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Periodicals

Primary sources for historical research

Indexes

Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900
Bibliography of 50,000 publications, 48,000 personal names, 4,572 issuing bodies and 756 subjects. The best starting point for finding out what was published in 19th-century England. This replaces the print version:

  • The Waterloo directory of Victorian periodicals, 1824-1900. RECAP Z6956.G6 xW62
  • The Waterloo directory of English newspapers and periodicals, 1800-1900. RECAP Z6956.E5 W383 2003
  • The Waterloo directory of Scottish newspapers and periodicals, 1800-1900. Trustee Reading Room Reference (DR) Z6956.S36 N67
  • The Waterloo directory of Irish newspapers and periodicals, 1800-1900. Trustee Reading Room Reference (DR) Z6956.I7 N67

Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals 1824-1900
Access: Library Web Computers: available on networked computers in campus libraries.
A meticulous index to 40+ important periodicals published in the 19th century in Britain. Includes an essay on each of the titles indexed.

Nineteenth Century Masterfile
Combines various general, scientific, religious, psychological, and legal indexes covering the nineteenth century. Includes the venerable "Poole's Index."

Periodicals Index Online (Late 18th century+)
Index to millions of articles published in 4,547 periodicals in the humanities and social sciences. Includes the collections, British Periodicals and Periodicals Archive Online I-V, which provide searchable full-text and page images of hundreds of periodicals, primarily from the 19th century.

Digital collections

American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection
Digital collection of American periodicals published between 1691 and 1877.

American Periodicals  (1740-early 20th century.)
Full-text and page images of several hundred American periodicals of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals Digital Archive
Digital collection of British magazines published in the 19th century. Series 1 "New Readerships: Women's, Children's, Humour and Leisure/Sports" and Series 2 "Empire" are currently available.

British Periodicals
Searchable full-text and page images of several hundred British periodicals, primarily from the 19th century.

Gallica: la presse quotidienne
Digital editions of many important French periodicals of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century--Le Temps, Figaro, Le Gaulois, Le Matin, and others.

Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines  (1860-1865.)
Digital edition of nearly 50 American & British newspapers and periodicals published during the American Civil War.

Harpweek
Digital edition of Harper's Weekly, an important American illustrated periodical. Covers 1857-1912.

Microform collections

Radical periodicals of Great Britain, 1794-1914. Period I, Protest literature of the Industrial Revolution [microform]
Microfiche 1622 and Microfilm 09852
1138 microfiches and 15 reels

Le XIXe [i.e. Dix-neuvième] siècle. [Microform]
Microfilm S00227
Description: 17. nov. 1871-1890. Note: Microfilm S00217-235 is a series of French periodicals mostly of the 19th century.