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HH104 American Naval History

A Library Research Guide intended for USNA Midshipmen enrolled in HH104

Primary Sources Tip Sheets

Primary sources can be defined as "those closest, in time or connection, to any subject of investigation." [Richard Maruis, A Short Guide to Writing about History, 8th ed., 2012, p.14]

These include

  • Letters, diaries, memoirs, speeches, and other first person accounts
  • Certain government publications, such as Congressional hearings
  • Official accounts by people in authority, such as reports from the Secretary of the Navy or captain of a ship
  • Oral histories or interviews
  • Manuscript collections
  • Most newspaper or periodical articles from the time of the event
  • Other material from the time such as photographs or pamphlets
Primary Source Tip Sheets:

Primary Source Databases for History

Full-text Primary Source Document Collections

18th and 19th Century Periodicals

Titles in blue link to some online access.  Titles with no location are print bound volumes shelved alphabetically on the 2nd floor.  Titles on microfilm are in the Microform Room on the 1st floor. Titles in Special Collections are in that area on the 3rd floor. 

  • Analetic Magazine, 1812-1820, Special Collections
  • Appleton's Journal, 1869-1881
  • Army and Navy Chronicle, 1835-1844, Special Collections
  • Army and Navy Journal, 1863-1950, microfilm or Special Collections
  • Army and Navy Magazine, 1880-1888, Special Collections
  • Army and Navy Register (title varies), 1879-1964, bound volumes or microfilm
  • Blackwood's Magazine, 1843-1863 online; 1817-1865 in Special Collections; 1866-1908 in bound volumes
  • Century Magazine, 1881-1899 online; 1881-1930 in bound volumes
  • Contemporary Review, 1871-1983
  • De Bows Review, 1846-1869 online; 1850-1880 on microfilm
  • Dial, 1880-1929
  • Douglass Monthly, 1859-1863
  • Eclectic Magazine, 1856-1875, Special Collections
  • Edinburgh Review, 1802-1929, bound volumes or microfilm
  • Fortnightly Review, 1871-1954
  • Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1750 online; 1731-1866, Special Collections
  • Graphic, 1869-1932
  • Harper's Magazine (or Harper's Monthly), 1850-1899 online; 1850 to present in bound volumes
  • Harper's Weekly, 1857-1916, on microfilm
  • Illustrated London News, 1856-2003
  • Independent (N.Y.), 1892-1928, on microfilm
  • Journal of the United States Artillery, 1892-1918
  • Knickerbocker Magazine, 1833-1865, on microfilm
  • Liberator, 1831-1865, on microfilm
  • Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, 1868-1900, bound volumes or microfilm
  • Living Age, 1844-1900 online; 1844-1941 in bound volumes
  • London & Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine, 1832-1840, Special Collections
  • Munsey's Magazine, 1891-1929, on microfilm
  • Naval Chronicle, 1799-1818, bound volumes or Special Collections
  • New Englander, 1843-1892
  • Niles Register, 1811-1849, microfiche or Special Collections
  • North American Review, 1815-1900 online; 1815 to present in bound volumes
  • Overland Monthly, 1868-1900 online; 1868-1935 in bound volumes
  • Princeton Review, 1830-1882
  • Quarterly Review, 1809-1967
  • Review of Reviews, 1890-1937
  • Royal United Service Institution (RUSI) Journal, 1857 to present
  • Sailor's Magazine, 1828-1892, Special Collections
  • Scribner's Magazine, 1887-1896 online; 1887-1939 in bound volumes
  • Scribner's Monthly, 1870-1881
  • Spectator, 1871 to present, bound volumes or microfilm
  • United Service Magazine, 1829-1920
  • United States Magazine and Democratic Review,1837-1859
  • United States Naval Institute Proceedings, 1874 to present, bound volumes or microfilm (online only since 1997)
  • Westminster Review, 1866-1913

Online Primary Source Documents

Early American Naval Document (Primary Source) Collections: 1774-1865

Primary Sources Available in Books

Primary source collections may be in the Reference stacks on the 1st floor or in the general collection in the call number section for that subject.

Nimitz Library Special Collections and Archives