American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Business

This collection features periodicals that were primarily used as advertising vehicles. Print became an increasingly popular medium for marketing and promotion as printing technologies became more efficient and more affordable. Advertising periodicals appeared in large cities and small towns alike, creating a wide commercial geography as the United States expanded west. The titles here show the various kinds of goods and services that were available to consumers and how retailers marketed them. Subjects include medicine, fashion, business, industry, agriculture, books, literature, abolition, and publishing.

The Business and General Education Periodicals, 1800-1885 collection focuses on the long and rich history of education in the United States. The titles found here reflect a broad range of pedagogical methods as they changed over time, and encompass teaching in the classrooms of public and private schools alike. Also included here are titles dedicated to teaching in college, teaching trades and professional skills, teaching English grammar and foreign languages, and more. National and state education is represented in titles such as the Journal of Progress in Education and Social Improvement, the Popular Educator, the Common School and Iowa Journal of Education, and the Maine Common School Advocate. Business school publications include Eastman's State and National Business College, and Bryant, Stratton & Bell's Peoria, Illinois Business College Monthly. Titles dedicated to the trades include the Penman and Accountant, the Phonographic Comet, the Southern Workman: Devoted to the Industrial Classes of the South, and the American Polytechnic Journal. Specialized publications, such as the Gallaudet Guide and Deaf Mutes Companion, the Polyglot, Amerikanische Schulzeitung, Comstock's Phonetic Magazine, the Mnemonical Magazine, and De Fonetic Propagandist demonstrate the diversity of titles in this collection.

The Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1774-1858 collection represents the subjects of business and industry, broadly defined, dating from 1774-1858. The publications covered include journals devoted to specific trades (such as the Tailors' Magazine and Quarterly Report of Fashion, Operatives' Magazine, Coach Makers' Magazine) and professions (the Civil Engineer and Herald of Internal Improvement, Fireman's Gazette, Cozzens' Wine Press). The collection includes periodicals promoting the interests of large industries, such as the railroads (American Railroad Journal), and the growing financial sector (Debtors Journal, G. Adams' Business Intelligencer, American Insurance Examiner). Together, they chronicle the large-scale shifts in commerce during the years witnessing the rise of capitalism.

The Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1859-1870 collection represents the subjects of business and industry, broadly defined, focusing on the years 1859 to 1870. The publications include journals devoted to specific trades (such as the New England Mechanic, and Shoe and Leather Reporter) and professions (the American Merchant, Printers' Monthly Bulletin). They also include periodicals promoting the interests of industry (Pacific Railroad, the Journal of Industry). Subjects also include finance (the Insurance Intelligencer, the Wall Street Underwriter and General Joint Stock Register) and the emerging service industries (the Real Estate Register of the North-West, the Detective's Manual and Officer's Guide). Together, they chronicle the large-scale shifts in commerce during the years witnessing the rise of capitalism.

The Business, Industrial and Professional Periodicals, 1871-1901 collection represents the subjects of business and industry, broadly defined, focusing on the last quarter of the nineteenth century, during the second industrial revolution. The publications include journals devoted to specific trades (such as the Iron Molders' International Journal, the Lumber Trade) and professions (the American Letter Carriers' Magazine, Engineering News). They also include periodicals promoting the interests of industry (the Paper Trade Journal, the Coal and Iron Record, the Western Manufacturer, the Railroad Advertiser). Subjects also include finance (the National Business Index, the Banker and Tradesman) and the emerging service industries (the Scranton Law Times, the Real Estate Reporter). Together, they chronicle the large-scale shifts in commerce during the years witnessing the solidification of capitalism, mass production, and industrialization.