Historical Newspapers
For more information about the databases listed below, see Newspaper Database Features
American Newspapers | British Newspapers | Other Historical Newspaper Databases | Microfilm and Microfiche Collections | Newspapers As Historical Sources: Reference Sources
Quick Links
American Newspapers
- America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922 [Digital Archive]
More than 1,000 U.S. historical newspapers published between 1690 and 1922, including titles from all 50 states. - Historical Digital Collegian (1887-1987) [Digital Archive]
Digitized page images of the Pennsylvania State University's campus newspaper, The Daily Collegian. Every issue in this database can be browsed page by page, online. Also try the: - New York Times Historical (available from 1851) [Digital Archive]
Digitized page image of every backfile issue of The New York Times from 1851 (most recent three years not available). - Pennsylvania Civil War Newspapers [Digital Archive]
Digitized page images from selected newspapers printed in the pivotal years before, during and after the Civil War.
- U.S. Newspapers (19th Century) (Gale)
Digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers are captured and provide access to articles, advertisements, and illustrations.
British Newspapers
- British Library Collection (19th Century)
Contains full runs of 48 newspapers selected by the British Library to represent nineteenth century Britain. National and Regional newspapers are included
- British Newspapers (1600-1900)
"Consists of two major collections from the British Library which span three hundred years of newspaper publishing in the U.K.— 17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers and 19th Century Newspapers "
- Burney Collection (17th - 18th Century)
"The newspapers, pamphlets, and books gathered by the Reverend Charles Burney (1757-1817) represent the largest and most comprehensive collection of early English news media. The present digital collection, that helps chart the development of the concept of 'news' and 'newspapers' and the "free press", totals almost 1 million pages and contains approximately 1,270 titles"
- The Times of London (1785-1985) [Digital Archive]
Digitized page images of every issue of The Times of London from 1790-1985.- Palmer's Index, Times of London (1790-1905)
Online version of the 461 printed volumes of Palmer's Index to The Times Newspaper
- Palmer's Index, Times of London (1790-1905)
Other Historical Newspaper Databases
- Accessible Archives
Searchable database of full-text articles from 18th and 19th century African-American newspapers. In addition to the African-American sources, which are important to highlight, this collection also contains three Civil War newspapers (Charleston Mercury, New York Herald, and the Richmond Enquirer). They are not in the database: America's Historical Newspapers.
- The Performing Arts in Colonial American Newspapers, 1690-1783 [CD-ROM]
Contains references to music, lyrics, dance and theater found in American newspapers from 1690 to the end of the Revolutionary War (1783). Features full text transcriptions, a general index, an index of first lines of poems and songs, 37 images of unique woodcuts, and an issue-by-issue bibliography of the 162 titles covered.
The periodical press can also be an important source for historical news:
- American Periodicals Series (1740-1900) [Digital Archive]
"Over 1,100 periodicals ... including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals".
- British Periodicals Database [Digital Archive]
"provides access to the searchable full text of hundreds of periodicals from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth, comprising millions of high-resolution facsimile page images."
- The Economist Historical Archive (1843-2003) [Digital Archive]
The Gale Virtual Library houses this database. To search it, click on Change Databases and then scroll down to it. Click the link and start your search.
- The Nation Digital Archive (1865-present)
Magazines for Libraries, (12th ed.) says of The Nation: "Proud of being a 'Wholly owned subsidiary of our own conscience' rather than a publication from a media conglomerate....[and] is one of the most openly left-wing publications in existence". - Periodicals Archive Online (1770-1995)
"[A]n archive of hundreds of digitized journals (in PDF) published in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It provides researchers with access to more than 200 years of scholarship."
Microfilm and Microfiche Collections
Back files of hundreds of newspapers are available in the News & Microforms Library. The collection begins in the eighteenth century and includes many Pennsylvania publications.
Use NewsCAT to search for specific titles either alphabetically, by geography or by the time period published. This also includes microfilm collections in the University Libraries.
- Black Abolitionist Papers, 1830-1865
Includes approximately 14,000 letters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, essays and other documents written by antislavery movement activists.
For more information, consult Black Abolitionist Papers, 1830-1865 : A Guide to the Microfilm Edition - Black Literature, 1827-1940
Contains fiction, poetry, book reviews, and literary notices originally published in 900 Black periodicals and newspapers. - Early English Newspapers This collection of 17th and 18th century English newspapers makes available scarce and deteriorating texts that provide researchers insight into events that might be glossed over in a history book. [Gale Homepage] For more information consult Early English Newspapers: Bibliography and Guide to the Microfilm Collection
- The Hampton University Peabody Newspaper Clipping File 1873-1940
789 microfiche of newspaper clippings concerning Afro-American history, politics, education, and culture, 1873-1940. For more information consult the index to The Hampton University Peabody Newspaper Clipping File
- The Harbottle Dorr Collection of Annotated Massachusetts newspapers, 1765-1776
This 12 year archive from pre-Revolutionery Boston includes "3,280 pages of annotated newspapers, plus the appended documents and Dorr's own indexes to the four volumes he compiled." [ UMI Research Collections - Massachusetts Historical Society Collections]
For more information, consult the Index to Harbottle Dorr Collection of Annotated Massachusetts Newspapers (1765-1776) - Herstory
Collection of women's newspapers, journals and other publications from the 1950s to the 1970s, assembled by the Women's History Research Center.
For more information, consult Guide to the Microfilm Edition of Herstory - Newsbank Urban Affairs Library
Microfiche copies of newspaper articles from 150 U.S. newspapers on these topics. Use the related Index to locate specific articles.- Business and economic development (1975-1980)
- Consumer affairs (1975-1980)
- Education (1970-1980)
- Employment (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Environment (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Government (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Health (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Housing and urban renewal (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Law and order (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Minority economic development (1970-1972)
- Political development (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Race relations (1970-1972)
- Social relations (1975-1980)
- Transportation (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- Urban News File (1973-1974, 1975[incomplete])
- Welfare and poverty (1970-1972, 1975-1980)
- The Right Wing Collection of the University of Iowa Libraries, 1918-1977 "Contains serials and ephemera covering the period 1918-1977 from
right-wing collections at several universities." [Library of Congress]
- Selection of Titles from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Contains full-text of African-American newspapers, periodicals, and books that would be otherwise very difficult to obtain in their original editions. It is one of the most significant primary resources for the serious study of African-American history in all of its aspects, with source materials on slavery, slave trade, race, abolitionism, social life, customs, and literature.
For more information, consult the indexes: - South Carolina Newspapers, 1732-1782
Contains South Carolina newspapers held by the Charleston Library Society.
For more information, consult South Carolina Newspapers, 1732-1782 (index) - Underground Newspaper Collection
Includes more than 435 diverse titles, many from the alternative press movement of the 1960s.
To determine which issues are on microfilm, consult the guide, Underground Newspaper Collection (microform) (index). - The Underground & Alternative Press in Britain (1974-1975) This collection contains alternative and underground newspapers.
For more information, consult The Underground and Alternative Press in Britain (index) - Voices from Wartime France, 1939 -1945 : Clandestine Resistance and Vichy Newspapers from the British Library at Colindale, London
Offers the complete French holdings of the British Library Newspaper Library at Colindale, London, acquired through a variety of intelligence, clandestine and neutral sources, and presents as accurate a view as possible of life in France during the War years. For more information, consult Primary Source Media.
Newspapers As Historical Sources: Reference Sources
- Ayer Directory of Publications (1880-1982)
"Published annually, the "Ayer's Directory," as it was commonly known, is a list of newspapers (and many periodicals) published in the United States and Canada, arranged geographically." [Library of Congress] Ayer's includes:
- a listing of newspapers and periodicals
- subject listings, such as culinary and housekeeping, fashion, matrimonial, millinery, woman's handiwork, and women's clubs (these categories became increasingly detailed over time).
- The Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900 (20 volumes) "A directory to the largest single body of historical documents arising out of nineteenth century England at the height of the British Empire." [North Waterloo Academic Press homepage]
- The Waterloo Directory of Irish Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900 (one volume) "An alphabetical listing and description of publications in Ireland in all fields, including the arts, sciences, professions, trades, labour, agriculture, industry, entertainment, sport, church and home." [North Waterloo Academic Press]
- The Waterloo Directory of Scottish Newspapers and Periodicals, 1800-1900 (two volumes) "An alphabetical listing and description of newspaper and periodical publications in Scotland in all fields, including the arts, sciences, professions, trades, labour, agriculture, industry, entertainment, sport, church, children, women and finance." [North Waterloo Academic Press]
- Willing's Press Guide (1974-1987) "a concise and comprehensive index to the press of the United Kingdom..."
When you can't find a newspaper, try:
- American Antiquarian Society Newspapers
- Ayer Directory of Publications (1880-1982) (Library of Congress)
- The British Library Newspapers
- Center for Research Libraries Newspaper Collection
- ICON : International Coalition on Newspapers "The database contains over 25,000 records pertaining to global newspapers and holding libraries."
- The Library of Congress Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers Search the Directory for libraries that own holdings of specific historical newspapers.
- Newspaper Archives/Indexes/Morgues
- Wisconsin Historical Society Newspapers and Periodicals
- For Newspapers on Microfilm:
e-reference page.