This volume serves as a comprehensive bibliographic record designed to catalog the entirety of historical scholarship concerning Britain and Ireland published during the 1998 calendar year. Austin Gee, working under the auspices of the Royal Historical Society, compiles an exhaustive list of monographs, journal articles, and academic contributions. The text functions as a structured reference framework, organizing vast amounts of historical data to assist researchers in navigating the academic output of that specific period.

Historians and academic librarians frequently cite this series as a foundational reference tool for tracking historiographical trends. Experts note the high level of precision and the exhaustive nature of the entries, making it a standard resource for period-specific research.