The joy of home shopping catalogues

Explore the history and cultural impact of home shopping catalogues. Once a staple in households, these thick publications like Grattan and Kays are now rare artifacts.

Graeme Hawley, our Head of Published Collections, will discuss his fascination with these catalogues. He will reflect on what they represented in their time and the surprising range of purposes they serve for researchers today.

Learn what the Library is doing to collect and preserve these catalogues. Discover why they are vital evidence of our shared social and commercial past.

About the speaker

Graeme Hawley is the Head of Published Collections at the National Library of Scotland. He is passionate about preserving everyday publications that tell the story of our lives.