Historical Texts

About Historical Texts

The texts are held in four collections all brought together on a single platform and searchable separately or collectively using an extremely powerful, academically focused search engine:

• Early English Books Online (EEBO)
• Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)
• British Library 19th Century Collection (BL)
• UK Medical Heritage Library

Benefits for students and researchers

• Offers three individually important collections spanning more than 400 years in one place, making research easier, quicker and more comprehensive
• Enable users to search the full text of many historical works, including rare and obscure works they might otherwise not know about and that provide a rich source of original findings
• Provides valuable insight into the form and appearance of original works, making research more rewarding, interesting and engaging
• Removes the time-consuming, costly need to visit libraries where original works are physically held
• Provides a rich source of original illustrations for use in scholarly works and presentations
• Optimised for tablet and mobiles to support new ways of accessing content

Benefits for academic staff

• Brings lectures and other presentations to life through the inclusion of original source material and illustrations
• Gives access to rare and obscure resources that can add originality and breadth to a topic
• Provides a rich source of original illustrations for teaching materials
• Engages visual learners

Benefits for institutions and librarians

• Offers cost savings compared to separate EEBO and ECCO subscriptions via commercial providers.
• Offers the administrative and user-training benefits of a single subscription, login and interface covering all three collections
• VAT free for institutions that join our VAT-exempt cost sharing group

Who can use Historical Texts?

Learners and staff at all UK FE colleges and HE institutions that are subscribed to the service.

Eligible institutions can request a free 30-day trial.

Further information on how to subscribe can be found on the Jisc Collections website:

• Historical Texts subscription information for FE organisations
• Historical Texts subscription information for HE institutions

Historical Texts replaces Jisc Historic Books.

Browse Historical Texts