PREVIOUS PROJECTS

Spreading the Printed Word: Thomas Nelson & Sons

One of Edinburgh's most famous publishers and printers was Thomas Nelson and Sons, who specialised in producing popular literature, children’s books, Bibles and religious and educational texts from it’s founding in 1798. The Nelson re-union/reminiscence project was undertaken by SAPPHIRE in conjunction with SPRAT, and the People's Story Museum of the City of Edinburgh Museums. The three year project researched the recent history of Thomas Nelson and Sons, Edinburgh, interviewing and holding reunions for ex-employees. The results have been transcribed, indexed and catalogued for general research use.

Papermaking on the Water of Leith

Bringing the Page to Life was an initiative which ran from 2002 to 2004, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Its purpose was to gather oral and social history material relating to the Scottish papermaking industry near Edinburgh. Among the outcomes were public reminiscence sessions, an archive of recorded interviews with formal mill workers, and the retrieval of a substantial archive of related visual and ephemeral material. An exhibition on the subject was launched in Edinburgh in January 2004, and subsequently displayed in venues in Britain and continental Europe.

Printing And Publishing History

This includes case studies of firms such as Blackie and Son, Glasgow, and Aberdeen University Press, both now defunct, of technological change in the industry, of the role and history of trade unions, and of bookselling.

A Day in the Working Life: A Photographic Archive of the Contemporary Book Trade

A professional photographer was commissioned to create a photographic archive of the contemporary book trade in Edinburgh. This complements the photographic record held by the City of Edinburgh from the 1950s and 1960s.