We're opening up the pages of the book that was once deemed so dangerous it had to be locked away...

A revolution may be brewing in our archives, as we're delving into the history of the Minute Book of the First International Workingmen's Association.

Given to us in 1910 by Victorian activist George Howell, this Minute Book was one of the first comings together of socialists, communists, and anarchist thinkers of the time, and includes some recognisable names such as Karl Marx.

The book's certainly had an interesting history at the Institute, with requests from Moscow leading to the Governors of the Institute locking the book in a vault, just in case it fell into the wrong hands...

Discover the story of the Minute Book in our latest video with our Special Collections & Archives Manager, Stef.

He talks us through how the Marx-Engels Institute in Moscow, Winston Churchill, and some doodles all played a part in the history of this Minute-Book.

Want to take a look at the book for yourself?

If you're curious about why the Minute Book of the First International Workingmen's Association caused such a stir, you can now read it as part of our archives online.

Howell also kept his own personal notebook on the meetings of the International, recording his thoughts, opinions, and items he considered most important. This notebook can be downloaded here.