CMST 21404: The Hollywood Western in Context

Trade journals provide information on the film studios, legal issues (including censorship), technological developments, exhibitor-related issues and the production and distribution of individual films. Since many films of the silent era are lost forever, plot summaries and reviews in publications like these are often the only remaining source of information about certain films.

Many older trade journals are not indexed in any of the existing electronic databases or printed citation indexes; this means that you may need to scan through every issue on microfilm or in print to find the information you want, a time-consuming but often rewarding process. Keep in mind that browsing trade journals allows you to examine your research topic in a broader context and may reveal important connections that you would have overlooked otherwise.

A selection of early magazines on microfilm.

A selection listed in order of date of publication. Most are Library Catalog records for titles on microfilm.