Comments on: Times Archive,

Times Archive,

languagehat — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:50:55 -0800

Every issue of The Times published between 1785-1985, digitally scanned and fully searchable. (Via Wordorigins.org.)

By: DU

DU — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:58:13 -0800

To read all the articles in the Times Archive you need to register with Times Online. This is a simple process which takes only a few minutes. During our free introductory period, registered Times Online members can read unlimited numbers of Archive search results, browse through every copy of The Times published between 1785 and 1985, and save, print and email articles of special interest. Still, pretty cool. Going to make steampunk easier. Wait...I can't even link to the search, let alone the article. Pepsi Screw You Too

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:58:45 -0800

Holy shit! Adolf Hitler is dead? Next they'll be telling me James Brown is, too! But seriously, thanks languagehat, for bringing this to our attention.

By: RavinDave

RavinDave — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:03:02 -0800

Oh ... this will burn up a lot of free time I don't have.

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:03:51 -0800

I didn't know they published the LA Times that far back... [click]

By: Mutant

Mutant — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:06:15 -0800

How come when I search for UFO and order by date I get 2,972 results all the way back to January 7, 1785?

By: twine42

twine42 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:06:57 -0800

Interestingly, I've got a copy of The Times that my grandfather bought from a newspaper stand the day I was born (and which he had properly preserved), a repro newspaper that the Times offered up about 15 years ago, and now this one here... Each of the three is different to the others. I can only assume that they're different edition runs or from the different print plants (IIRC, The Times is printed in London, Manchester and Edinburgh...) I'll have to get myself a trail subscription to this thing and then do a proper comparison...

By: vorpal bunny

vorpal bunny — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:07:19 -0800

Fantaftic!

By: jedicus

jedicus — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:07:48 -0800

I must be missing something obvious, but I can't figure out how to register for the Times. Or attempt to log in using bugmenot, either. There are places that say "click here to register" but it's just plain text, not a link. And the "My Profile" page, which also allegedly contains a way to register, is unhelpful.

By: DU

DU — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:08:18 -0800

I registered 10 minutes ago and still haven't gotten an email. Is the server based in 1785 too?

By: twine42

twine42 — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:08:58 -0800

I'm now thinking that (a) I put the 'Interestingly' in front of the wrong paragraph and that (b) 'Interestingly' is only true for a given value of 'interesting'...

By: steef

steef — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:18:49 -0800

OCR of old newsprint is understandably terrible, thus leading to lots of false and missing results for keywords. Still, this is a good good thing, and I hope somebody comes back and posts when they get the Sunday Times up, as well.

By: Busy Old Fool

Busy Old Fool — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:24:44 -0800

The Statutory General Meeting of Metafilters (1929) Ltd, was held yesterday at Winchester House, Old Broad Street, London

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:39:05 -0800

Thanks, fabulous.

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 07:44:12 -0800

Whats been fascinating to me since I moved to London is being able to type in my *exact street address* and getting a hundred hits all from people or businesses that have inhabited this very house since it was first built around 1800. So, yes, thanks!

By: sebas

sebas — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:00:15 -0800

You know, one day in about 40 years or so I'll be talking to my grandkids about the time that you actually couldn't search every bit of information on the internet. They probably won't be able to grasp the idea of not having all information available at your fingertips. However then I'll tell them we could get into our petrol powered cars and drive into forests, just to make them jealous and a little bit sick in the mouth.

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:05:24 -0800

Bugmenot gets me into this just fine, thanks lh!

By: DU

DU — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:28:34 -0800

You know, one day in about 40 years or so I'll be talking to my grandkids about the time that you actually couldn't search every bit of information on the internet. This is already a problem. My wife and I occasionally marvel to each when one had to go to the library to, for instance, look up a business address. I mean, that's crazy, right? Just google it.

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:38:18 -0800

This is way too cool and is going to waste way too much of my time. Damn you languagehat and your damn FPP!!!

By: Your Time Machine Sucks

Your Time Machine Sucks — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:39:04 -0800

AIRY SITUATION To be LET, a neat convenient HOUSE, Comprising a good Parlour, Kitchen, and Scullery, four Lodging Rooms, large Cellars, and small Garden; within five minutes walk of the Borough; Rent Thirteen Guineas and Taxes. –Enquire at No. 2, Barlow Row, Long Lane, Southwark. This is well worth the notice of any Family the size of it will suit. In 1789, the classified ads sounded like poetry. What a treat! Nice one, languagehat.

By: rhymer

rhymer — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:54:01 -0800

Disappointingly thin on celebrity columnists in 1789 though.

By: Abiezer

Abiezer — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:02:47 -0800

Angry letter from Tom Paine's neighbour complaining about him attracting the Church and King mobs and lowering the price of property, though.

By: jokeefe

jokeefe — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:08:04 -0800

Oh great. Just when I was going to settle in and shelve the modem and actually get some work done today. Thanks a lot, LH. [this is what the web is for... brilliant]

By: jedicus

jedicus — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:33:51 -0800

Okay, I figured it out. You have to try to edit your profile settings in order to get the login screen. Weird. One of the first things I looked for was reporting on the constitutional convention, since coverage doesn't go back quite far enough to include the revolution. I noted with some humor that the letter from George Washington on November 1st, 1787, which presents the full text of the constitution is signed (emphasis added):

With great respect We have the honour to be, SIR, Your Excellency's most Obedient and humble servants, GEORGE WASHINGTON, President.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:42:18 -0800

The Austro-Hungarian Heir, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated yesterday morning at Sarajevo. The assassin is described as a high school student, who fired bullets at his victims with fatal effect. Those kids could always get off my lawn as it turns out.

By: patricio

patricio — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:42:42 -0800

Thanks for posting this - I'm already discovering family history!

By: jontyjago

jontyjago — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:52:21 -0800

Very cool, thank you. Thank you too for not referring to it as The London Times.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:23:12 -0800

Thank you, languagehat.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:55:19 -0800

Thank you too for not referring to it as The London Times. I would never do such a thing, but I felt obliged to put londontimes as a tag for those who might search on that. Glad y'all are enjoying it despite the registration glitches! (And yes, the Hitler news was a shock to me too. But "It was said he fell at his post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to his last breath against Bolshevism"—jolly good show!)

By: ersatz

ersatz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:20:08 -0800

I'm dying to read up on the Oscar Wilde controversy.

By: meehawl

meehawl — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:19:44 -0800

Torrent dump appearing in 5... 4... 3...

By: bonaldi

bonaldi — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:49:46 -0800

getting 404s trying to register, damnit

By: quin

quin — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:55:34 -0800

Damn it, I really wanted to search 1888 for "ripper" too. It'd be neat to see those old scans.

By: athenian

athenian — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:40:25 -0800

I'm reading it with my existing Times login, which is cool. Can't seem to find the 1981 headline : Rupert Murdoch buys Times, Promises to Turn Great Historical Newspaper Into Right Wing Rag Just Like He Fucks Up Everything Else He Touches.

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:44:26 -0800

Damn it, I really wanted to search 1888 for "ripper" too. It'd be neat to see those old scans. My first thought too! And I can look up "Another murder and mutilation" but can't read the story until my friggin' confirmation arrives. Muchas gracias, languagehat. This is a stellar ~~timesucking vortex of procrastination~~ academic resource.

By: nola

nola — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:53:49 -0800

This is the coolest thing I've seen on mefi in weeks.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:11:10 -0800

Thif is the moft awefome thing I have ever feen. -Yr. humble sv't, OC

By: Seekerofsplendor

Seekerofsplendor — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:23:48 -0800

Thanks languagehat. This is an amazing historical treasure. Besides all the WWII materials and a thousand other things, I was just contemplating going through all the 1963-1969 original reportage on the Beatles -- straight from the UK itself. I'll be busy for weeks on end.

By: flashboy

flashboy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:27:52 -0800

Dammit, even after finally getting signed up and signed in and all that malarkey, the article about (apparently) "The Statutory General Meeting of Metafilters (1929) Ltd" still just gives me a 404. As do all my other searches. Frustraty.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:57:14 -0800

[spit take]

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:17:34 -0800

Needs a little more OCR-ing but here's the start of the article

The SrATcTORY GENIULAL METrrTI- of Meta- fUters (1929), Limited, was held yesterday at Winchester House, Old Broad-street, London. SUt WVILLLAM RtEGLNALD HALr (the chair- ua,n) presided. The SzCar,a&y (Mr. A. H. Parker) having read the notice convening the meeting, The U'lsAam&N said :-Ladies and gentle- men,-It is, possibly, not generally realized that the operatiou of filtration enters into the laanufacture and production of practically aU mnanufactured products. In manly eaees, filtra- tiou is tho most important of all steps inciden'. to the productioni of a fine product, since de- pendent upon the efficiency with wihich this process is carriedl out will be first the appear- ance, anid secondly the purity, and also, maybe, the distinctivo taste, keeping qualities and general exec!lence of the products. Let Inc point out that filters are essential, aniongst others, for water, beer. sugar, tnilk, varnish, wvine, acids, fats, alkalis, organic liquids, lubricating oil, boiler feed water, and in the manufacture of artificial silk, and that the ecikni(.ucy of the filter will determinie the quality of the tfial product. leiltrration to-day is being carried out by filters of various trnes and of mauy shapes and sizes. bho in practically all a filtering body of cloth, pulp, ur other lior(oUs material is e-i- ployed. The uise of these midii involves con- sideiab!e operating labour an.l expense, especi. allw where clothi is used, owing to the difficulty in keeeping the cloth clenso and frc from h:oles. Now, your compatny's patents cover a new system of filtration in nhich neither cloth nor pulp is required; consequently the attendant .lifficulties when usiig these miedia are avoided, labour is economnized, and reniewals are reduced to practically nothing. These must all be very a'-tractive features frorn the point of view of filter users ',ut it is niot the ease of work- ing, chcap cost of operating, and insignificant renewals which appeal so niuch as the technical efficiency oi the actual tiltration w^hen using the Metafilter. The field for filtration is practicaliv world- Vvidle; manufactures are not corfined to Great Blritain alone, but are carried out iu every vivi-hz. tlcotntry. The company's patents ron in cvery important courtry in the world. It will thus bc seen that the nmarket for filters of our type is practically inexhaustible.

[emphasis mine]

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:50:23 -0800

I found a grainy, 30-year-old, but instantly-recognizable photo of my dad! woo hoo!

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:54:46 -0800

No Metatalk? I want my money back!

By: surfdad

surfdad — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:06:47 -0800

To mark this launch, the paper editions of the Times this week includes full size facsimiles of front pages from momentous days in its history. Yesterday was the death of Hitler. Today is Apollo 11. I've really enjoyed them. I dare not log on to the site as I have work to get done so I can go on hols this weekend!

By: verstegan

verstegan — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:43:57 -0800

Thanks for posting this. The Times Digital Archive has been around since 2003, but available to subscribers only, which effectively limits it to academic libraries. This is the first time it's been made available for free -- at least, for a 'free introductory period', which presumably means it will disappear behind a paywall in due course. The free site still has a few problems -- I can't get the scanned pages to load, and the plain-text versions are full of mistakes. Navigating around the site isn't easy, either -- I've just spent 15 minutes trying and failing to find the editorial on the Munich agreement (1 Oct 1938), though I did find some other interesting things in the same issue, such as a report of a high-speed car chase through London (at 50 miles an hour!). For the time being I'll be sticking to the subscriber-only version, as I'm lucky enough to work in a library that has access to it. But I'm delighted it's available for free, and I hope the 'free introductory period' will eventually be made permanent. Anyone interested in old newspapers might like to try the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition, which was launched last week. It's a free online edition of six nineteenth-century newspapers, including the English Woman's Journal (an early feminist paper), the Tomahawk (a satirical weekly) and the Publishers' Circular (the leading trade journal for the publishing industry).

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:22:03 -0800

That should be its own post, verstegan. Great resource.