Link to print-friendly version


Retrospective Magazine/Journal Indexes

This is a list of general and multidisciplinary indexes to articles in magazines and journals published before 1950, in paper, cd rom and online, and primarily in English. For retrospective newspaper indexes, see the Historical U.S. Newspapers guide.

Table of Contents:

Online
If you are not student, staff or faculty of the University of Minnesota, you will not be able to access some online databases from a remote location; you can, however, come into any university library facility to access them.
  • Internet Library of Early Journals
    Searchable full-text images of six 18th century and 19th century journals. Three 18th-century journals: * Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1750 * The Annual Register, 1758-1778 * Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 1757-1777
    Three 19th-century journals: * Notes and Queries, 1849-1869 * The Builder, 1843-1852 * Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, 1843-1863.
  • Making of America (Cornell Web Site)
    Searchable page images of full text of 22 nineteenth-century American journals, which are listed here:
    The American Missionary (1878 - 1901) The American Whig Review (1845 - 1852) The Atlantic Monthly (1857 - 1901) The Bay State Monthly (1884 - 1886) The Century (1881 - 1899) The Continental Monthly (1862 - 1864) The Galaxy (1866 - 1878) Harper's New Monthly Magazine (1850 - 1899) The International Monthly Magazine (1850 - 1852) The Living Age (1844 - 1900) Manufacturer and Builder (1869 - 1894) The New England Magazine (1886 - 1900) The New-England Magazine (1831 - 1835) New Englander (1843 - 1892) The North American Review (1815 - 1900) The Old Guard (1863 - 1867) Punchinello (1870) Putnam's Monthly (1853 - 1870) Scientific American (1846 - 1869) Scribner's Magazine (1887 - 1896) Scribner's Monthly (1870 - 1881) The United States Democratic Review (1837 - 1859)
  • Making of America (University of Michigan)
    Searchable page images of full text of 11 nineteenth-century American journals, which are listed here:
    *Appleton's 1869-1881 (2 series) * Catholic World 1865-1901 * DeBow's 1846-1869 + 1952 index (3 series) * Garden and Forest 1888-1897 (from Library of Congress) * Ladies Repository 1841-1876 (3 series) * The Old Guard 1864 * Overland Monthly 1868-1900 (2 series) * Princeton Review 1831-1882 (3 series) * Southern Literary Messenger 1835-1864 + 1936 Contributor index * Southern Quarterly Review 1842-1857 (3 series) * Vanity Fair 1860-1862
  • Nineteenth Century Masterfile Authentication Required
    Series I: Multi-title Periodical Indexes contains:
    Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1906
    Index to Periodical Articles in Religion,1890-1899
    The Psychological Index, 1894-1905
    Index to Periodicals, 1890-1906
    Cumulative Index to a Selected List of Periodicals, 1896-1899
    Index to Legal Periodical Literature, 1786-1922
  • Readers Guide Retrospective Authentication Required
    1890-1982.
    Provides comprehensive, historic indexing of the most popular general-interest magazines and journals published in the United States during the 20th century.
[Return to Top]

Paper, CD ROM and Microform
  • Comprehensive Index to English Language Little Magazines
    1890-1970, paper.
    Indexes 100 journals on special subjects which appeal to a limited audience.
    • Location(s): Wilson Library Reference PN4836 .S2x
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Cover Story Index
    1960-1989 is an index to the cover stories of Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report. 1990-1995 is an index to the cover stories of Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, Business Week, Congressional Digest, Discover, Life, Ms, National Geographic, Omni, Psychology Today and USA Today (periodical).
    • Location(s): TC Wilson Library Reference Quarto AI3 .C73
  • Early American Periodicals Index to 1850
    1730-1860. This index is on microprint cards in the Newspaper Room, Basement Wilson Library. It indexes 340 American magazines published roughly from 1730 to 1860. There are 6 separate indexes: General Prose, Fiction, Poetry, Book Reviews, Songs, Subject File.
    • Location(s): Wilson Library Mprint 8
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Index to American Periodicals of the 1700s and 1800s
    1700-1850, CD ROM.
    Indexes the microform American Periodical Series: APS I, 1700-1800 and APS II, 1800-1850. The U. of Minn. Libraries do not own these microfilm series. However, we may own individual periodical titles in paper or microfilm. To determine this, search MNCAT by title of the periodical.
    The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) owns the APS I and II microfilm series; U of Minn. students, staff and faculty may request through InterLibrary Loan.
    • Location(s): WILSON Reference CD ROM.
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Indexed periodicals : a guide to 170 years of coverage in 33 indexing services
    List of periodicals and where they are indexed, from 1802 to mid-1973.
    • Location(s): TC Wilson Library Reference Quarto AP1 .M37x 1976 ; Location: TC Wilson Library Quarto AP1 .M37x 1976
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
    1890-99, with supplementary indexing, 1900-1922.
    Provides subject, author, and title indexes to over 50 English and American periodicals. Includes some titles not found in Poole's (see below).
    Location(s): Magrath Library Periodicals (Indexes), and
    • Location(s): Wilson Library Reference Quarto AI3 .R47x
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, by William Frederick Poole
    1802-1906. Subject index to about 470 nineteenth-century periodicals, both British and American.
    Name index to Poole's citations: Cumulative Author Index for Poole's Index, Wilson Reference, Quarto AI3 .P7x.
    • Location(s): Wilson Reference AI3 .P7x 1938
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature
    1900-2002 in Wilson Reference; 1900-1994 in Magrath Library.
    Indexes articles in general interest magazines.
    • Location(s): Quarto AI3 .R48
    WILSON Reference; MAGRATH Reference
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
  • Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals
    1824-1900.
    Indexes 43 leading journals of the 19th century, published in the British Isles. Provides the names of authors of many anonymous reviews. The introductions to each volume contain information on the history of each periodical.
    The CD ROM version is keyword searchable. The print version gives the table of contents for each issue, but THERE IS NO SUBJECT INDEX, only an author index.
    • Location(s): WILSON Reference CD ROM. Print edition: WILSON Reference AI3 .X45
    • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
[Return to Top]

Eighteenth Century Indexes
Most of the above indexes cover mainly the 19th century and/or early 20th century. Below are listed the ones that cover the 17th century.
  • Online
    If you are not student, staff or faculty of the University of Minnesota, you will not be able to access some online databases from a remote location; you can, however, come into any university library facility to access them.
    • Internet Library of Early Journals
      The core collection for the project are runs of at least 20 consecutive years of three 18th-century journals:
      * Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1750 * The Annual Register, 1758-1778 * Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 1757-1777.
  • CD ROM
    • Index to American Periodicals of the 1700s and 1800s
      1700-1850, CD ROM.
      Indexes the microform American Periodical Series: APS I, 1700-1800 and APS II, 1800-1850. The U. of Minn. Libraries do not own these microfilm series. However, we may own individual periodical titles in paper or microfilm. To determine this, search MNCAT by title of the periodical.
      The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) owns the APS I and II microfilm series; U of Minn. students, staff and faculty may request through InterLibrary Loan.
      • Location(s): WILSON Reference CD ROM.
      • Check MNCAT Record for Location and Availability
[Return to Top]

E-Journal Collections as Indexes
Many of the University of Minnesota Libraries electronic journal collections (JSTOR, Project Muse, etc.) can be searched by subject, thus allowing them to be used as an index to the articles in them. They can be used as historical magazine/journal indexes because many of the periodical titles go back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. To search an e-journal collection, go to E-Journals under ArticlesAndMore in LUMINA.
If you are not student, staff or faculty of the University of Minnesota, you will not be able to access most electronic journals from a remote location; you can, however, come into any university library facility to access them.

[Return to Top]

Page Coordinator: Van Houlson houls001@tc.umn.edu
This URL: http://www.lib.umn.edu/libdata/page.phtml?page_id=1222