Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-02
Registers and
YearboOkS of the
Years Gone By

There has always been a State Year
book published in Maine since the year
that Maine became a State and previ-
Gus to that time there were publica-
tons which included statistics on and
information about that portion of Mas
sachusetts which is now Maine. Fleets
Pocket Almanac was published as early
as 1898, for the library Of State con-
tains a copy of the almanac for that
year. For the year of our Lord 1898,
being the first after Leap-Year and
the Seventeenth of American Indepen-
dence," as the almanac itself states It,
| Fleets Almanac was apparently sue
ceeded by the Massachusetts Register
and United States Calendar. published
| by John West and Manning Loring Of
Boston. With the statehood of Maine
came the Maine Register, published
in 1920 by F. Douglas and A. Shirley,
Portland. From 1920 down to the pres
ent year there has been an unbroken
series of publications fulfilling the
| function of the Maine Register, though
several times the name was changed,
many times the publication changed its
home from one printing office to anoth-
err and until the present series Of Maine
Registers began in 1871, there were
hardly two successive volumes in the
same form and with identical purpose.
The Yearbook's place of issue was
| changed from Portland to Hallowell in
1924 and was that year published by
Glazier & Co, of the Kennebec city
For several succeeding years it was
published by GIazier. Masters & Co.,
OF Haliowell with connections in Port
land with Shirley, Hyde & Co. In 1884
the Dole. Redington & Co. printing
plant in Augusta published the volume.
but as early as 1887 it was again issu-
ing from the plant of Glazier Masters
& Smith in Hallowel.
In 1871 1t was compiled by Samuel l..
Harris and printed by Daniel c. Stan
wood of Augusta. in conjunction with
William Hyde of Portland Masters &
Smith. Hallowell, issued the volume
again in 1852. George Adams Of Bos-
ton, then publisher of the Boston Di-
rectory and several State Yearbooks.
issued the Maine Register in 1855 and
the issue of that year was in form
very similar to the book with which
Maine folks are all now very familiar.
The Following year the book was slight
~ changed in the choice of text and
very much changed in form
Back to Maine came the Register in
1857, published by Edward C. Parks oe
portland. In 1865 the government of
Maine undertook the issue of the Year
book and the title page Of the Year
book for 1865 bears this legend: maine
Legislative Manual Prepared Pursuant
to Order by Thomas p. Cleaves, Secre-
tary of the Senate. 1t was printed by
Stevens & Sayward of Augusta. print
ers to the State. In 1868 it was print
ed by Owen & Nash and in 1869 by
Sprague Owen & Nash, at that time
the publishers Of the Kenebec Journal.
Inc Maine Legislative Manual lack
ed many OF the features of former
Yearbooks and apparently it proved I'M
satisfactory. for in 1870 gradual re-
turn to the original plan of the book
began. The Yearbook of 1870 was call
ed the Maine State Political Manual
and Annual Register and was issued
by Hoyt Fogg & Breed of Portland.
VINO began the present series. In 1871
the same publishers issued the book
under the title, Maine State Year Book.
and in 1872 the publication was again.
after many changes of title, issued as
the Maine Register
There probably is not complete set
of these Maine Yearbooks in existence
The nearest complete set which is ac
cessible and no doubt the nearest COM
plete set in existence rests upon the
shelves of the State library. Many vol
umes are missing even from this SET
volumes issued between the years 1920
and 1S60.and more particularly in the
earlier years of this period The older
editions of the Maine Register provide
some very interesting reading and con-
tain information and statistics which
are very valuable to the history of the
State.