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A new website of around four million pages of historical newspapers, featuring more than 200 newspaper titles from virtually every part of the UK and Ireland, has been launched by the British Library, with online publisher brightsolid.

The newspapers, which mainly date from the 19th century, but which feature runs dating back to the first half of the 18th century, include fascinating stories such as bullet-stopping corsets and the art of wide-sleeved shoplifting. A team has spent a year at the British Library's newspaper library, digitising up to 8,000 pages a day. They expect to scan up to 40 million pages over the next 10 years.

To browse the archive, visit www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk