Scottish Sunday Express Archive: Back Issue Papers

Scottish Sunday Express Archive: Back Issue Papers

Why Outdated Newspapers Are Treasure Troves for Historians

Over the centuries, newspapers remained an easy way to inform the public of current events and local happenings. These publications give people an abundance of relevant, real-world information without having to rely on wires or a private investigator. Even now, newspapers remain a trusted source of information for genealogists, historians, and interested scholars. The view they grant those people, one of the past, is difficult to imitate in any other medium. Even tabloids have academic value. Papers like the Scottish Sunday Express offer a glimpse into what controversies, and sensationalist stories, captured the imagination of people 50, 75, or even 100 years ago.

The History of  the Scottish Sunday ExpressThe Scottish Sunday Express shares much of its history with its parent paper, the Daily Express. Both were founded by one Sir Arthur Pearson in 1900  and later sold to Lord Beaverbrook.  In 1927, the Scottish Sunday Express moved with Beaverbrook’s other papers to a new printing location in Manchester. Throughout the 1930s, his publications would go on to break printing records across the country. In 1948, he was emboldened enough by his success to state that his tabloids existed “purely for the purpose of making propaganda”. Due to a change in public opinion, and the emergence of new competition, the readership for all Express papers dropped drastically after Beaverbrook’s death in 1964. A series of acquisitions and mergers soon followed. In just four decades, ownership of the Scottish Sunday Express changed hands no less than three times. In 2000, it ended up in the hands of the ever-controversial Richard Desmond. Though a record-breaking series of libel cases followed under Desmond’s leadership, the paper finally began to stabilize. At the moment, all Express papers circulate about a third of heavy-hitter the Daily Mail.

The biggest faux pas in the history of the Scottish Sunday Express stemmed from its coverage of the 1996 Dunblane Massacre. The paper criticized survivors of the tragedy for drinking, making rude gestures, and mentioning their sex lives across social media. To mitigate the resulting backlash, the paper published a front-page apology less than two weeks later. Some say this editorial oversight still hurts subscriptions to this day.

Interesting Facts About the Scottish Sunday Express

  • The Scottish Sunday  Express is printed in Glasgow by contract printers.
  • When the paper’s printing was moved to Manchester, it sparked the creation of a defunct, union-run paper, the Scottish Daily News.
  • The Daily Express was one of the first papers to feature news in place of advertisements on its front page.

Scottish Sunday Express Archives

To find back issues of The Scottish Sunday Express or to check availability of the newspaper, follow these steps: