Articles on the History of Mathematical Reviews

A Brief History of the Mathematical Literature, by Robert G. Bartle.

Summary: The purpose of this article is to review the development of the mathematical literature by briefly tracing the history of mathematical communication leading to the founding of Mathematical Reviews in 1940.  We touch on the formation of the academies and the mathematical societies, and mention some of the early journals published by these groups.

A Half Century of Reviewing, by D. H. Lehmer. Reprinted from A Century of Mathematics in America: Part 1, pp. 265-266, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1988. MR90a:01064

The Founding of Mathematical Reviews, by G. Baley Price. In 1990, in honor of the 50th anniversary, G Baley Price, who was much involved in the founding of Mathematical Reviews, wrote an article sharing some of his reminiscences from the early days.

Everett Pitcher wrote a chapter on the history of Mathematical Reviews up to 1998 in American Mathematical Society centennial publications, Vol. I. A history of the second fifty years, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 1988. MR1002190 (90i:01060). Here are excerpts from that chapter: Mathematical Reviews, by Everett Pitcher.