Nineteenth-Century Periodicals?

May 25, 2012 12:39 PM

I am interested in exploring the circulation and distribution information for a variety of nineteenth-century periodicals. I would like to know how many people subscribed to various literary magazines and newspapers, where these publications were sent, who printed the texts, etc... Any ideas?
posted by rapidadverbssuck to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

http://www.bpl.org/online/newspaper_directories.htm

This page on the Boston Public Library web site includes links to many freely-available editions of newspaper directories throughout the 19th century, which include circulation information. I don't know if they cover literary magazines, though.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 12:47 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

What country or countries are you interested in?
posted by languagehat at 2:42 PM on May 25, 2012

Response by poster: I'm predominately interested in American Literature. My focus is on the U.S. South---in publications like The Southern Rose and The Southern Literary Messenger---but I would also like information about such northern periodicals as The North American Review.
posted by rapidadverbssuck at 4:46 PM on May 25, 2012

I recently read about the Lowell Offering, a monthly publication with content by the young women who worked in the textile mills of Lowell, Mass. Says Wikipedia, "It began in 1840 and lasted until 1845. It was first organized and edited by the minister of the First Universalist Church, Reverend Abel Charles Thomas."
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:11 PM on May 25, 2012

The five volume A history of American magazines by Frank Luther Mott is a good starting point.
posted by zepheria at 1:07 PM on May 30, 2012