Working on written sources is fundamental to historical learning. A document, inscription or sign brings children directly into contact with the past in much the same way as an artefact. It is real and conveys information directly in the words of past peoples. Whether an ancient family Bible with its own lock and key or a grubby Beano Annual, the experience of looking through the pages of these old books is sensory, deeply felt and long-lasting. It etches itself upon the child’s memory and becomes a part of that child’s ‘knowing’ about the past, internalised and significant.