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History:

Business and Industrial History

Archives, Libraries, and Museums Associations, Organizations, and Institutes Background Biographical Resources Books and Journal Articles Corporate Histories Corporate Records Directories

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Background

Sometimes you may need some information to get more familiar with your topic. Below are some materials that can provide background on topics in business and industrial history. Additional resources are listed at History: Background.

• Basics of Business History: 100 Events That Shaped a Century (TheStreet.com)
  Timeline of events.

• Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Search and display the full text of encyclopedia articles, many dealing with the history of management issues.

• Bryant, Keith L. Jr., ed. Railroads in the Age of Regulation, 1900-1980. Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography. New York: Facts On File, c1988.
  HUNT REF-1 HE2751 .R143 1988
  Articles on topics, companies, and individuals.

• Chandler, Alfred D., Jr. "Industrial Production." In Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century, edited by Stanley I. Kutler, vol III., pp. 1127-1154. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, c1996.
  HUNT REF-1 E740.7 .E53 1996

• Cross, Mary. A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th Century Consumer Culture. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c2002.
  HUNT REF-1 HF6161 .B4 C46 2002

• Downard, William L. Dictionary of the History of the American Brewing and Distilling Industries. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980.
  HUNT REF-1 HD9397 .U52 D68

• Francis, Raymond L. This Day in Business History: Great Corporate Takes, Commercial Milestones, Colorful Titans, Captivating Quotes, and Clamitous Blunders for Every Day of the Year. New York: McGraw-Hill, c2006.
  HUNT REF-1 HC51 .F667 2006

• Geisst, Charles R. Encyclopedia of American Business History. 2 vols. New York: Facts On File, c2006.
  HUNT REF-1 HF3021 .G44 2006

• Georgano, G. N. The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. 2 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, c2000.
  HUNT REF-1 TL9 .B43 2000

• Hounshell, David A. "Industrial Research and Manufacturing Technology." In Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century, edited by Stanley I. Kutler, vol II., pp. 831-857. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, c1996.
  HUNT REF-1 E740.7 .E53 1996

• The Industrial Revolution in America [interactive multimedia]. Fairfield, CT: Queue, c1996. HUNT MUS-OFC-4 338.0973 I42
  Presents a multimedia view of the United States as a center of industry through three main video-based presentations which are enhanced by a gallery of black-and-white stills, index, glossary, quiz, and interactive timeline. The gallery includes sketches of various inventions, innovations, and scenes from the 19th century.

• Leary, William M., ed. The Airline Industry. Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography. New York: Facts on File, c1992.
  HUNT REF-1 TL509 .E54 1992
  Articles on topics, companies, and individuals.

• May, George S., ed. The Automobile Industry, 1930-1980. Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography. New York: Facts on File, 1989.
  HUNT REF-1 HD9710 .U52 A816 1989
  Articles on topics, companies, and individuals.

• Mulligan, William H., Jr. A Historical Dictionary of American Industrial Language. New York: Greenwood Press, c1988.
  HUNT REF-1 HC102 .H57 1988

• The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie (The American Experience, PBS)
  Timeline, photographs, biographies, descriptions of events, steel production, etc.

• The Richest Man in the World. A production of WGBH Boston; WGBH Educational Foundation; written, produced and directed by Austin Hoyt. 120 min. [Alexander, VA]: PBS Video, 1997. Videocassette.
  HUNT VIDEO-BSMT 338.767 C289

• Robinson, Richard, comp. Business History of the World: A Chronology. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 HC51 .R615 1993

• Schweikart, Larry, ed. Banking and Finance, 1913-1989. Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography. New York: Facts on File, c1990.
  HUNT REF-1 HG2481 .B325 1990
  Articles on topics, companies, and individuals.

• Seely, Bruce E., ed. Iron and Steel in the Twentieth Century. Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography. New York: Facts on File, c1994.
  HUNT REF-1 HD9515 .I77 1994
  Articles on topics, companies, and individuals.

• Sheimo, Michael D., ed. International Encyclopedia of the Stock Market. 2 vols. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, c1999.
  HUNT REF-1 HG4551 .I528 1999

• Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys. [New York] Standard & Poor's Corp.
  Print: ca. 1973-present.
  HUNT REF-1 HC106.6 .S74
  Latest at Hunt reference desk
  Online: ca. 1998-present.
  Available: NetAdvantage (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Statistical and narrative analyses of different industries.

• Stearns, Peter N., and John H. Hinshaw. The ABC-CLIO World History Companion to the Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c1996.
  HUNT REF-1 D359.7 .S74 1996

• Walker, Juliet E. K. Encyclopedia of African American Business History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 HD2344.5 .U6 E53 1999

• Witzel, Morgen. The Encyclopedia of the History of American Management. Bristol: Thoemmes Continuum, 2005.
  HUNT REF-1 HC102 .5.A2 E53 2005

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Books and Journal Articles

Below are some resources for finding books and journal articles in business and industrial history topics. Additional resources are listed at History: Databases and Indexes. If you are interested in businesses and industries in Pittsburgh, the resources listed at Pittsburgh History may be useful, too. If you need help finding books and journal articles on your topic, please ask for assistance at the Hunt Library reference desk.

• America: History and Life (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1954-present (updated monthly).
  Citations and some abstracts to journal articles, dissertations, and book and media reviews on United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present. Covers all historical topics, including foreign policy, and a variety of disciplines including popular culture, gender studies, anthropology, literature and folklore, etc. Also has a non-US history counterpart Historical Abstracts. To search both, once connected, click on Choose Databases and select both databases.

• Applied Science and Business Periodicals Retrospective (Carnegie Mellon Users only)
  1913-1983
  Search and display citations from the Industrial Arts Index (1913-1957), and its successors, the Applied Science and Technology Index (1957-1983), and the Business Periodicals Index (1957-1983).
  Continued by:
  Applied Science and Technology Index (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1983-present (updated monthly).

• Business and Company Resource Center (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  ca. 1980s-present.
  Business periodicals, news articles, press releases

• Business Periodicals Index.
  Print: 1958-1996
  HUNT REF-1 INDEX
  Use the database below to search for citations:
  Applied Science and Business Periodicals Retrospective (Carnegie Mellon Users only)
  1913-1983
  Search and display citations from the Industrial Arts Index (1913-1957), and its successors, the Applied Science and Technology Index (1957-1983), and the Business Periodicals Index (1957-1983).

• Cameo
  Use this to find books, titles of journals, and other materials in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.

• Historical Abstracts (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1954-present (Updated monthly).
  Citations and some abstracts of journal articles, books, and dissertations on world history from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada). It covers all historical topics, including foreign policy, and a variety of disciplines including religion, gender studies, anthropology, political science, etc. Also has a U. S. and and Canadian history counterpart, America: History and Life.To search both, once connected, click on Choose Databases and select both databases.

• Industrial Arts Index.
  Use the database below to search for citations:
  Applied Science and Business Periodicals Retrospective (Carnegie Mellon Users only)
  1913-1983
  Search and display citations from the Industrial Arts Index (1913-1957), and its successors, the Applied Science and Technology Index (1957-1983), and the Business Periodicals Index (1957-1983).
  Continued by:
  Applied Science and Technology Index (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1983-present (updated monthly).

• LexisNexis Academic (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Dates vary by publication.
  Provides access to several databases, one of which is Business with the following components:
  • Business News
    ca. 1990s-present.
    Business articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, wires & transcripts
  • Industry & Market
    ca. 1990s-present.
    News from over 25 industries
  • Accounting
    ca. 1990s-present.
    Accounting journals & literature

• 19th Century Masterfile (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  ca. 1800-1900s.
  Search a variety of indices to find citations for nineteenth and early twentieth century periodicals and books.

• Proquest Direct (Carnegie Mellon users only).
  Provides access to several databases. Search all or one at a time. Once connected, select Databases selected to select/deselect the database components you want to search. Some of the most relevant databases include:
  • ABI/INFORM Global
    ca. 1970s-present
    Scholarly business journals, as well as the Wall Street Journal
  • Business Dateline
    ca. 1980s-present.
    Local and regional business publications and newspapers.
  • Business Module
    ca. 1970s-present.
    Business magazines and journals.

• Worldcat (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1200-present (Updated daily).
  Citations to books, titles of journals, manuscripts, and other materials in libraries throughout the United States, as well as some international libraries. You can limit your search to books by by selecting Book in the Type option. Each record will let you know which libraries have that item. Use Interlibrary Loan for materials not in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.

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Corporate Records

Below are resources for finding historic financial information on public companies. Many times these resources will include brief histories of the companies, too. If you are interested in finding records, papers, correspondence, and other materials from businesses and businessmen, see the resources listed at Pittsburgh History: Records of Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations, which include resources for the United States as well as Pittsburgh.

• Business Department: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
  Has current and back issues of annual reports for local public companies.

• Corporate Reports Online (University of Pennsylvania Library)
  PDFs of corporate annual reports from the Lippincott Library collection. Companies are grouped by products, as well as listed alphabetically. There is also a search engine. Date coverage is ca. 1920s-1940s, but varies for each corporation. An ongoing project.

• Edgar
  Database of documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from ca. 1993 to the present. Important Information about Edgar provides detailed information on the material in the database.

• LexisNexis Academic (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Dates vary by publication.
  Provides access to several databases, one of which is Business with the following Company Information components:
  • Company Financial Reports
    ca. 1984-present
    Detailed financial data about companies
  • Company Profiles
    ca. 1990-present
    Company information including executives, revenue and competitors.
  • SEC Filings & Reports
    ca. 1987-present
    EDGAR filings, annual & quarterly reports & proxy statements

• Mergent Online (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  the electronic equivalent of the Moody's Manuals (see below). Search and display company information. Financials can be displayed for the past 15 years.

• Moody's Bank and Finance Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1928-present.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

• Moody's Industrial Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1920-present (1914-1919 in Moody's Public Utility Manual see below).
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

• Moody's International Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1981-present.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

• Moody's OTC Industrial Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1970-present.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

• Moody's Public Utility Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1914-present.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

• Moody's Transportation Manual. New York: Moody's Investors Service.
  Microfiche: 1909-present.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE
  

• Poor's Governments, Municipals, Investments, Trusts, Real Estate, Mortgage, Finance, and Insurance Companies. New York: Poor's.
  Print: 1930-1941.
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3

• Poor's Manual of Industrials. New York: Poor's
  Print: 1914-1941 (incomplete).
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3
  Continues Poor's Manual of Industrials and Public Utilities. (see below).

• Poor's Manual of Industrials and Public Utilities. New York: Poor's.
  Print: 1912
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3
  Continued by Poor's Manual of Industrials (see above) and Poor's Manual of Public Utilities (see below).

• Poor's Manual of Public Utilities. New York: Poor's.
  Print: 1913-1940 (incomplete).
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3
  Continues Poor's Manual of Industrials and Public Utilities. (see above).

• Poor's Manual of Railroads. New York: Poor's.
  Print: 1896-1940.
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3

• Poor's Register of Directors and Executives. New York: Poor's.
  Print: 1937, 1955, 1962-1969.
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3

• ProQuest Historical Annual Reports (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: 1844-current.
  Over 800 companies' annual reports available through searchable pdf images. Reports can be browsed or searched in a variety of ways.

• SEC Annual Reports
  Microfiche: 1978-ca. 1996.
  HUNT REF-1 MFICHE

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Directories

For Pittsburgh city directories, see Pittsburgh History: Directories

• Book of Business Lists (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Pittsburgh, Pa.: Pittsburgh Business Weekly Corp. 1984-1994.
  Print: 1985, 1987-1994.
  HUNT REF-1 HC107 .P42 P4932
  Continued by:
  Book of Lists (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Pittsburgh, Pa.: Pittsburgh Business Times, 1995-.
  Print: 1995-present.
  HUNT REF-1 HC107 .P42 P4932
  Shelved at reference desk.

• Corporations Review. [Pittsburgh, Pa.]: Publisher varies by date.
  Print: 1977, 1983-1986, 1993-2000.
  HUNT REF-1 658.1 C82
  Print: 2002
  ENGR&SCI Reference 658.1 C82

• Directory of American Research and Technology. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., c1986-.
  Print: 1991-1998
  HUNT REF-1 T176 .I65

• Directory of Corporate Affiliations of Major Corporations. Skokie, Ill.: National Register Pub. Co., c1969-c1972.
  Print: 1969-1970, 1972
  BY-REQUEST
  Continued by:
  Directory of Corporate Affiliations. National Register Pub. Co., c1973-c2001; LexisNexis Group, 2001-.
  Print: 1999-2002
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3
  Print: 1973-74, 1977, 1980-83, 1988, 1991-98
  BY-REQUEST
  Continued by:
  Lexis-Nexis Corporate Affiliations. New Providence, N.J. : LexisNexis Group, c2002-
  Print: 2005
  HUNT REF-1HG4057 .A217
  Print: 2006-2007
  HUNT BND-JOUR-3
  

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Journals

Below are major journals in business and industrial history. Use Cameo and the Find e-journal list to search for other journal titles in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, or use the databases listed above to find journal articles on particular topics. For additional titles, see History: Journals.

• Business History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 36, 1994-ca. v. 46, 2004.
  Business History
  Print: v.1, 1958-v. 22, 1980.
  UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH LIBRARIES, in storage

• Business History Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 28, 1954-ca. v. 73, 1999.
  Business History Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 65, 1991-present.
  Business History Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 28, 1954-v. 59, 1985.
  Business History Review
  Print: v. 28, 1954-present.
  HUNT JOUR-3
  Continues:
  Bulletin of the Business Historical Society (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 1926-v 27, 1953.
  Bulletin of the Business Historical Society
  Print: v.16, 1942-v. 27, 1953.
  HUNT JOUR-3
  Print: v. 1, 1926-v. 27, 1953.
  UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, HILLMAN LIBRARY Gr. Fl.

• Economic History Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 50, 1997-present.
  Economic History Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v.1, 1927-ca. v. 52, 1999.
  

• Enterprise and Society (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 2000-present.
  Enterprise and Society (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 4, 2003-present.
  Enterprise and Society: The International Journal of Business History
  Print: v. 2, 2001-2005.
  HUNT JOUR-3
  Continues:
  Business and Economic History
  Full text: v. 4, 1975-v. 28, 1999.
  Business and Economic History
  Print: v. 14, 1985-v. 17, 1988, v. 20, 1991
  HUNT STACKS-2 338.0973 B9792
  

• Explorations in Economic History (Carngegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 32, 1995-present.
  Explorations in Economic History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 33, 1996-v. 39, 2002.
  Explorations in Economic History
  Print: v.7, 1969-present.
  HUNT JOUR-3
  Continues:
  Explorations in Entrepreneurial History
  Print: v. 1, 1963-v. 6, 1969
  HUNT JOUR-3

• Journal of Economic History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 61, 2001-present.
  Journal of Economic History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: Vols. 1-54, 1941-ca. 1999.
  Journal of Economic History
  Print: v.1, 1941-present.
  HUNT JOUR-3

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Newspapers

• New York Times via Proquest (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  June 1, 1980-present.
  To limit your search to the New York Times only, go to Advanced Search, change citation and abstract to publication name and type new york times. Add appropriate search terms on the other line(s).
  Historical New York Times (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1851-2003.
  Search and display full text.

• LexisNexis Academic (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Dates vary by publication, ca. 1990s-present.
  Provides access to several databases, one of which is News, including U. S. and international newspapers, news wires and transcripts, etc. In the General News/Major papers category, the Washington Post is covered 1977-present.

• Proquest Direct (Carnegie Mellon users only).
  Dates vary by paper, ca. 1980s-present.
  Provides access to several databases. Search all or one at a time. Once connected, select Databases selected to select/deselect the database components you want to search. Provides access to Proquest Newspapers which incudes 27 national newspapers, such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Other papers available to search are the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, etc.

• Wall Street Journal via ProQuest Direct (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full Text: 1984-present (updated daily).
  To limit your search to the Wall Street Journal only, go to Advanced Search, change citation and abstract to publication name and type wall street journal. Add appropriate search terms on the other line(s).
  Historical Wall Street Journal (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full Text: 1890-1989.
  Search and display the full text.

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Statistical Resources

Below are just a few of the statistical resources available for business and industrial history. For additional ones, see History: Statistical Resources. If you need help finding statistics, please ask at the Hunt Library reference desk.

• American Iron and Steel Association. Statistics of the American and Foreign Iron Trades. Philadelphia: The Association, 18 -1913.
  Print: 1879-83, 1902-07
  BY-REQUEST
  Continued by
  Annual Statistical Report - American Iron and Steel Institute. Washington [etc.]: American Iron and Steel Institute.
  Print: 1919-1971
  BY-REQUEST
  Print: 1972-present
  ENGR&SCI STACKS HD9514 .A5
  Current volume in reference.

• Business Statistics of the United States. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press, 1996-present.
  Print: 1995-present
  HUNT REF-1 HC101 .A131222 Latest at the reference desk
  Continues:
  United States. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Business Statistics. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951-1991.
  Print: 1947-1992.
  HUNT REF-1 HC101 .A13122

• Standard & Poor's Industry Surveys. [New York] Standard & Poor's Corp.
  Print: ca. 1973-present.
  HUNT REF-1 HC106.6 .S74
  Latest at Hunt reference desk
  NetAdvantage (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  ca. 1998-present.
  Statistical and narrative analyses of different industries.

• United States. Bureau of the Census. Annual Survey of Manufactures. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1952- .
  Print: 1949-1953, 1955-1957, 1959-1961, 1963-1966, 1968-1971, 1973-1976, 1978-1981.
  HUNT REF-1 HD9724 .A211
  Print: 1983-present.
  HUNT REF-1/MICRO: ASI 2506-14, 2506-15
  Annual Survey of Manufactures (U. S. Census Bureau)
  ca. 1994-2000.

• United States. Bureau of the Census. County Business Patterns. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
  Print: 1949-1951, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1962, 1964-1966, 1968, 1970-1971, 1975-1976.
  HUNT REF-1/CENSUS 330.973 U585
  Print: 1976-present.
  HUNT REF-1/MICRO ASI 2326-6, 2326-8
  CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH, SOCIAL SCI CLOSED STACKS qr331.2 UO2 Ref BookPrint: 1946-present.
  County Business Patterns (Geostat, University of Virginia)
  1977-1998.
  County Business Patterns (U. S. Census Bureau)
  ca. 1988-present.

• United States. Treasury Department. Internal Revenue Service. Statistics of Income. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
  Print: 1916-1979.
  HUNT REF-1/GOVDOCS T22.35:
  Print: 1980-present
  HUNT REF-1 336.24 S797
  See SOI Tax Stats - SOI Products and Services from the Internal Revenue Service for various Statistics of Income historical tables.

• United States Economic Census Publications

• WRDS-Wharton Research Data Services (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Gateway to multiple databases that provide current and historical datasets in finance, economics, and banking. Data sources include: Standard & Poor’s Compustat, the Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP,) Mergent, Dow Jones, the Federal Reserve, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

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