The collection was begun by (James) Keir Hardie (1856-1915), trade unionist and first leader of the Labour Party in Parliament, who passed it on to his daughter Nan. She married Emrys Hughes (1894-1969), the writer and MP for South Ayrshire, who was Hardie's biographer and also edited the radical Glasgow periodical 'Forward'. The printed collection consists of broadsheets, pamphlets, hardbacks in various formats, illustrated material in large format and newspaper extracts primarily covering the following topics: early Labour Party politics, Soviet politics in the Stalinist era, pacifism, working-class socio-economic conditions, religion and society, expressions of folk art, and 17th century religious and political material. Notable events covered include the emergence of the Independent Labour Party around the start of the 20th century and the Stalinist show trials of the 1930s.

Organisation

The books have been catalogued individually and have the shelfmark 'KH/EH.'. View collection inventory list.

Acquisition

The collection was deposited in the Library by Emrys Hughes's second wife Martha Cleland in 1971, as part of a collection of letters, photographs and papers relating to Hardie and Hughes.

Related collections

The manuscripts are held at Dep.176.