PR history – prospecting for archival gold

The third in our History Week series is a fascinating insight into archival research authored by Emeritus Professor Tom Watson. Archival research is the bedrock of historical writing. The hours, days and weeks spent searching through all forms of archives are akin to the prospector panning through sands and mud in the hope of finding speckles of gold. Only occasionally does a nugget appear. Although it can feel like time wasted, historians realize that they...