Carlton Shorthand Collection

The Carlton Shorthand Collection was bequeathed to Senate House Library by shorthand bibliographer William J. Carlton (1886 - 1973). Containing an estimated 18,000 items dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries in the form of books, periodicals, manuscripts, prints and pamphlets in nearly 60 languages and dialects, the Carlton Collection is among the most comprehensive shorthand collections in the world. What distinguishes the Carlton Collection from the other major shorthand collections, such as those in the New York Public Library, Manchester Central Library or the University of Bath Library, is the sheer variety and scope of Carlton's enthusiastic collecting. It is likely that much of this unusual and ephemeral material is not available anywhere else, and the collection is an important source not only for those interested in the history of shorthand and printing, but also for cultural, business, literary, social and political historians.

Periodical literature accounts for approximately 15% of the collection and comprises 780 titles. Designed to provide entertainment as well as instruction, periodicals such as Phonographic Punch, The Gregg Writer or Lo Stenografo Fascista are documents of significance for social and cultural history. Shorthand journals were also important instruments in the spread of the major shorthand systems (eg Duployé in France, Gabelsberger in Germany and the rival Pitman and Gregg in English-speaking countries). They are remarkable sources for the rapidly changing office practices of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the role that women played in these changes.

shl.specialcollections@london.ac.uk 020 7862 8470