Special Collections

Post Office Directory of the Borough of Southampton and the neighbourhood Comprised in The Postmaster's District. Compiled by William Cooper Chief Clerk in the Southapton Post Office. 1843

Directories are an invaluable source of information about local people, businesses, and civic organisations. Sometimes they are compiled haphazardly, often a year or so out of date, and are printed with different production valiues. Paid advertisements, often trashed in rebindings or excluded from digitisation offer a treasure trove of printing styles and branding strategies.