Ruth A. Symes

Ruth A. Symes

Published: North-West Labour History Journal, Oct 2006

Excerpt begins

From suffragettes to coal miners, from Chartists¹ to seamstresses - all the characters of labour history are represented on the shelves of Naomi Symes Books.

Certainly, it is easy to reach across from my desk or, at most, climb a ladder to an upper shelf in my bookroom - and find a book on virtually any aspect of ordinary life in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

I sit every day in a colourful emporium of historical information. To the right of my computer are stored dusty, rare books by obscure Victorian women writers; to the left, large glossy art books on Edwardian² artists.

There are thick academic works on the history of prostitution right next to pamphlets by working-class trade unionists who have written their life histories.

I can lose myself one minute in records of mining disasters, workers’ strikes and local celebrations, and the next in the works of French philosophers and sociologists. It is twelve years since I started this business in out-of-print, antiquarian and new history books, and perhaps time to reflect on just how I came to be doing this fascinating, sometimes challenging, and certainly all-consuming job.

Excerpt ends

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~~Dictionary~~
1 Chartists
Definitions

1. the principles and practices of a body of 19th century English political reformers advocating better social and industrial conditions for the working classes

Pronounciation: ˈchär-ˌti-zəm
Function: noun
Date: 1839
Etymology: Medieval Latin charta charter, from Latin, document

2 Edwardian
Definitions

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Edward VII of England or his age
2. marked by the hourglass silhouette for women and long narrow fitted suits and high collars for men

Pronounciation: e-ˈdwär-dē-ən, -ˈdwȯr-
Function: adjective
Date: 1908