Susan Penny, BA(Hons), DipLib, PGDE, MA, MCLIP, MSocInd.

MA Victorian Studies (Birkbeck College, University of London).

From earliest times to the present day, and from broad brushstrokes to intimate detail… I am equally happy to index works on World history and great events, or the local history of an area or even a street.

For my MA I specialised in Victorian crime, 19th Century art, and Ireland; and as an undergraduate I studied Anglo-Saxon art and archaeology, and Greek and Roman drama and epic.

I am particularly interested in social history and the lived experience of the past, and in Scottish history.

Recent indexes include:

Wild History by James Crawford
War Paths by Alistair Moffat
Tyninghame: Landscapes and Lives by Judy Riley
Teaching and Learning the Archaeology of the Contemporary Era edited by Gabriel Moshenska
Victims and Criminal Justice edited by Pamela Cox
Women in Exile in Early Modern Europe and the Americas edited by Linda Levy Peck and Adrianna Bakos

Architecture, Empire, and Trade. The United Africa Company by Iain Jackson
Taken as Red, Highs and Lows of the Labour Party, 1924-2019 by Richard Temple

Neither here nor there. Migration: Irish and Scots in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven 1855-1900 by Charles Docherty

I’m especially interested in British Art, particularly art of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Recent indexes include:
Visual Counterculture in Japan by Marco Bohr
Sustainable Fashion, Migrants, Embroidery by Alessandra Lopez y Royo
Portrayals of Women in Early Twentieth-Century China by Sandy Ng
Art of Ukraine by Alisa Lozhkina
Modern Painting by Simon Morley
Philosophy and Art in Southeast Asia by Melvin Chen

BA(Hons) English Literature (University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne).

I studied all periods from the Anglo-Saxons onwards, with additional modules in Australian and Russian Literature, and Greek and Roman drama and epic. Children’s literature is a particular passion.
Recent indexes include:
Literature and Natural Theology in Early Modern England by Katherine Calloway
The Birth of the Financial Thriller. Making a Killing in the 1970s by Mikkel Krause Frantzen
Victorian Paper Art and Craft: Writers and Their Materials by Deborah Lutz
Border Politics in Novels by European Women in Translation by Pam Morris
Graveyard Gothic edited by Eric Parisot, David McAllister and Xavier Aldana Reyes
Shakespeare/Play edited by Emma Whipday

Classical Antiquity and Medieval Ireland edited by Clarke, Poppe and Torrance
Conversing with Chaos in Graeco-Roman Antiquity edited by Esther Eidinow and Christopher Schliephake
Politics of Language. Foreign Nativeness and Identity in the Roman Empire by Eleni Bozia
The Economics of War in Ancient Greece edited by Roel Konijnendijk and Manu Dal Borgo

I live and work in Scotland. I’m interested in all aspects of my country, including history, geography, society, and travel.
Recent indexes include:
Hebridean Journey by Brigid Benson
Wild History by James Crawford
Neither Here Nor There. Migration: Irish and Scots in Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven by Charles Docherty
War Paths by Alistair Moffat
Tyninghame by Judy Riley

I am interested in all aspects of gardening and cultivation – from garden history and design to the practicalities of owning an allotment or smallholding.
Recent indexes include:
Citrus. A World History by David J Mabberley
Growing Spaces. – A History of the Allotment Movement by Lesley Acton
Tyninghame by Judy Riley

Public transport – buses, trains and ferries – and transport history are particular interests.
Recent indexes include:
Quest for Speed: an Illustrated History of High-Speed Trains from Rocket to Bullet and Beyond by Derek Hayes

PGDE Primary Education (University of the Highlands and Islands).

I have extensive experience of teaching practice, pedagogy and school management in both the English and the Scottish education systems, including working in primary, secondary and 3-18 schools. Literacy and study skills are particular areas of interest.
As a school librarian, I have worked across all academic disciplines to support students, and I have always worked closely with specialist colleagues to support students with a wide range of special educational needs.
Recent indexes include:
Ab Initio Language Teaching in British Higher Education
Issues: 428 Vaping; 429 Expat or Immigrant?; 430 Youth Violence; 431 Porn; 432 Gender Equality; 433 Cancer; 434 AI; 435 Changing Population; 436 Obesity; 437 Crime and Justice; 438 Abortion and Pregnancy; 439 Sustainable Future

I am a County Chair, and chair of my local Riding for the Disabled group. My previous experience includes everything from pony trekking to working at a three-day event stable. I take a keen interest in all areas of equestrian sports, from dressage to racing.
I’m a hardy wild swimmer, and a keen walker.
Recent indexes include:
The Pinnacle of Fame. 200 Years of the World’s Oldest Competitive Rowing Club by William O’Chee

Living on Mull, an island known for its wildlife tourism, I am keenly aware of popular interest in all aspects of this subject. I’m a member of Butterfly Conservation and our local Mull Otter Group, and have worked alongside professional naturalists in activities such as plant species surveys and moth recording.

Horses, ponies, dogs, and chickens are my particular areas of expertise.
I have ridden from an early age, and have cared for everything from stabled thoroughbred horses to native hill ponies living rough all year.
I have always kept border collies, and for the last 10 years have had a flock of hens.