The pogroms in Russia following the assassination of Alexander II led many Jewish scholars in Europe to examine closely the history and culture of their people. Over three months in 1887 the Anglo-Jewish Historical Exhibition in London aimed 'to promote knowledge of Anglo-Jewish History; to create a deeper interest in its records and relics, and to aid in their preservation', while also determining 'the extent of the materials which exist for the compilation of a History of the Jews in England'. Artefacts illuminating this history, together with religious art and miscellaneous antiquities, were placed on public display and a series of lectures was given. Various academic enterprises, including the Bibliotheca Anglo-Judaica - also edited by Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) and Lucien Wolf (1857-1930) and reissued in this series - were undertaken as a direct result of this important event. The descriptive catalogue of exhibits, first published in 1888, is also well illustrated with a number of full-page photographs.
