Reference

About The Guardian and Observer

Access to scanned and searchable editions of The Guardian (1821-2003) and The Observer (1791-2003). Provides news coverage from the past two centuries.

Use at a library or enter your library card & PIN

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Key features

Events such as Napoleon’s defeat to the Russian Revolution to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison are covered in these publications:

  • The Manchester Guardian (1821-1825); Manchester (UK);
  • The Manchester Guardian and British Volunteer (1825-1828); Manchester (UK);
  • The Manchester Guardian (1828-1959); Manchester (UK);
  • The Guardian (1959-2003); London (UK);
  • The Observer (1791-2003); London (UK).

The fully scanned editions allow you to view news articles, photos, advertisements, births, deaths and marriages, cartoons, and more. Users can print, download, and share articles and images in PDF format.

More information

The Guardian was first  published in response to the Peterloo Massacre. Originally known as the Manchester Guardian, it was a Saturday-only paper until the newspaper stamp duty was repealed in 1855. The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday paper, was first published in 1791. Thought-provoking writers such as George Orwell and Vita Sackville-West were contributors, providing serious coverage of politics and literature.

You can search for information by keyword, more than 20 article types (front page, editorial cartoon, classified ad, legal notice, etc.), dates and date ranges, author, and more.

If you found this resource useful then also try Newsvault for access to all of ProQuest’s historical newspapers!