The Thomas Gray Archive
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The Thomas Gray Archive, ed. by Alexander Huber [University of Oxford]
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The Thomas Gray Archive
University of Oxford
<info@thomasgray.org>

Site history

The Thomas Gray Archive is updated on a regular basis. Important improvements and the addition of new resources are announced approximately four times a year. In between these major updates, versioned corrections and revisions of the pages take place continuously.

Revision history of this Web site

  • 1 March 2010:
    • The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray (1805), published in London by W. Suttaby and C. Corral, has been added to the printed works section in the digital library. The full description of dateable letters in the correspondence calendar now also includes a monthly calendar. The Archive bibliography has been updated, a "Bookmark & Share"-button is now displayed in the "You are here"-navigation bar on all pages, all links verified.
  • 2 December 2009:
    • The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray (1798), printed in London for Ann Lemoine, is available in the printed works section in the digital library. Several updates in the Archive's correspondence calendar. The Site history has been moved to its own Web page, all links verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 39th Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 5th-7th January 2010, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be glad to meet and discuss future developments informally.
  • 3 September 2009:
    • John Mitford's five volume edition of The Works of Thomas Gray (1835-43) joins the printed works section in the digital library. This is an extended and updated version of the two volume edition published in 1816, which represented the first attempt at an accurate edition of Gray's poems and also made available a number of previously unpublished letters. The bibliographies of the letters included in the five volume edition have been updated in the Archive's correspondence calendar. Bibliography updated, all links verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the Johnson at 300 Conference, 14th-18th September 2009, Pembroke College, Oxford. He will be glad to meet and discuss future developments informally.
  • 1 June 2009:
    • Poems by Mr Gray (1771), the only edition of Gray's poems published in the year of his death, has been added to the printed works section of the digital library. All out-of-copyright print editions held by the Archive are available for download (PDF) in the same section. All links verified.
  • 2 March 2009:
    • Stephen Jones's 1799 and 1800 editions of The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray, LL.B. are available in the printed works section of the digital library. The editions comprised 42 of Gray's poems, contemporary translations of his works, additional contextual materials, and nine pieces composed to Gray's memory. Several enhancements made to the finding aid (see its revision history), two Stoke Poges photos added to the "places and maps" part of the gallery, all links verified.
  • 1 December 2008:
    • John Mitford's important early edition of The Works of Thomas Gray (1816) joins the printed works section in the digital library. The two-volume edition, later expanded to five volumes, represented the first attempt at an accurate edition of Gray's poems and also made available a number of previously unpublished letters. The bibliographies of the letters included in the Mitford edition have been updated in the Archive's correspondence calendar. Bibliography updated, two Stoke Poges photos added to the "places and maps" part of the gallery, digital library showcase expanded, all links verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 38th Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 6th-8th January 2009, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be glad to meet and discuss future developments informally.
  • 1 September 2008:
  • 2 June 2008:
    • A digital facsimile of and updated record for Gray's letter to James Brown, dated 25 October 1760, announcing the death of King George II, is available on the letters page. E. B. Greene's The Latin Odes of Mr. Gray, in English verse, with An Ode on the Death of a favorite Spaniel (1775), comprising translations of four Latin poems ("Ad C: Favonium Aristium", "[Alcaic Fragment]", "Ad C: Favonium Zephyrinum", "[Alcaic Ode]") and a parody of the "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat", joins the printed works in the digital library. Two Stoke Poges photos added to the "places and maps" part of the gallery, all links verified.
    • Information on updates to the Archive can now be received by subscribing to the Archive's news feed: [News]. From 1 July 2008 monthly Web site statistics will be provided by Google Analytics, all log files from the Archive's US and UK servers will continue to be archived.
  • 4 March 2008:
  • 3 December 2007:
  • 4 September 2007:
  • 1 June 2007:
  • 5 March 2007:
  • 7 December 2006:
    • An EAD-based, integrated finding aid to Thomas Gray manuscripts, initially focusing on poetry MSS, is available in the Primary Texts section. C[harles]. W[right].'s annotated A Catalogue, briefly descriptive, of Various Books, and Original Manuscripts, of The Poet Gray for the 1851 auction of Gray's books and manuscripts has been added to the bibliography page. One photo added to the gallery, all links verified.
    • [Britannica Internet Guide Selection] The Thomas Gray Archive has recently "been approved as a Britannica iGuide site" by the editorial team of the Encyclopædia Britannica Online, and, in order to supplement their own content, will be presented as a recommended resource for their online readers.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 36th Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 3rd-5th January 2007, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be happy to discuss future developments informally.
    • The Archive's US server has been moved to a new platform running FreeBSD (formerly running Linux).
  • 3 October 2006:
  • 11 August 2006:
  • 2 June 2006:
  • 7 April 2006:
  • 10 February 2006:
  • 8 December 2005:
    • A Parody on Gray's Elegy: by an Oxonian (1776), a pirated, slightly altered version of John Duncombe's anonymously published An Evening Contemplation in a College (1753), is available in the digital library. John Young's anonymously published A Criticism on the Elegy written in a Country Church Yard (1783) has been added to the criticism page. Two more photos added to the gallery, all links verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 35th Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 4th-6th January 2006, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be available for discussion, to answer questions, and will be open to suggestions for future developments.
  • 13 October 2005:
    • Gray's The Candidate (1774?) joins the list of printed works in the digital library. Herbert W. Starr's standard work A Bibliography of Thomas Gray, 1917-1951 (1953) is available as a full-text searchable electronic edition on the bibliography page. Three more photos added to the gallery, all links verified.
    • The Thomas Gray Archive correspondence address has changed, please see the contacts page for details.
  • 5 August 2005:
    • Gray's Latin poetry is available on the poems page in the Primary Texts section, Latin concordance added to the concordance page. New prose works page established in the same section, dedicated to Gray's scholarly writing. C. S. Northup's edition of Essays and Criticisms by Thomas Gray (1911) is available as a full-text searchable electronic edition. Many updates in the correspondence calendar, 95 records added to the letters' bibliographies. Three additions to the "other 'lives'" part of the biography, three more photos added to the gallery, all links verified.
  • 9 June 2005:
    • John Bradshaw's edition of The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray: English and Latin (1891) is available as a full-text searchable electronic edition in the Primary Texts section. Gray's only surviving Greek poem "Inscription for a Wood in a Park" joins the edited poems in the same section. More than 150 notes added to the collaborative online commentary. Search Tool revised and moved near top of navigation. Criticism page re-arranged by subject, two more Stoke Poges photos added to the "places and maps" part of the gallery, all links verified.
  • 19 April 2005:
    • C. S. Northup's standard work A Bibliography of Thomas Gray (1917) is available as a full-text searchable electronic edition in the Materials section, minor improvements and revisions in several sections, two more Stoke Poges photos join the "places and maps" part of the gallery, all links verified.
  • 7 February 2005:
  • 6 December 2004:
    • Bell's edition of The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray (1782), which also contains a selection of Richard West's poetry, is available in the digital library. Minor changes and improvements in several sections, related links updated, all links verified.
    • The Thomas Gray Archive is pleased to announce the launch of its official UK server at http://www.thomasgray.org.uk/, hosted by the University of Oxford. Both the US and UK servers are updated simultaneously from the Archive's development server, their contents are identical. The Archive editor would like to thank Mr Dave Price, Head of the Systems and Electronic Resources Service at Oxford University, for his support throughout the installation period. See also the announcement on C18-L for this update.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 34th Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 6th-8th January 2005, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be available for discussion, to answer questions, and will be open to suggestions for future developments.
  • 11 October 2004:
  • 18 August 2004:
    • New criticism page established in the Materials section, dedicated to research and teaching materials. Corpus word occurrences display and sorting added to the concordance, digital library pageturner interface modified (expanded titles, displays [missing numbers] in numbered page sequences, contents page images are browsable), synopsis of the "long 18th century" in the chronology is available as PDFs, two additions (Stoke Poges) to the "places and maps" part of the gallery, "favicon" created, all links verified.
  • 9 June 2004:
    • Two new glossaries of place names (TGN-based) and literary terms relevant to Gray's life and works have been added to the Materials section, all internal links in the Archive are now based on the structured vocabularies used. The chronology has been extended, the bibliography has been updated, all links have been verified.
  • 7 April 2004:
    • The collaborative online commentary is now searchable. This functionality is available from both the poem display pages (for individual texts) and the Archive search engine (for all annotated texts). Minor updates in several sections, general Web site face-lift, all links verified.
  • 11 February 2004:
    • Extensive updates in the correspondence calendar, one addition to the "Gray's circle" part of the gallery (Walpole portrait). Brief project outline and history added to the general introduction in the help section, minor change to the user interface (internal and external link highlighting), all links verified.
    • [EDSitement] The Archive has recently been selected for inclusion on the NEH's EDSITEment website "as one of the best online resources for education in the humanities." The Archive was reviewed by both a peer review panel and a Blue Ribbon panel composed of educators and administrators in education organizations and higher education institutions. Both panels determined that the Archive met the EDSITEment criteria for "intellectual quality, content, design, and most importantly, classroom impact."
  • 15 December 2003:
    • A new letters page is available as part of the Primary Texts section, containing details of the correspondence to and from Thomas Gray. Several of Gray's correspondents added to the "Gray's circle" part of the gallery, a glossary of personal names (LCNAF-based) is available in the Materials section, all links verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 33rd Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 3rd-5th January 2004, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be available for discussion, to answer questions, and will be open to suggestions for future developments.
  • 24 October 2003:
    • A browsable calendar to the correspondence of Thomas Gray is scheduled for publication in The Thomas Gray Archive before the end of the year. Minor corrections in the collaborative online commentary, all links verified.
    • The Thomas Gray Archive has recently been moved to a new server platform running Linux (formerly running FreeBSD).
  • 5 September 2003:
    • Designs by Mr. R. Bentley, for six poems by Mr. T. Gray (1753) is available in the digital library. Minor updates in most sections, all links verified.
  • 18 July 2003:
    • Gray's Odes (1757) is available in the digital library. Minor presentational changes (additional link highlighting) and corrections for consistency. The bibliography has been updated, all links have been verified.
  • 20 June 2003:
    • In the digital library, all images "containing" poems are now hyperlinked to both the corresponding sections of the Archive's electronic texts and the critical apparatus for the displayed passage (the latter via image maps). Minor updates in most sections. All links verified.
    • [OxTALENT Web Award] The Thomas Gray Archive has won the University of Oxford's 2003 OxTALENT award for innovative use of IT in Teaching and Learning in Humanities & Social Sciences. The Archive was reviewed by the OxTALENT interest group according to its evaluation criteria. The award ceremony took place at Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS) on 12 June 2003.
  • 12 May 2003:
    • Gray's An Elegy wrote in a Country Church Yard (1751) is available in the digital library. A complementary Synopsis of British Literature and Culture (1660-1830) has been added to the chronology page. Minor presentational changes for clarity. All links verified.
  • 11 April 2003:
    • New overview page added for Dodsley's A Collection of Poems (1765; 1st ed. 1748-1758). Minor changes in the concordance (word occurrences) for clarity. Minor updates in most sections. Sitemap added. New links added and all links verified.
    • The Thomas Gray Archive correspondence address has changed, please see the contacts page for details.
  • 13 February 2003:
    • Gray's Ode for Music (1769) is available in the digital library. Minor updates and clarifications in several sections, minor additions to the biographical sketch. All links verified.
  • 8 January 2003:
    • Gray's poems in vol. vi of Dodsley's A Collection of Poems (1748-1758) are available in the digital library. Minor change in the navigation structure for clarity. All links verified.
  • 4 November 2002:
    • All annotations are available in full-text. Web site statistics are available online and will be updated monthly. Minor changes in the navigation structure for clarity. Level A Conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 of the Archive Web site has been established. Quick start links added to home page. Archive FAQ and Site Info updated. All links have been re-assessed and verified.
  • 2 October 2002:
    • Gray's footnotes have been integrated into the searchable paratexts, thus eliminating a previous inconsistency. The bibliography has been updated, all links have been verified.
    • The Archive editor will be attending the 32nd Annual Conference of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (BSECS), 3rd-5th January 2003, St. Hugh's College, Oxford. He will be available for discussion, to answer questions, and will be open to suggestions for future developments.
  • 19 August 2002:
    • Minor corrections and additions to the collaborative online commentary. The bibliography has been updated, all links have been verified.
  • 10 July 2002:
    • The digital library offers thumbnail previews of page images for all editions. Minor corrections in the collaborative online commentary, a few changes in the user interface. All links verified.
  • 17 May 2002:
    • The Web site of The Thomas Gray Archive has been officially re-launched with all the new items announced on 22 February 2002 (see pilot and evaluation phase). The bibliography has been updated, all links have been verified. See also the H-Net and Humanist announcements for the re-launch of the Web site.

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Pilot and evaluation phase history

  • 6 April 2002:
    • More full-text additions to the collaborative online commentary. All links verified.
    • The Thomas Gray Archive correspondence address has changed, please see the contacts page for details.
  • 22 February 2002:
    • The Thomas Gray Archive has recently been relocated to Oxford, UK, and is currently being improved and enlarged. The new Archive will include:
      • Gray's complete English poetry online
      • A concordance of the complete English poetry
      • A digital library of important 18th century editions of Gray's poetry
      • Extended materials section, including many additions to the gallery
      • Improved help with new topics and Archive FAQ
      • New Web site design ...
  • 15 November 2001:
    • Minor additions to the biographical sketch and a few changes in the user interface. All links verified.
    • Celebrating the first year of this Web site and its continuing popularity, it has been moved to its own domain at http://www.thomasgray.org/ with a new title The Thomas Gray (1716-1771) Interactive Hypermedia Archive.
  • 17 October 2001:
    • Complete revision of the encoding and CGI-scripts, minor bug fixes and user interface changes based on user feedback. All links verified.
  • 28 August 2001:
    • The simple full-text search engine supports wildcard characters "?" (single unknown character) and "*" (any number of characters). Minor design changes for clarity. All links verified.
  • 16 July 2001:
    • Minor internal improvements in the CGI-scripts. Minor additions and corrections in the biography (birth and death dates), chronological table (dates), and gallery (expanded captions). All links verified.
  • 18 May 2001:
    • More full-text additions to the collaborative online commentary. Minor design changes in the user interface. All links verified.
  • 14 March 2001:
    • Substantial full-text additions from a variety of editions. Many small design changes in the Web site based on user feedback. All links verified.
  • 15 January 2001:
    • Complete update of Web site, all links verified. All textual notes from [ToD_1922] Duncan C. Tovey's Gray edition added in full-text.

Project phase history

  • 15 November 2000:
    • Prototype goes live.
  • October - November 2000:
  • August - October 2000:
    • Technical realisation phase: materials scanned and typed into administrator's frontend for the collaborative online commentary; additional materials created: chronology, biography; development of programs completed; help and site information pages begun; primary texts section completed; search engine created.
  • March - August 2000:
    • Research phase: research of primary and secondary resources; bibliography created; links to related sources created; creation of online electronic editions of primary texts; data encoding concepts reworked; basic programming of tools finished.
  • March 2000:
    • Planning phase: basic project outline; design of user input and system reply model; flat-file commentary designed; basic programming done.
    • Project idea for The Thomas Gray (1716-1771) Interactive Online Commentary born.

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Document URL: http://www.thomasgray.org.uk/site/history.shtml  (Server: US, UK)
Last modified: Mon, 01 Mar 2010