Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series

The Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, was produced by the Library of Congress Copyright Office between 1947 and 1978. It served as the comprehensive public record of all works registered for copyright in the United States during this period, encompassing everything from books and musical compositions to dramatic works and maps. The series was designed to provide a systematic, searchable index for researchers, legal professionals, and librarians, documenting the vast expansion of American intellectual output following the Second World War.

The editorial design of the Third Series focused on meticulous classification, organized into parts corresponding to the specific categories of registered works. These volumes were published as government documents to ensure transparency and legal certainty for intellectual property holders. While the catalog is utilitarian rather than aesthetic, it is widely regarded by historians and archivists as an essential, definitive resource for tracking the evolution of American popular culture, media, and academic discourse during the mid-twentieth century.