I designed a database in Micro$oft Access 97 for keeping track of my Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazines. Then I redesigned it. Then I redesigned it again. Since I've put so much time into it, I thought I ought to make a skeleton version of it available here, along with a useful README file. These files are provided strictly "as is" in hopes that they might be of help to someone, and I cannot be held responsible if they don't work, contain inaccurate information, or compel you to suddenly box up your entire EQMM collection and mail it to me.
Note (3/14/02): I have discovered that Access XP interprets SQL differently than Access 97. Hence, this database will not work as intended with Access XP (and, for all I know, Access 2000). Since I have a) no time and b) no Office XP documentation, I do not plan to migrate this database to XP in the immediate future. It should still work with Access 97, although there is a known, fixable bug with running Access 97 on newer Microsoft operating systems. I might see if it works with WINE. . .
I use a primary key derived from the Whole Number of each issue to keep track of each issue. This is simple and reasonably consistent. Everything else about EQMM has been subject to change; for example, "months" for issues have encompassed not only January, February, etc. but also Mid-July, Mid-December, Fall, Winter, and September/October! I have recovered the volume, number, whole number, and date information for every issue of EQMM though 2000 from sources on-line and Michael Cook's excellent but heavy, expensive, and rather limited-purpose Monthly Murders. With that information, I can (more or less) simply enter the whole number of an issue into my database and automagically know the corresponding date in queries and reports. This is the information that is in the Access file; as far as I know, it is not available in soft-form elsewhere.
This database is designed to work as well as I could make it to do what I need, which results in some seemingly strange behavior. For example, it will generate a "Collection list" of all EQMMs in the database with a condition of "Fair" or better, but when asked to generate list of "wanted" EQMMs will include issues for which the database user already has a "Fair" copy. This is due my own, personal, and somewhat peculiar grading system, a key element of which is that ideally I would like my collection to consist of copies that are graded "Good" or better but, the world being as it is, I must be content to allow any magazine graded "Fair" or better in my collection. However, if I wander into a bookshop and discover a copy of EQMM in "Good" or "Very Good" condition, I would still like to be able to know if I already have that issue in comparable condition---and if not, I can buy it and improve my collection. If it is only "Fair", I can know if I have no decent copy at all and could use one.
The major problem with the database at this time: it should have complete information so the user can enter any copy of any issue of EQMM (at least the US version) from Fall 1941 through September/October 2001. It does, except that during the late fifties and early sixties EQMM was available in two with two covers for each issue: a flashy newsstand version and a more sedate subscription version (see here for an example). I have been unable to find out for exactly what dates this happened. Since I know that these "subscription" versions were available in August 1956 and August 1962, I have extrapolated that they were also available for all issues in between. Of course, they were probably also available for some other issues, but until I get some hard data the "wanted EQMMs" results from the database must be incomplete.