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Welcome to the W.T. Stead Resource Site

William Thomas Stead was one of the most controversial men of his age. Journalist, editor, author, spiritualist and pacifist, he was the most famous passenger aboard the ill-fated Titanic, and he had a greater measure of notoriety than most British statesmen. His "New Journalism" inspired today's powerful tabloid journalism, and his many social campaigns had far reaching effects that remain with us today. Yet, posterity barely remembers him, save as an obscure figure in the hinterland of journalistic history.

On this website, you will find a wealth of material on almost every aspect of Stead's life and career. Much of the material comes from original sources, and includes Stead's notorious tour de force on child prostitution, "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon", and the consequential Eliza Armstrong Case. The WTSRS is a work in progress, and new material is added as and when I come across it (and when I have time to transcribe it).

Ultimately, the WTSRS seeks to encourage scholarly debate and return Stead to his rightful position as one of Victorian Britain's most important figures. It is today the largest online archive of material on W.T. Stead.

New Titles

The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon
by W.T. Stead

The full text of Stead's famous tour de force on child prostitution, reprinted in its entirety for the first time since 1885. Edited, and with annotations and an introductory essay, by Antony E. Simpson. more..

Maiden Tribute: A Life of W.T. Stead
by Prof. Grace Eckley

The first biography of Stead since Frederick Whyte's two volume, The Life of W.T. Stead (1925), Professor Eckley's Maiden Tribute: a Life of W.T. Stead, is the culmination of twenty-four years' research. The book's emphasis is on Stead's contributions to humanity, rather than his influence on journalism, and focuses on his efforts to promote world peace and mental sciences. Full review coming soon..

Maiden Tribute Print Pack

A print-ready compilation of the most pertinent Maiden Tribute related documents on this website, all crushed into one convenient zip file, ready to print off at your convenience. Ideal if you don't have time to trawl through endless webpages. more..

Submissions

The W.T. Stead Resource invites submissions of scholarly articles/essays on any of the themes covered on this website. Articles should be about W.T. Stead himself or the issues in which he was involved. Current submissions include:
"Russia owes a Great Deal to Mr Stead" by Janet Ashton
Stead & the Peace Conferences..
by Annemarie van Heerikhuizen
W.T. Stead's Books for the Bairns
by Sally Wood Lamont
Preacher's Son who Saved Prostitutes
by Chris Lloyd
The Significance of the Maiden Tribute
by Ann P. Robson
Stead, Shiel and the Rajah's Sapphire
by John D. Squires
Stead on Journalism
Stead on Politics & Foreign Affairs
Stead on Social & Crime
Stead on his Contemporaries
Stead on Religion
Stead on Spiritualism
Stead on Women's Issues
Stead's Fiction
Stead's Correspondence
Stead's Memoirs & Reminiscences
Stead & the Titanic
Stead by his Peers
Stead on Miscellaneous
Other Items
Modern Authors
Maiden Tribute: a Life of W. T. Stead Grace Eckley's book on W.T. Stead
William Thomas Stead Wikipedia
Archives Hub Stead material in UK
National Register of Archives More Stead material in UK
Sharpen's W.T. Stead Page
Rob Stead's W.T. Stead.info
W.T. Stead Spartacus Educational
Waking the Dead Fictional Story
William Thomas Stead Encyclopedia Titanica
The Victorian Dictionary
Casebook: Jack the Ripper
Looking for Lewis Carroll
The Victorian Web
Victorian Database Online
Victorian Women Writers
Victorian Research Web
Peter Morton's Grant Allen
Lesley Hall's Web Page