Research Guide to Acta Victoriana

About Acta Victoriana

Acta Victoriana is a literary journal of Victoria College and the oldest publication of this type in Canada. The first issue was published in October, 1878. Over the years, it featured a number of prominent contributors associated with Victoria: Margaret Atwood, Northrop Frye, Jay Macpherson, E.J. Pratt, and many others. For more information about the history of the journal, please visit the Acta website.

Locating a Particular Work, Author or Topic

To find the names of specific authors, titles of publications, and topics published in the journal, please first consult Acta Victoriana, 1878–1990: An Index with a Subject Authority List. It is available online via the Internet Archive and in-print under the call number LH3 .V5 A33 in the reference collection (on the first floor of the library).

Consult the index to determine the year, volume number, issue number and page numbers associated with a particular writer, poet, artistic work or topic.

An example

For instance, “A Child’s Song of Christmas” by Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall is listed in the index as 1913 38:3 p103. This indicates that the poem was published in 1913, in volume 38, issue number 3, on page 103.

To locate this volume (in print, microfiche or online), navigate to the guide below to the 1910s and click on no. 3, Dec. 

Research Assistance

For research assistance with locating a particular volume, number, topic or author, or any questions about Acta or this guide, please visit us at the reference desk on the main floor or contact our reference librarians.

Organization by Decade

This guide lists all volumes of Acta that were published in each decade, from the 1870s to the 2010s. 

Some volumes are available online. They have been digitized from the original print editions and can be downloaded from the links listed in the guide below. 

The majority of Acta (volumes 1 to 109, published between 1878 and 1985) is available on microfiche. It is located in our reference collection on the first floor of the library, under the call number LH3 .V5 A3.

Printed copies are available for all volumes. The most recent issue is located in the periodicals section on the second floor. Please note that the majority of the printed volumes of the journal are fragile and copies on microfiche are provided to researchers instead.

• 1870s: vol. 1 – 2
• 1880s: vol. 2 – 13
• 1890s: vol. 13 – 23
• 1900s: vol. 23 – 33
• 1910s: vol. 33 – 44
• 1920s: vol. 44 – 54
• 1930s: vol. 54 – 64
• 1940s: vol. 64 – 74
• 1950s: vol. 74 – 84
• 1960s: vol. 84 – 94
• 1970s: vol. 94 – 103
• 1980s: vol. 104 – 114
• 1990s: vol. 114 – 124
• 2000s: vol. 124 – 134
• 2010s: vol. 135 – 144
• 2020s: vol. 144 – present