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Ref NoDM2123/9
Alt Ref NoDM2123/1/52-56
TitleSpare Rib Papers and Boston Women’s Health Book Collective materials
DescriptionSpare Rib was a feminist magazine, published in the UK, and emerged in the early 1970s as a result of meetings involving, among others, Rosie Boycott and Marsha Rowe. It helped shape debate about feminism in the UK particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, and had a policy to promote new writings which challenged stereotypes. It was run as a feminist collective, and issues were published between 1972 and 1993.

See this article on Spare Rib, for a good history of it's origins: https://www.bl.uk/spare-rib/articles/introduction-spare-rib-the-first-nine-years

This series within the Feminist Archive South comprises 5 boxes of papers relating to the business of running Spare Rib magazine from its conception in 1972 to 1986. Of the 6 sub-series, the first is concerned mainly with running the business of the magazine, eg distribution, financial information. The last contains papers published by the Boston Women’s Book Collective, therefore available elsewhere. These 2 sub-series are open and accessible to researchers, although some items containing personal information have been redacted and the redacted version is available to researchers. The remaining 4 series consist largely of readers’ letters to Spare Rib, some of which were published in the magazine. As predominantly including personal data, these papers are restricted.

The folders/envelopes in this series had not been boxed up in any particular order, therefore they have been re-arranged to reflect the 6 different series which were apparent from the labelling and contents. However before resorting, each folder/envelope was given a draft number which can be used to reconstruct the original order (eg 52/1). Each folder has then been assigned a new reference number to reflect its position within the overall series eg DM2123/9/52-56/1/1.

Please order DM2123/1/Boxes 52-56 [see also DM2123/1/Box 52a for the unredacted materials].

Box 52: DM2123/9/1/1-10: Open with some redactions
Box 52: DM2123/9/2/-5: Open with some redactions
Box 52a: Closed materials from DM2123/9/1-2 (redacted viewable copies available in Box 52)
Box 53: DM2123/9/6-15. Open with some redactions
Box 53: DM2123/9/3/1-2: 2 box files, closed until 2064
Box 54: DM2123/9/3/3-9: closed until 2063
Box 54: DM2123/9/4/1-9: closed until 2065
Box 55: DM2123/9/4/10-22: closed until 2065
Box 55: DM2123/9/9/1-7: closed until 2068
Box 56: Boston Women’s Health Collective Papers (open and available elsewhere)

Recatalogued in January-July 2019, and finally checked January 2020. (JP/HL)
Date1972-1986
FormatManuscript
Extent6 record management boxes
Access ConditionsMany items contain personal data restricted under Data Protection legislation - see details at item level. This material is held off site and needs to be ordered in advance.
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