New Resource – The Listener, 1929-1991

Thursday 28 April 2016

The Library now has access to The Listener Historical Archive, 1929-1991. The Listener was established by the Director General of the BBC, Lord Reith, in 1929 as the intellectual counterpart to the BBC’s listings magazine, the Radio Times, to publish in print form some of the BBC’s radio broadcasts, it later expanded it’s remit to include TV Broadcasts.
For many early broadcasts, The Listener is the only archive available, with a diverse range of article, including a series from 1929 on the theme of How an aeroplane flies through to key events of the 20th century, commentary, essays, reviews, and advertisements for a wide-range of products, such as tobacco, batteries and coffee:

"Nescafé is a Soluble Coffee Product." Listener [London, England] 20 June 1946: 798. The Listener Historical Archive. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. — “Nescafé is a Soluble Coffee Product.” Listener [London, England] 20 June 1946: 798. The Listener Historical Archive. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

As well as including details of BBC Broadcasts, The Listener carried contributions from key luminaries of the time, including H G Wells, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath, to name a few.
The Listener is an archive which will be of interest to anyone studying twentieth century history, literature, philosophy, and art, as well as an interesting archive for those interested in broadcasting and media.
Search by keyword, or choose to browse by date, or contributor. If you need any help using The Listener please come into the Library and ask, or email [email protected]