Book reviews in Labour History Review Volume 87 (2022), Issue 1

The books listed below are reviewed in Labour History Review (2022), 87, (1), 91-108. Find out more. Dave Lyddon reviews Keith Gildart and David Howell (eds), Dictionary of Labour Biography, vol. 15, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, pp. xv + 320, h/b, £109.99, ISBN 978 11374 57455, ebook, £87.50, ISBN 978 11374 57462Royden Harrison reviews vol. 1, Bulletin of the SSLH, 1972.Listing of all entries in volumes 1-15. Lewis Darwen … Continue reading Book reviews in Labour History Review Volume 87 (2022), Issue 1

Classics of labour history: first meeting of the SSLH

The Society for the Study of Labour History marked its fiftieth birthday in 2010 with a special supplement to Labour History Review looking back on half a century of the Society’s existence and the prospects for labour history. The whole was introduced by John McIlroy, who analysed the wider context within which the SSLH was founded in 1960, and provided a colourful account of its … Continue reading Classics of labour history: first meeting of the SSLH

BME small grants funding scheme to back eight more projects

Eight projects are to receive funding in the latest round of the Joint BME Events and Activities Small Grants scheme, which offers grants of up to £1,000 to support Black and Minority Ethnic history projects in the UK. The projects selected for funding were: 1. Rachel Tough for ‘Curating memory: politics and the past in the An Viet archive’ 2. Shahenda Suliman for ‘Sudan Prison Exhibition: Memories … Continue reading BME small grants funding scheme to back eight more projects

Kent mining museum opens at former Betteshanger Colliery

The century-long history of coal mining in Kent, one of the UK’s most southerly coalfields, is now commemorated at a new museum. The Kent Mining Museum, based at Betteshanger Country Park near Deal, opened its doors to visitors on 2 April, and aims to provide a permanent home for the stories and collections of Kent’s mining communities. Former miners from the county’s collieries are among … Continue reading Kent mining museum opens at former Betteshanger Colliery

Classics of labour history: volume one of the Dictionary of Labour Biography

Fifteen volumes of the Dictionary of Labour Biography have now appeared in print, and there is as yet no sign that the series is anywhere near complete. When the labour historian Royden Harrison (1927-2002) reviewed volume one for the SSLH Bulletin back in 1972 (below), his main complaint was that the price of £10 was clearly ‘preposterous’. For generations of students, however, the ever-growing resource … Continue reading Classics of labour history: volume one of the Dictionary of Labour Biography

Migration Museum reopens to tell the stories of those who came to the UK and those who left

Britain’s only museum of migration reopens on Saturday 9 April at premises in the heart of Lewisham shopping centre. Set up to explore how the movement of people both to and from Britain down the ages has shaped individuals, communities and the nation as a whole, the Migration Museum stages exhibitions and events, and has an education programme for primary, secondary, university and adult learners. … Continue reading Migration Museum reopens to tell the stories of those who came to the UK and those who left

Keith Laybourn marks half a century at the University of Huddersfield

Keith Laybourn, Diamond Jubilee Professor Emeritus and President of the Society for the Study of Labour History, will be giving a valedictory lecture to commemorate fifty years at the University of Huddersfield. He will be speaking on ’The politics of working class gambling in Britain between c1900 and the 1960s’. The event takes place on Wednesday 25 May, between 5pm and 7pm. Booking is not … Continue reading Keith Laybourn marks half a century at the University of Huddersfield

Classics of labour history: Margaret Cole on Fabian socialism

Margaret Cole never held office in the Society for the Study of Labour History, yet without her influence it may never have come into existence. Born Margaret Postgate in 1893, she came to politics during the first world war, when she campaigned on behalf of her brother, the imprisoned socialist conscientious objector Raymond Postgate, and through him met the political theorist and historian G.D.H. ‘Douglas’ … Continue reading Classics of labour history: Margaret Cole on Fabian socialism

Classics of labour history: The Making of the English Working Class

It is almost impossible today to think about labour history without some reference to E.P. Thompson’s classic work The Making of the English Working Class. Read by millions in the fifty years since its publication, and loved by many, it is by any measure a core text of social and economic history, and its importance was recognised from the start. The review republished here, written … Continue reading Classics of labour history: The Making of the English Working Class