Copyright registrations for 1974

Copyright registrations from 1974 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 some summary statistics.

1974 original copyrights could have renewals filed in 2001 and 2002 (see the Copyright Office database for registrations for these years), but they automatically renewed even if no renewal was filed. Original copyrights for 1974 renewals date from 1946 and 1947. 1946 copyrights could also be renewed in 1973, and 1947 copyrights could also be renewed in 1975. 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. Name and title indexes also appeared in associated volumes, also linked below.

Periodicals: Original registrations and renewals

A single annual volume for Part 2 (Periodicals) 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 annual volume for part 11B (Commercial Prints and Labels) included both original and renewal registrations.

Motion pictures: Original registrations and renewals

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

Sound recordings

The volumes for Part 14 (Sound Recordings) were published semiannually. As copyright registration for sound recordings only began in the 1970s, there were no renewals made this year.

Summary statistics

Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, January-June 1974
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 52,697
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 2,873
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 361
Total 55,931
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,142
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 4,308
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations for Books, Pamphlets, Serials, and Contributions to Periodicals, July-December 1974
Books, pamphlets, and serials manufactured in the United States 49,190
Books manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 2,934
Books in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 360
Total 52,484
Contributions to newspapers and periodicals 1,169
Renewals: Books, pamphlets, and serials 4,303
Renewals: Contributions to periodicals [not given in Part 1]
Copyright Registrations of Periodicals, January-December 1974
Periodicals manufactured in the United States 91,318
Periodicals manufactured abroad (except those registered for ad interim copyright) 1,130
Periodicals in the English language registered for ad interim copyright 713
Total 93,161
Renewals 5,631
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, January-June 1974
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 916
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 220
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 56
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 1,829
Total 3,021
Renewals, Classes C and D 377
Copyright Registrations of Dramas and Works Prepared for Oral Delivery, July-December 1974
Class C: Lectures and other works prepared for oral delivery 902
Class D: Domestic published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 252
Class D: Foreign published dramatic and dramatico-musical works 31
Class D: Unpublished dramatic and dramatico-musical works 2,002
Total 3,187
Renewals, Classes C and D 464
Copyright Registrations of Music, January-June 1974
Domestic published musical compositions 6,785
Foreign published musical compositions 4,143
Unpublished music 45,481
Total 56,409
Renewals 5,692
Copyright Registrations of Music, July-December 1974
Domestic published musical compositions 6,215
Foreign published musical compositions 4,177
Unpublished music 44,895
Total 55,287
Renewals 5,775
Copyright Registrations for Maps, January-June 1974
Class F: Domestic published maps 934
Class F: Foreign published maps 1
Total 935
Renewals 77
Copyright Registrations for Maps, July-December 1974
Class F: Domestic published maps 888
Total 888
Renewals 124
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, January-June 1974
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 3,186
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 49
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 1,222
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 1,789
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 79
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 190
Class I: Foreign published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 1
Class I: Unpublished drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 218
Class J: Domestic published photographs 469
Class J: Foreign published photographs 2
Class J: Unpublished photographs 219
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 2,474
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 3
Total 9,901
Renewals, Classes G-K 226
Copyright Registrations for Artwork, July-December 1974
Class G: Domestic published works of art and designs for works of art 4,014
Class G: Foreign published works of art and designs for works of art 25
Class G: Unpublished works of art and designs for works of art 1,275
Class H: Domestic published reproductions of works of art 2,111
Class H: Foreign published reproductions of works of art 39
Class I: Domestic published drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 227
Class I: Unpublished drawings or sculptural works of a scientific or technical character 154
Class J: Domestic published photographs 562
Class J: Unpublished photographs 252
Class K: Domestic prints and pictorial illustrations 2,397
Class K: Foreign prints and pictorial illustrations 3
Total 11,059
Renewals, Classes G-K 147
Copyright Registrations for Commercial Prints and Labels, January-December 1974
Domestic published commercial prints and labels 4,822
Foreign published commercial prints and labels 9
Total 4,831
Renewals 32
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, January-June 1974
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 704
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 34
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 11
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 777
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 155
Total 1,681
Renewals: Classes L and M 532
Copyright Registrations for Motion Pictures, July-December 1974
Class L: Domestic published motion picture photoplays 345
Class L: Foreign published motion picture photoplays 51
Class L: Unpublished motion picture photoplays 5
Class M: Domestic published motion pictures other than photoplays 585
Class M: Foreign published motion pictures other than photoplays 1
Class M: Unpublished motion pictures other than photoplays 161
Total 1,148
Renewals: Classes L and M 510

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.

Catalog pages for this year 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 the Free Library of Philadelphia), and by Greg Weeks, with additional images provided by Juliet Sutherland and John Mark Ockerbloom. 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.)