Call for Contributors! Writing the Industrial Revolution brings together short illustrated essays on industrial change and its cultural consequences in Britain, circa 1770–1830. We'd love to hear from other researchers who'd like to contribute an essay. Please see ⤵️ www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6341

Call for Papers: 'Scotland and the In-Between', the annual Société française d’études écossaises (French Society for Scottish Studies) conference (Université de Lorraine, 12-14 Nov 2026). Proposals for papers in French or English are due 28th April. More on the blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6338

This week on the podcast: @drcleoocy.bsky.social and @kateferrier.bsky.social on why Susan Edmonstone Ferrier is more than just "the Scottish Jane Austen" Listen: creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/... Transcript: www.infinite-women.com/wp-content/u...

New Five Questions interview up on the BARS Blog: @jodielmarley.bsky.social on William Blake's Mysticism: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6309.

My interview with @mjrsangster.bsky.social on my new book, William Blake's Mysticism, has just been published on the @bars.bsky.social blog. Thank you for your insightful questions, Matt 💫 www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6309

***DEADLINE EXTENSION TO THE 2 MARCH*** We are extending the deadline for applications for the #BSECS-BECC award to the 2 March. £400 to support research using Birmingham's extensive #18thC resources held across the city @unibirmingham.bsky.social #skystorians www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/cen...

And a DELIGHT to read this review of us! Thank you, @sophiecoulombeau.bsky.social ! 😍

Did you know that we award SEVEN #fellowships, five of which have #deadlines of the ***1 FEBRUARY 2026*** #skystorians #18thC🗃️ Details can be found on our website or in the thread 🔽 www.bsecs.org.uk/prizes-and-a...

Save the Date: 14th International Walter Scott Conference in Edinburgh, 2027 Details on the blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6280

Lovely story of Raeburn's lost but now found portrait of Robert Burns - just in time for Burns Night! www.youtube.com/watch?v=StBu... The portrait is on display at the National Gallery of Scotland @nationalgalleries.bsky.social from today.

A 'lost' portrait of Robert Burns by Sir Henry Raeburn has been uncovered, and is now on display at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/raeburn...

Upcoming book tour, where I'll be talking about the book (obvs.), the decision to step away, for this one at least, from my established genre of historical crime fiction, and why I'm publishing it under my own name - Shona - rather than 'S.G.' Amongst other things ...

Help us develop a global map of how Burns Night is celebrated! Take Part in The Burns Supper at 225 Years Research Project ⬇️ . There are still tickets for our annual Centre for Robert Burns Studies Conference this Sat (17th Jan), held in the ARC: gla.ac/3LaXLe5

The transcription of Edinburgh University Library’s Receipt Book for the Book Borrowing Surgeons project is well underway. Kit Baston gives an update on her project, funded by an OEC Jean Guild Grant. #edinburghsurgeons #edinburghuniversitylibrary #RCSEd oldedinburghclub.org.uk/kit-baston-t...

Their prizewinning resource is "Books and Borrowing, 1750-1830". Check it out here! borrowing.stir.ac.uk

Happy 250th birthday, Jane Austen! Why not celebrate by reading my hot-off-the-press lil piece which sheds new light on the composition process for JA's greatest novel (no questions, sit yo ass down) PERSUASION. It involved archival sleuthing, so was cracking fun to write. jasna.org/publications...

/… www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/friends ☕️ You can support us at our Christmas Coffee Morning on Saturday 6 December 10am-12 noon in Dunblane Cathedral Hall 🚶Dunblane's historic Leighton Library is now closed for the winter, except for opening by special arrangement for groups

The Society currently invites applications for its David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People. The Fellowship, for up to £2500, supports research by historians of Scotland at any career stage: bit.ly/4ns6LJj Closing date: Friday 6 March 2026 #Skystorians

Excited to be speaking in Dunblane on 15 Nov for the Leighton Library. I'll be sharing findings from my PhD and the @books-borrowing.bsky.social project. Do come along to hear more about Enlightenment and conspiracy in the reading habits of Leighton members!

This forthcoming novel by @shonamaclean.bsky.social looks great! 'Had us at 'circulating library' & '1831'! 😍https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Shona-MacLean/The-Cromarty-Library-Circle/32495124 #CromartyLibraryCircle

We are advertising for an Assistant Director to join us in Marsh's Library. Full details about this exciting post here: marshlibrary.ie/vacancy-for-...

We're looking forward to our Summer Fayre next Friday and Saturday! Local craftspeople, refreshments and lots of secondhand #books

The Wolfson Foundation has awarded a grant of £50,000 towards the cost of redeveloping the Leighton Library Undercroft to create a new exhibition space. The Leighton Library Trustees and all other volunteers thank the Wolfson Foundation for this very generous award.../👇

The laying of the foundation stone of the Royal High School, Edinburgh, on 28th July 1825. A great blog by Steven Robb for the OEC. #royalhighschool #caltonhill #thomashamiltonarchitect #lordprovost #lordglenorchy #oldedinburghhistory #scottishenlightenment #greekrevivalbuildings

BARS Digital Symposium: ‘Global Romanticism’ Programme – 23 July 2025 (UK Time; BST) www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6052 Links to follow on Monday 21 July - keep an eye on emails!

Also taking place next week: BARS Digital Symposium: Expanding Queer Romanticisms, 25th July 2025, 3pm-6.15 BST. Links to follow in an email to BARS Members. www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6045

Call for Applications: BARS Communications Fellow 2025-26 BARS would like to invite applications for a Communications Fellow to assist with the BARS Blog and social media for a period of one year tenable from August 2025. Details: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6062

Institutions of Literature, 1700-1900 is now available as a relatively affordable paperback from CUP. Jon and I are really happy with the fourteen excellent intersecting essays our contributors prepared - do consider picking the book up if you work in the area: www.cambridge.org/core/books/i....

For those interested in writers' lives (and particularly their tribulations), the Royal Literary Fund has now made available an index covering over 3,600 case files for authors who first applied between 1790 and 1939, based on my catalogue for the British Library: www.rlfarchive.org.uk.

Heading to the #GlobalAusten250 Conference at Southampton bright and early to meet these brilliant people and many more! (If you are too and want to be added to the starter pack let me know!)

Very excited to share a stage with some amazing women @edbookfest.bsky.social Rosemary Goring, Kate Anderson and I will be discussing Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI under the expert care of Anna Groundwater on 20 Aug #EdinburghInternationalBookFestival

BARS Digital Symposium: ‘Global Romanticism’ – 23 July 2025 (UK Time; BST) Current research on Romanticism will be explored by bringing together speakers across the world, addressing different areas of Romantic writing, its production and intercultural connections. www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6052

Just published! 'Library Catalogues as Data' with a chapter by Team B&B - '"(S)hut not thy Heart, nor thy Library": Realising the Potential of Historical Library Borrowing Data': www.facetpublishing.co.uk/page/detail/...

Normalise writing a nice quick note to scholars literally every time you read and like their work. Our world is small and getting smaller. We need encouragement.

'A Year of Books and Borrowing'- read Katie Halsey's round-up here: borrowing.stir.ac.uk/a-year-of-bo... 😃📖📚

✨️Job Alert: MHRA Research Fellow on The Letters of Percy Bysshe Shelley✨️ Fixed-term at QMUL, closing date 12 June. Please share with ECRs @bars-ecrs-pgrs.bsky.social www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNC513/m...

Jean Guild Grant Awardee Dr Kit Baston's research on 'Book Borrowing Surgeons' has got off to a great start! Using records from the University of Edinburgh Library for ‘external’ users, this project will reveal the books borrowed by the surgeons. Read all about it on our website. buff.ly/XBRmKma

Book Borrowing Surgeons! With thanks to @oldedinburghclub.bsky.social for funding an exciting new @books-borrowing.bsky.social venture: borrowing.stir.ac.uk/book-borrowi... 📚📖⚕️

And search the catalogue from here: innerpeffraylibrary.co.uk/books/

Congratulations on your fabulous online catalogue, @innerpeffray.bsky.social! (And thanks for mentioning us at the launch! 😊) Catalogue: innerpeffray.soutron.net/Portal/Defau...

Registration for the 2025 BARS PGR & ECR Conference, Romantic (Un)Consciousness’, is now open! All registration details can be found on our conference website, under the ‘Registration’ section, where a provisional programme is also available. barsconference2025.wixsite.com/home

Glad to see that the CFP for the BARS symposium, “Global Romanticism,” that I will organize is out! @bars.bsky.social Time: 23rd July Format: Online CFP deadline: 16 May Please join!! For more info: bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=5963

Uncovering Scotland’s Bookish Histories 9 April @uofglasgow.bsky.social – free Prof @mjrsangster.bsky.social will discuss the “Books & Borrowing, 1750–1830” @books-borrowing.bsky.social project – using unexplored library records to reveal hidden histories of book use www.gla.ac.uk/events/listi...

A reminder that our bursaries are open until the end of the month. Find all the information below: scottishhistoricalreview.org/bursaries

Reminder that our exhibition Curious Minds: Thomas Pennant and Gilbert White is launching soon! Do come and join us! @bsecs.bsky.social @bshsnews.bsky.social @sochistnathist.bsky.social @gilbertwhite.bsky.social @brycchancarey.bsky.social

#FeelGoodFriday The winner of the #BSECS2025 Digital Prize is the Books and Borrowing, 1750-1830 database! The database contains borrowing records from 18 Scottish Libraries, 43,000 register pages, 162,000 borrowing acts #skystorians #18thC 🗃️ @books-borrowing.bsky.social borrowing.stir.ac.uk

Conference Information & Online Access: Romanticism across Borders (24-25 March). The programme can be accessed on the conference website as well as below: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=5890 The Conference is hybrid and you can sign up for online access at the link ⤵️

That's us! Thank you, @bsecs.bsky.social ! 🎉🎉

Tickets for the Radcliffe Project's second Ann Radcliffe, Then and Now lecture are now live! Join Dr. Deborah Russell (University of York) on 16th May 6pm-8pm for 'Ann Radcliffe and Women's Gothic Writing'. www.eventbrite.com/e/ann-radcli...