Circulars

**PLEASE NOTE, ONLY A SAMPLE OF THESE VOLUMES HAVE BEEN CATALOGUED AND CONSERVED. THE UNCATALOGUED MATERIAL IS VERY FRAGILE AND CANNOT BE ACCESSED UNTIL CONSERVATION WORK HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THIS SERIES PLEASE CONTACT ARCHIVES & MANUSCRIPTS.

Guard Books primarily contain 'circulars' - product literature and promotional material. Indexed produced in-house by the company. However, other examples of items to be found in the Guard Books include: examples of company stationery, for promotional and other use; notes to be included when packing items for shipment; letters in connection with external groups (such as the Ambulance Construction Commission during the First World War); promotional material not specific to products, but promoting brands or a way of manufacturing; publications aimed at educating about or assisting with the treatment of certain conditions - some of which promote products 'in disguise'. Some of the circulars were marked 'For the Medical Profession Only'. While most of the items in the Guard Books are in English, examples of items in many other languages - including French, German, Russian, Italian, Chinese, Portugese and Spanish - also occur. In some cases translations into English occur with items in a foreign language. All of this is noted in descriptions when it occurs.

Some terms and abbreviations used in the descriptions of items in the Guard Books are explained below: A&S FORM: Address and Suggestions form. BLOTTER: Form of leaflet / advertising used by Burroughs Wellcome & Co. Advertisement on blotting card suitable for use on a desk. DODGER: An image of a product as it would be sold, for display or other promotional purposes. For example, a dodger for a brand of cream would be in the shape of a tube, for a medicine the shape of a bottle, etc. PER: Photographic Exposure Record. SERA: Used as the plural of serum, not a brand or type of product in its own right. TRAVELLERS CARD: A short summary about a product or products, intended for use by sales represenatitives when promoting the product directly to customers or potential customers. It could be used as an aide-memoire by the representative, or given away to the intended 'target'.

Many items are individually dated, and others can be dated approximately from their position in the volumes concerned - for the most part, items have been fixed in the volumes in chronological order.

1885-1955

61 items

chronological

All surviving volumes retained.

Please see main WF collection description (ref. 'WF').