about "the average hostess" babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=md... #victorian #19th-c
A marvelous thread about the ethical framework within which practicing historians operate. It is so second nature to us that it usually goes unsaid so it’s bracing to see it laid out so clearly here—a necessity in these times when there are so many deeply dishonest appeals to “history.”
There was an interesting question I saw from someone recently that was asking why there are no historians writing "for the other side." Essentially, why are there no "pro-Trump Heather Cox Richardsons?" The answer lies in our training.
August 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
A marvelous thread about the ethical framework within which practicing historians operate. It is so second nature to us that it usually goes unsaid so it’s bracing to see it laid out so clearly here—a necessity in these times when there are so many deeply dishonest appeals to “history.”
If your research centrally involves the 19th-c. British press, you should for sure consider applying for a Curran Fellowship. Anybody can apply, and the process is blessedly straightforward. My late friend Eileen Curran would be proud to see all the fine projects that her generosity has assisted in.
📣 Curran Fellowships are now OPEN! Per our most recent newsletter, we've moved up our Curran awards to allow recipients time to plan summer travel. Applications due Oct. 15. As always, guidelines and more info are on our website!
rs4vp.org/awards/curra...
rs4vp.org/awards/curra...
The Curran Fellowships – RSVP
The Curran Fellowships are travel and research grants intended to aid scholars studying British magazines and newspapers from the long nineteenth century in making use of primary print and archival so...
rs4vp.org
August 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
If your research centrally involves the 19th-c. British press, you should for sure consider applying for a Curran Fellowship. Anybody can apply, and the process is blessedly straightforward. My late friend Eileen Curran would be proud to see all the fine projects that her generosity has assisted in.
I was already loving these contemporary "takes" on New Yorker classics, but this one has me fantasizing about going back in time to eavesdrop on Gopnik and Mitchell as they sit chatting at one of my own favorite spots, the Grand Central Oyster Bar.
“Joseph Mitchell was at once the most lucid and the most mysterious of the great mid-century New Yorker writers.” Adam Gopnik reflects on Mitchell’s best-known Profile, “Joe Gould’s Secret,” from 1964, and his famous case of writer’s block.
Adam Gopnik on Joseph Mitchell’s “Joe Gould’s Secret”
Mitchell captured New York’s oddballs and renegades with an understated lyricism that transformed fact into literature.
www.newyorker.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I was already loving these contemporary "takes" on New Yorker classics, but this one has me fantasizing about going back in time to eavesdrop on Gopnik and Mitchell as they sit chatting at one of my own favorite spots, the Grand Central Oyster Bar.
Anna Maria Jones has written a wonderfully detailed account of Dark Blue and its eccentric editor, John Christian Freund, for BRANCH: branchcollective.org?ps_articles=...
August 20, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Anna Maria Jones has written a wonderfully detailed account of Dark Blue and its eccentric editor, John Christian Freund, for BRANCH: branchcollective.org?ps_articles=...
This is cool: I didn’t know that the John Hay has the manuscript of 1984–the only surviving Orwell mss. www.brown.edu/news/2025-08... #bookhistory
Original manuscript of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ is a highlight of Brown’s literary archives
The one-of-a-kind artifact in Brown University Library’s special collections offers students and scholars insights into the novelist’s writing process.
www.brown.edu
August 15, 2025 at 4:58 PM
This is cool: I didn’t know that the John Hay has the manuscript of 1984–the only surviving Orwell mss. www.brown.edu/news/2025-08... #bookhistory
This 1996 collection of essays about Victorian sexuality is now open access, thanks to the Big Ten Academic Alliance www.fulcrum.org/concern/mono...
Sexualities in Victorian Britain
"This book promises to lay to rest, once and for all, the early 20th-century truism that Victorians' primary relationship to sexuality turned on repression." —Mary L. Poovey, Johns Hopkins University ...
www.fulcrum.org
August 9, 2025 at 1:23 PM
This 1996 collection of essays about Victorian sexuality is now open access, thanks to the Big Ten Academic Alliance www.fulcrum.org/concern/mono...