Books by Matthew Shaw
Stoller has arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. When he makes a wrong turn, his journey... more Stoller has arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. When he makes a wrong turn, his journey by bicycle from the British Museum to the British Library becomes a tour of London in which time and destination become secondary pleasures to the twin pleasures of cycling and the city.
Commissioned to celebrate the Yorkshire Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014, and couriered between St Pancras and Boston Spa by a team of riders completing the 200-mile 'Tour de British Library'.
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The French Republican Calendar was perhaps the boldest of all the reforms undertaken in Revolutio... more The French Republican Calendar was perhaps the boldest of all the reforms undertaken in Revolutionary France. Introduced in 1793 and used until 1806, the Calendar not only reformed the weeks and months of the year, but decimalised the hours of the day and dated the year from the beginning of the French Republic.
This book not only provides a history of the calendar, but places it in the context of eighteenth-century time-consciousness, arguing that the French were adept at working within several systems of time-keeping, whether that of the Church, civil society, or the rhythms of the seasons. Developments in time-keeping technology and changes in working patterns challenged early-modern temporalities, and the new calendar can also be viewed as a step on the path toward a more modern conception of time. In this context, the creation of the calendar is viewed not just as an aspect of the broader republican programme of social, political and cultural reform, but as a reflection of a broader interest in time and the culmination of several generations' concern with how society should be policed.
Matthew Shaw is a curator at the British Library, London.
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The Duke of Wellington had an unmatched career as soldier, politician and statesman, and is laude... more The Duke of Wellington had an unmatched career as soldier, politician and statesman, and is lauded as the man who defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo. This biography charts the life of a man whose reputation as the aloof 'Iron Duke' masked a complex man of strong passions and with a keen awareness of his public persona.
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Book Chapters by Matthew Shaw
Magna Carta: law, liberty and legacy, ed. Claire Breay & Julian Harrison, 2015
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Reconfiguring the Union Civil War Transformations Studies of the Americas, Edited By Iwan W. Morgan and Philip John Davies, 2013
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Papers by Matthew Shaw
This thesis examines the origin and consequences of the French Republican calendar in relation to... more This thesis examines the origin and consequences of the French Republican calendar in relation to eighteenth-century temporality. It assesses the extent of the calendar's use, examines the cultural and political meanings that it assumed, and argues that the temporal order of society can be equally as important as its spatial organisation. It suggests that calendars are not purely neutral measures of time, but are cultural, social and political texts that can express the central beliefs of a society. As the history of the Republican calendar shows, such beliefs could be highly contestable. Unsurprisingly, the demands of a ten-day week, new nomenclature, and the calendar's association with the Terror did not lend the new style of time reckoning much popularity, except amongst confirmed Jacobins. Yet, successive regimes, in particular the post-Fructidor Directory, did attempt to ensure conformity to the new calendar. In many parts of France the calendar became a site of cultura...
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Library, 2010
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The Library, 2008
Page 1. The Library 7.9.1, March 2008 101 scholars stress the limitations of religious debate as ... more Page 1. The Library 7.9.1, March 2008 101 scholars stress the limitations of religious debate as well as its never-ending quality, the factor that kept the presses so busy. As all this implies, Lander's book is a bold and bracing ...
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From the early colony of Pennsylvania, to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independenc... more From the early colony of Pennsylvania, to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, Curator Dr Matthew Shaw reveals the influence of Magna Carta as a symbol of liberty in early America.
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World War One (British Library website), 2014
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First World War (British Library website), 2014
From organised religion to visions of angels on the battlefield, Curator Dr Matthew Shaw explores... more From organised religion to visions of angels on the battlefield, Curator Dr Matthew Shaw explores the profound impact of World War One on religion, belief and superstition for individuals and communities around the world.
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First World War (British Library website), 2014
Millions of animals were relied upon by all sides in World War One. Curator Dr Matthew Shaw discu... more Millions of animals were relied upon by all sides in World War One. Curator Dr Matthew Shaw discusses the role of animals in transport, logistics, cavalry and communications, and considers their psychological function for troops and as propaganda.
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Scandal sold newspapers 200 years ago, just as it does today: a short account of Lady Perceval, J... more Scandal sold newspapers 200 years ago, just as it does today: a short account of Lady Perceval, John Miford, Princess Caroline and the 'Blackheath Affair'
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Journalism Studies, Sep 11, 2007
American political cartoons offer a rich resource for the study of American culture and the devel... more American political cartoons offer a rich resource for the study of American culture and the development of magazines and newspapers. This article, based on an introduction to the resources held at the British Library, provides an overview of the development of American political cartooning and its historiography and argues that cartoons need to be studied within the context of wider print history. It concludes with a guide to the major reference resources and secondary literature, and several institutional holdings.
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Despite numerous attempts by radicals to reform the calendar, it is usually commerce that decides... more Despite numerous attempts by radicals to reform the calendar, it is usually commerce that decides the way we measure time
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A study of the French Republican Calendar
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The upheavals of the French Revolution not only affected France and Europe, but heralded crucial ... more The upheavals of the French Revolution not only affected France and Europe, but heralded crucial consequences for the Caribbean. Revolution in Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti) led to the collapse of slavery and the creation of Haiti as an independent republic. 'Jacobin' slaves fleeing the island carried word of Revolution to British territories such as Jamaica. These disturbances added urgency to French and British planter's calls for military assistance and, some felt, undermined the case of those opposed to the slave trade in the popular imagination. This article, which draws on material from British and Early Printed Collections and the Department of Manuscripts, draws attention to the connections between the French and British abolitionist movements and to the role played by émigré communities in the debate on the colonies and slavery.
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Books by Matthew Shaw
Commissioned to celebrate the Yorkshire Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014, and couriered between St Pancras and Boston Spa by a team of riders completing the 200-mile 'Tour de British Library'.
This book not only provides a history of the calendar, but places it in the context of eighteenth-century time-consciousness, arguing that the French were adept at working within several systems of time-keeping, whether that of the Church, civil society, or the rhythms of the seasons. Developments in time-keeping technology and changes in working patterns challenged early-modern temporalities, and the new calendar can also be viewed as a step on the path toward a more modern conception of time. In this context, the creation of the calendar is viewed not just as an aspect of the broader republican programme of social, political and cultural reform, but as a reflection of a broader interest in time and the culmination of several generations' concern with how society should be policed.
Matthew Shaw is a curator at the British Library, London.
Book Chapters by Matthew Shaw
Papers by Matthew Shaw
Commissioned to celebrate the Yorkshire Grand Depart of the Tour de France 2014, and couriered between St Pancras and Boston Spa by a team of riders completing the 200-mile 'Tour de British Library'.
This book not only provides a history of the calendar, but places it in the context of eighteenth-century time-consciousness, arguing that the French were adept at working within several systems of time-keeping, whether that of the Church, civil society, or the rhythms of the seasons. Developments in time-keeping technology and changes in working patterns challenged early-modern temporalities, and the new calendar can also be viewed as a step on the path toward a more modern conception of time. In this context, the creation of the calendar is viewed not just as an aspect of the broader republican programme of social, political and cultural reform, but as a reflection of a broader interest in time and the culmination of several generations' concern with how society should be policed.
Matthew Shaw is a curator at the British Library, London.
Since 2011, in what they call an act of ‘endurance letterpress’, the American printers and designers Jill Cypher and Ray Nichols have produced a typographical response to each day of the three-week-long Tour de France – one of the most demanding and most beautiful sporting events in the world.
This display includes a selection of posters from the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Tour, the years in which the famed yellow jersey was won by Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome respectively.
Through posters, poetry, books and pamphlets from the period, the exhibition considers attempts to boost morale at home and in the field, as well as presenting individual responses to the conflict, such as letters from Indian soldiers on the Western Front, schoolboys' descriptions of Zeppelin raids over London and examples of the black humour expressed in trench journals.
The exhibition also showcases the Library's work for Europeana 1914-1918, a major pan-European project to digitise more than 400,000 items from World War One through an audiovisual art installation.