Copyright registrations for 1957

Copyright registrations from 1957 are available from this page. Registrations were classified by category, with renewals included in the same volume as original registration in most cases.

The following types of records are available here:

A guide to abbreviations used in the records is now available, as are summary statistics.

1957 original copyrights were due to be renewed in 1984 and 1985 (see the Copyright Office database for registrations for these years.) Original copyrights for 1957 renewals date from 1929 and 1930. 1929 copyrights could also be renewed in 1956, and 1930 copyrights could also be renewed in 1958. To find out more about researching copyright renewals, see this page.

To see if a book can go online, you may have to check not only the "Books" category, but also the "periodicals" category, if parts of the book first appeared in a periodical, and the "artwork" category if you want to scan any of the illustrations. If the book is a play, or a set of lectures or addresses, check the "Drama and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery" category too.

Books and Contributions to periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Part 1 (Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Part 2 (Periodicals) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Drama: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Parts 3-4 (Drama and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Music: Original registrations and renewals

Maps: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for part 6 (Maps and Atlases) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Artwork: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for parts 7-11A (Works of Art; Reproductions of Works of Art; Scientific and Technical Drawings; Photographic Works; Prints and Pictorial Illustrations) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Commercial prints and labels: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for part 11B (Commercial Prints and Labels) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Motion pictures and filmstrips: Original registrations and renewals

The volumes for Parts 12 and 13 (Motion Pictures and Filmstrips) were published semiannually, and included both original and renewal registrations.

Summary statistics

Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, January-June 1957
Books, pamphlets, and serials published in the United States 30,389
Books in foreign languages published abroad 170
Books in the English language first published abroad 92
Total 31,101 [sic]
Contributions to periodicals 1,703
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 2,234
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given]
Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, July-December 1957
Books, pamphlets, and serials published in the United States 25,006
Books in foreign languages published abroad 1,313
Books in the English language first published abroad 612
Total 26,931
Contributions to periodicals 1,562
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 1,749
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given]
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, January-June 1957
Periodicals 31,101
Renewals 1,680
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, July-December 1957
Periodicals 28,682
Renewals 2,054
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, January-June 1957
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 560
Class D: Published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 297
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,183
Total 2,040
Renewals, Class C 4
Renewals, Class D 345
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, July-December 1957
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 379
Class D: Published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 284
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,089
Total 1,752
Renewals, Class C 28
Renewals, Class D 359
Copyright Registrations of Music, January-June 1957
Musical compositions published in the United States 5,271
Musical compositions published abroad 4,723
Unpublished music 22,736
Total 32,730
Renewals 5,486
Copyright Registrations of Music, July-December 1957
Musical compositions published in the United States 4,767
Musical compositions published outside the United States 3,515
Unpublished music 22,266
Total 30,548
Renewals 5,499
Copyright Registrations for Maps, January-June 1957
Class F: Maps published in the United States 1,080
Class F: Maps published outside the United States 2
Renewals 414
Copyright Registrations for Maps, July-December 1957
Class F: Maps published in the United States 713
Class F: Maps published outside the United States 1
Renewals 498
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, January-June 1957
Class G: Published works of art and designs for works of art 1,879
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 664
Class H: Reproductions of works of art 597
Class I: Published drawings or plastic works of a scientific or technica l character 207
Class I: Unpublished drawings or plastic works of a scientific or techni cal character 142
Class J: Published photographs 367
Class J: Unpublished photographs 189
Class K: Prints and pictorial illustrations 1,897
Total 5,942
Renewals, Class G 17
Renewals, Class I 1
Renewals, Class J 20
Renewals, Class K 133
Total renewals 171
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, July-December 1957
Class G: Published works of art and designs for works of art 2,003
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 600
Class H: Reproductions of works of art 491
Class I: Published drawings or plastic works of a scientific or techn ical character 246
Class I: Unpublished drawings or plastic works of a scientific or tec hnical character 124
Class J: Published photographs 363
Class J: Unpublished photographs 214
Class K: Prints and pictorial illustrations 1,478
Total 5,519
Renewals, Class G 5
Renewals, Class I 22
Renewals, Class J 13
Renewals, Class K 64
Total renewals 104
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, January-June 1957
Commercial prints and labels 4,511
Renewals 20
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, July-December 1957
Commercial prints and labels 4,513
Renewals 18
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, January-June 1957
Class L: Published motion picture photoplays 1,232
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 1
Class M: Published motion pictures other than photoplays 463
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 105
Filmstrips registered in class J 304
Total 2,105
Renewals: Classes L and M 507
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, July-December 1957
Class L: Published motion picture photoplays 979
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 2
Class M: Published motion pictures other than photoplays 358
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 66
Total 1,405
Renewals: Classes L and M 369

The above figures show original and renewal registrations for the categories shown above for the time periods shown, but do not necessarily represent the exact number of entries in these issues of the Catalog.

The images above were scanned by the Copyright Office, by Google, by the Universal Library Project, by Penn's Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (with volumes loaned from Stanford), by John Mark Ockerbloom (from microfilm loaned from the Free Library of Philadelphia), and by Greg Weeks. If you would like to contribute better copies, email onlinebooks@pobox.upenn.edu. (Please don't send any images by email unless I ask for them.)