www.mediahistoryproject.org

I came across this fabulous website recently by way of the remarkable davidbordwell.net cinema site. David is a film scholar who has written many excellent books on cinema and cinema history. He always has interesting comments, guest bloggers and up-to-date links for anything cinema related. And mediahistoryproject.org is no exception.

Basically, the Media History Project describes their site as:

We are a non-profit initiative dedicated to digitizing collections of classic media periodicals that belong in the public domain for full public access. The project is supported by owners of materials who loan them for scanning, and donors who contribute funds to cover the cost of scanning. We have currently scanned over 200,000 pages, and that number is growing.

Our Collections feature Extensive Runs of several important trade papers and fan magazines. Click on the arrows below to learn more about these periodicals and select volumes to download and read. You’ll find more material and options at our Collections page.

The site is a treasure-trove for those interested in early Hollywood film/radio history. And all of it is public domain. You can download in pdf or use their excellent reader to read online. I love the many covers of magazines they have archived as well. 

This is a young site and deserves your support. Try their blog and sign up for their newsletter. It's a fascinating glimpse into history.