Research Guides: Microform Research Sets: English and American Drama of the Nineteenth Century

About this Collection

English and American Drama of the Nineteenth Century

About

This collection contains virtually all of the dramatic output of the British and American stages in the 19th century, with works filmed from repositories in Europe and the United States. Manuscripts were used when no printed edition can be found. It includes historical drama, comic opera, unperformed poetic plays, pantomimes, extravaganzas, satiric comedies, burlettas, acting editions, and prompt books. This set is continued by two subsequent Collection on microfiche:

Nineteenth Century English Drama (Library Annex Cabinets PR 1271 N56)
Nineteeth Century American Drama (Library Annex Cabinets PS 632 .N56)

Location

Library Annex (volumes) MP 808.208 EAD

Format

Microcard - Opaque

Arrangement

The microcards are filed alphabetically by playwright; anonymous plays are filed by title.

Items

23,300 titles on this and the subsequent microfiche sets

Publication

Readex, 1964-1984

Indexes and Guides

19th Century American Drama by Don L. Hixon; Don A. Hennessee
Call Number: LIbrary Annex PS632 .H57
ISBN: 0810810832
Publication Date: 1977-
Lists, by author and title, the 4,500 American plays issued through 1977. Includes a subject index and a list of plays that include characters of specified ethnic groups.
English Drama of the Nineteenth Century by James Ellis
Call Number: Library Annex PR1271 .E5 1985
ISBN: 0918414156
Publication Date: 1985
Lists the 9,000 English plays issued through 1981. Includes a number of appendices, such as a list of women dramatists and a list of pseudonyms.
Readex Nineteenth Century English and American Plays Collection : cumulated checklist.
Call Number: Library Annex LISA ; PS632 .N56
Publication Date: 1987 and supplements 1987 1988
Provides a list of all microcards and microfiche sent through 1988.

Online Options

Many of these titles are in the public domain and can be found in HathiTrust, Google Books, or the Internet Archive. Use the Indexes listed below to locate titles and then search them in these online databases.

HathiTrust
The University Libraries are members of HathiTrust; U o fA students, faculty and staff can now download complete works and take advantage of other features, including building and sharing collections of works. Read more on our HathiTrust Guide.
A collaborative archive of digitized books and periodicals. Most books that can be read full-text online were published prior to 1923 but there are a large number of government documents, including very recent Congressional reports and hearings.
HathiTrust (Open Access Version)
A collaborative archive of digitized books and periodicals. Most books that can be read full-text online were published prior to 1923 but there are a large number of government documents, including very recent Congressional reports and hearings.

This link provides access to HathiTrust for anyone without requiring authentication. You will be able to download books and periodicals one page at a time. If you are a U of A student, faculty, or staff member, please use our customized link to HathiTrust.
Google Books
A growing collection of records for both recent and long out-of-print titles. Because a search may retrieve results from the full-text of many books, Google Books is most useful in helping you to identify titles of interest in your research. A number of popular magazines and government documents have also been added to the Google Books service.