LibGuides: AAS Historical Periodicals Collection: Home

American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection

The AAS Historical Periodicals Collection contains more than 6,500 historical periodical titles dating from 1693 to 1877.

Series 1 presents titles dating from 1693 through 1820.
Series 2 presents over 1000 titles dating from 1821 through 1837. The collection represents over two centuries of print culture, ranging from early works imported by the colonists to later titles published on American soil on the eve of the Revolution and during the early republic.
Series 3 presents over 1,700 titles dating from 1838 through 1852. The themes presented in Series 3 reveal a rapidly growing young nation, where industrialization, the railroads, regional political differences, and life on the western frontier were daily realities. Subjects covered in the collection reach into every facet of American life, including science, literature, medicine, agriculture, women’s fashion, family life, and religion.
Series 4 presents over 1,100 titles dating from 1853 through 1865. While the Civil War is a focal point of the collection, we also find a diverse record of the continuance of daily life for many Americans—both leading up to and during the war. News from the battlefront can be found, in addition to the usual breadth of subject matter found in previous collections that include science, literature, medicine, agriculture, women’s fashion, family life, and religion.
Series 5 presents over 2,500 titles dating from 1866 through 1877. The themes presented in Series 5 reflect a nation that persevered through a most difficult set of circumstances: a bloody civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; the incorporation of the recently-freed African Americans into American life; a population that rapidly expanded into the Western territories. Broad subject areas covered in the collection reach into every facet of American life, including science, literature, medicine, agriculture, women’s fashion, family life, and religion.

Founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas, the American Antiquarian Society is both a learned society and a major independent research library. The AAS library today houses the largest and most accessible collection of books, pamphlets, broadsides, newspapers, periodicals, music, and graphic arts material printed through 1876 in what is now the United States, as well as manuscripts and a substantial collection of secondary texts, bibliographies, and digital resources and reference works related to all aspects of American history and culture before the twentieth century. AAS was presented with the 2013 National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony at the White House. Additional information is available at the AAS website.

UMSL has access to this material through two different platforms: Gale and EBSCO.

AAS American Historical Periodicals (Gale), Parts 1-5 This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society provides a history of the American people and a testament to the growth of the nation from the colonial period through to the twentieth century. The periodicals were predominantly published in the United States or Canada, though some were published overseas by Americans living abroad.
The collection includes unusual and short-lived magazines as well as better-known titles with long runs. Early periodicals in the collection focus on colonial life and the growing tensions between colonists and their oversea rulers leading up to the American Revolution. Common themes depicted in antebellum periodicals reveal a rapidly growing young nation where industrialization, western expansion, and regional political differences were a daily reality for many Americans. The Civil War and Reconstruction eras are well represented, documenting the conflict and its aftermath from a variety of perspectives and allowing readers to bear witness to this pivotal period in American history. Early twentieth century titles document the second Industrial Revolution, immigration, women’s rights, World War I, as well as fashion and music during the Roaring Twenties.
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1-5: 1691-1912 (EBSCO)
- This link opens in a new window
American Antiquarian Society collection of American periodicals
Series 1: 1691-1820
Series 2: 1821-1837
Series 3: 1838-1852
Series 4: 1853-1865
Series 5: 1866-1912
Reference materials are provided in the form of a Reference Shelf, located on right side of your screen beside your search results. The reference shelf contains:
- Dictionary of Pre-19th Century Terms & Definitions: This dictionary, compiled by Brittannica, allows you to not only find definitions for early terminology, but to search documents by the words themselves.
- Collection Overview Essays: Overview Essays are reviews and summaries written by prominent historians who have used the specified collection for historical research. These essays, addressing the specific collection or content in it, provide invaluable insight into and highlight the research value of the content. These essays can be helpful in placing collection contents in a larger historical context, as well as inspire new research ideas or methods of using the collection for the researcher.
- Citation Help: Detailed instructions, links, and examples of how to cite various types of information using MLA, Chicago, and APA styles of citation.
- FAQs: A selection of frequently asked questions to help quickly address your needs or difficulties.