Finding Company Histories at UWO's Web Site

Johnston Library's staff at the University of Western Ontario have developed a very useful and impressive web page on Books About Companies.  It includes links to:

1.
Business and History at Western:  A Guide to Selected Resources in the UWO Library System (1992).
This bibliography is designed to direct the reader to the considerable resources in the University of Western Ontario Library System that are related to Business History generally and the histories of companies specifically.  If there is a title of interest, check the Toronto Public Library catalogue to determine if it is available in the TPL system.  If not, go to a local library branch and request an Interlibary Loan for the desired item.

2.
Alphabetical List of Related Companies
After 1992, more company-related books were discovered at UWO and many more were published.   A lengthy list of company histories is available by scrolling to the bottom of the Books About Companies web page.  Company histories that are often found in reference works or in books about industries are included.

In addition to printed company histories, annotations in the lists may include reviews of the books and short bibliographies, links to articles that have been scanned by staff in UWO's Business Library, and obituaries of individuals who were important in relation to a company.  Most of the obituaries are for Canadian business persons.

For example, under the heading Alphabetical List of Related Companies, click on:

A and go to the entry for Arnold Brothers, a Toronto company.  There is a link to a full-text article about this company.

H and go to the entry for Harris Steel Group.  There is a notice for Milton Harris, the company's founder with a reference to a thorough obituary.

3.
Basic Indexes

Johnston Library's staff have also created some basic indexes.  They are:

3a.
Index by Industry
Choose an industry and see what related company historical information has been found.

3b.
Company and Industry
See what industry a company is associated with.

3c.
Canadian Company Index
Companies which are seen to have, or have had, a significant Canadian connection.

There are also links to:

4.
Company Historical Profiles from the Canadian Register of Commerce and Industry (1959)
This title included profiles of several hundred Canadian commercial and industrial companies.  Some of the profiles were scanned and were added to the alphabethical lists of company histories produced by UWO's Business Library.  A print copy of the Canadian Register of Commerce and Industry is available at the Toronto Reference Library. 

5.
Company Historical Profiles from Industrial Canada (1967)
In May 1967, the Canadian Manufacturers' Association published a special centennial issue of the periodical Industrial Canada.  The issue included 100+ profiles of Canadian companies that were over 100 years old.  These profiles were scanned and can be found in the alphabetical lists of company histories produced by UWO's Business Library.  A print copy of the special issue is also available at the Toronto Reference Library.

It is noted "none of these lists or indexes are exhaustive and we are sure we have missed some companies". But, this web page does provide excellent tools and references for those interested in finding company histories; especially Canadian company histories.