PUBLICATION HISTORY OF NILES’ REGISTER

 

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Niles’ Register:  Cumulative Index, 1811-1849

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Hezekiah Niles founded The Weekly Register in 1811, and it continued in one form or another until 1849.  During its run, it had four editors, three titles, and was published in three different cities, as follows:

Editors:  Hezekiah Niles, William Ogden Niles, Jeremiah  Hughes, and George Beatty.

Titles:  The Weekly Register, Niles' Weekly Register, and Niles' National Register.  (Oddly, the name by which it is almost invariably referred to now, Niles' Register, is one title that the work never actually bore.)

Places of publication:  Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia.

Over 38 years, Niles’ Register published 75 volumes, each covering a 6-month period.  (Fragments of a 76th volume were also published:  See below.)  Most volumes were 416 pages, although some were longer; the total number of pages in the work exceeds 30,000.

In the Cumulative Index, references are expressed in terms of volume and page number – e.g., “volume2, page 173.”  This is all that is needed to look something up in either the bound or microform copies of the Register,  both of which are organized by volumes.  It is not necessary to know dates of publication to look articles up in the pages of the Register.   However, most entries in the Cumulative Index include dates of publication as well. 

"Supplements," "appendices," and "addenda" were occasionally published in conjunction with the regular weekly issues of  the Register.  When these were numbered consecutively with the regular weekly issues, they are indexed without special annotation.  The addition of supplement, appendix, or addendum to a volume/page reference – as in “volume 7, page 144 (supplement)” -- indicates that the reference is to a "supplement" or an "appendix" or an "addendum" that was not numbered consecutively with the regular weekly issues.   The occasions on which these supplementary publications appeared are noted below.

For those who are interested, the dates of publication of the various volumes of Niles' Register appear below.

Volume number            Dates of publication (first issue in volume, last issue in volume)

     1                             September 7, 1811 - February 29, 1812

     2                             March 7, 1812 - August 29, 1812

     3                           September 5, 1812 - February 27, 1813

[Volume 3 has an appendix that is numbered consecutively with the regular issues.  There is also an addendum.]

     4                   March 6, 1813 - August 28, 1813

[Volume 4 has an appendix that is numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

     5                  September 4, 1813 - February 26, 1814

[Volume 5 has an supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.  There are also two addenda.]

     6                             March 5, 1814 - August 27, 1814

     7                             September 3, 1814 - February 25, 1815

[Volume 7 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

     8                             March 4, 1815 - August 26, 1815

[Volume 8 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

     9                             September 2, 1815 - February 24, 1816

[Volume 9 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.  There is also an addendum.]

    10                            March 2, 1816 - August 24, 1816

    11                            August 31, 1816 - February 22, 1817

    12                            March 1, 1817 - August 23, 1817

    13                            August 30, 1817 - February 21, 1818

    14                            February 28, 1818 - August 22, 1818

    15                            August 29, 1818 - February 20, 1819

[Volume 15 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

    16                            February 27, 1819 - August 28, 1819

[Volume 16 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

    17                            September 4, 1819 - February 20, 1820

[Volume 17 has a supplement whose pages are numbered 113-115 despite the fact that three ordinary in-sequence pages bear those same numbers.]

    18                            March 4, 1820 - August 26, 1820

    19                            September 2, 1820 - February 24, 1821

    20                            March 3, 1821 - August 25, 1821

    21                            September 1, 1821 - February 28, 1822

    22                            March 2, 1822 - August 31, 1822

    23                            September 7, 1822 - March 1, 1823

[Volume 23 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.  The running heads in this supplement read “SUP. TO VOL. XXII” although the title page says “SUPPLEMENT TO VOLUME THE TWENTY-THIRD.”  The discrepancy results from the fact that the supplement, originally intended to accompany volume 22, was delayed and issued in conjunction with volume 23.]

    24                            March 8, 1823 - August 30, 1823

    25                            September 6, 1823 - February 28, 1824

    26                            March 6, 1824 - August 28, 1824

    27                            September 4, 1824 - February 26, 1825

    28                            March 5, 1825 - August 27, 1825

    29                            September 23, 1825 - February 25, 1826

    30                            March 4, 1826 - August 26, 1826

    31                            September 2, 1826 - February 24, 1827

    32                            March 3, 1827 - August 25, 1827

    33                            September 1, 1827 - February 23, 1828

    34                            March 1, 1828 - August 23, 1828

    35                            September 30, 1828 - February 21, 1829

    36                            February 28, 1829 - August 22, 1829

    37                            August 29, 1829 - February 20, 1830

    38                            February 27, 1830 - August 21, 1830

[Volume 38 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

    39                            August 28, 1830 - February 26, 1831

    40                            March 5, 1831 - August 27, 1831

    41                            September 3, 1831 - February 25, 1832

[Volume 41 has an addendum that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.]

    42                            March 3, 1832 - August 25, 1832

[Volume 42 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues.  There is also an addendum.]

    43                            September 1, 1832 - February 23, 1833

[Volume 43 has a supplement that is not numbered consecutively with the regular issues]

    44                            March 2, 1833 - August 24, 1833

    45                            August 31, 1833 - February 22, 1834

    46                            March 1, 1834 - August 30, 1834

    47                            September 6, 1834 - February 28, 1835

    48                            March 7, 1835 - August 29, 1835

    49                            September 5, 1835 - February 27, 1836

    50                            March 5, 1836 - August 27, 1836

    51                            September 3, 1836 - February 25, 1837

    52                            March 4, 1837 - August 26, 1837

    53                            September 2, 1837 - February 24, 1838

    54                            March 3, 1838 - August 25, 1838

    55                            September 1, 1838 - February 23, 1839

    56                            March 2, 1839 - August 24, 1839

    57                            August 31, 1839 - February 29, 1840

    58                            March 7, 1840 - August 29, 1840

    59                            September 5, 1840 - February 27, 1841

    60                            March 6, 1841 - August 28, 1841

    61                            September 4, 1841 - February 26, 1842

    62                            March 5, 1842 - August 27, 1842

    63                            September 3, 1842 - February 25, 1843

    64                            March 4, 1843 - August 26, 1843

    65                            September 2, 1843 - February 24, 1844

    66                            March 2, 1844 - August 31, 1844

    67                            September 7, 1844 - March 1, 1845

    68                            March 8, 1845 - August 30, 1845

    69                            September 6, 1845 - February 28, 1846

    70                            March 7, 1846 - August 29, 1846

    71                            September 5, 1846 - February 27, 1847

    72                            March 6, 1847 - August 28, 1847

    73                            September 4, 1847 - February 26, 1848

      [gap in publication]

    74                            July 5, 1848 - December 27, 1848

    75                            January 3, 1849 - June 27, 1849

Three abbreviated issues of a proposed volume 76 of Niles' appeared in September, 1849.  These were numbered 13, 14, and 15.  (Apparently, numbers 1-12 were never published.)  The contents of these three issues are not included in this cumulative index.