Copyright registrations for 1958

Copyright registrations from 1958 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.

1958 original copyrights were due to be renewed in 1985 and 1986 (see the Copyright Office database for registrations for these years.) Original copyrights for 1958 renewals date from 1930 and 1931. 1930 copyrights could also be renewed in 1957, and 1931 copyrights could also be renewed in 1959. 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 1958
Books, pamphlets, and serials published in the United States 28,269
Books in foreign languages published abroad 1,593
Books in the English language first published abroad 418
Total 30,280
Contributions to periodicals 1,793
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 2,128
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given]
Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, July-December 1958
Books, pamphlets, and serials published in the United States 24,385
Books in foreign languages published abroad 1,544
Books in the English language first published abroad 285
Total 26,214
Contributions to periodicals 1,505
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 1,828
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given]
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, January-June 1958
Periodicals 32,009
Renewals 2,147
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, July-December 1958
Periodicals 30,986
Renewals 2,165
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, January-June 1958
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 473
Class D: Published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 303
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,078
Dramas registered in Class A 26
Total 1,880
Renewals, Class C 14
Renewals, Class D 454
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, July-December 1958
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 418
Class D: Published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 274
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 994
Dramas registered in Class A 21
Total 1,707
Renewals, Class C 1
Renewals, Class D 347
Copyright Registrations of Music, January-June 1958
Musical compositions published in the United States 5,805
Musical compositions published abroad 4,508
Unpublished music 25,654
Dramatico-musical compositions registered in class D 74
Music registered in class A 309
Total 36,350
Renewals 5,739
Copyright Registrations of Music, July-December 1958
Musical compositions published in the United States 5,216
Musical compositions published abroad 3,511
Unpublished music 24,718
Dramatico-musical compositions registered in class D 69
Music registered in class A 250
Total 33,764
Renewals 5,033
Copyright Registrations for Maps, January-June 1958
Class F: Maps published in the United States 900
Maps and atlases registered in Class A 41
Total 941
Renewals 489
Copyright Registrations for Maps, July-December 1958
Class F: Maps published in the United States 737
Maps and atlases registered in Class A 156
Total 893
Renewals 557
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, January-June 1958
Class G: Published works of art and designs for works of art 1,925
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 491
Class H: Reproductions of works of art 553
Class I: Published drawings or plastic works of a scientific or technica l character 171
Class I: Unpublished drawings or plastic works of a scientific or techni cal character 142
Class J: Published photographs 214
Class J: Unpublished photographs 246
Class K: Prints and pictorial illustrations 1,940
Total 5,682
Renewals, Class G 16
Renewals, Class H 1
Renewals, Class I 3
Renewals, Class J 28
Renewals, Class K 51
Total renewals 99
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, July-December 1958
Class G: Published works of art and designs for works of art 1,302
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 708
Class H: Reproductions of works of art 485
Class I: Published drawings or plastic works of a scientific or techn ical character 129
Class I: Unpublished drawings or plastic works of a scientific or tec hnical character 176
Class J: Published photographs 275
Class J: Unpublished photographs 127
Class K: Prints and pictorial illustrations 1,266
Total 4,468
Renewals, Class G 65
Renewals, Class H 1
Renewals, Class I 3
Renewals, Class J 1
Renewals, Class K 85
Total renewals 155
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, January-June 1958
Commercial prints and labels 4,411
Renewals 36
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, July-December 1958
Commercial prints and labels 4,294
Renewals 52
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, January-June 1958
Class L: Published motion picture photoplays 1,468
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 2
Class M: Published motion pictures other than photoplays 258
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 66
Filmstrips registered in class A 51
Filmstrips registered in class J 409
Total 2,255 [sic]
Renewals: Classes L and M 605
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures and Filmstrips, July-December 1958
Class L: Published motion picture photoplays 1,522
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 4
Class M: Published motion pictures other than photoplays 247
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 44
Filmstrips registered in class A 20
Filmstrips registered in class J 214
Total 2,151
Renewals: Classes L and M 598

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.)