Maximum PC database

**anthonydpaul** · July 24, 2025

I believe I've identified nearly every print edition of Maximum PC, not counting Boot. See attached for inventory.

Key:

Purple columns J, M, and N are printed on the magazine itself. This is with the exception of Special 2003, where it is simply labeled 2003 and it was either a holiday or special edition (ISBN 13).
Volumes follow the increments with Boot 1996 being volume 1.
Issues follow the annual issue numbers used in the ISBN, but not using the inconsistent ISBN for seasonal issues. Instead, I stuck with 13+ being holiday, seasons, special editions, etc. with January always being 1 and December always being 12 (this matches the ISBNs).
Columns C-H have my sources. Some of these are archived on this site, some on Google Books, some on Archive.org, some in print copies I have, and a few are cover art only I was able to find on Ebay/Google.
In columns A, you'll see a few I haven't confirmed as existing, but the consistent ISBN usage implies they do exist.
Column P has my recommended filenaming schema that uses these consistent and confirmed numbering systems, while also each having a unique filename. For example, I needed to include the ISBN in cases like Summer 2006 where there are two editions, as well as Spring 2007.
Any lines greyed out may or may not exist, but I was unable to confirm they exist. I left them in so we can see what their naming schema would be.

Please note:

There are a few mislabeled dates in the Retromag cover list. I've commented on those covers directly, with corrections.
If you download the huge Archive.org collection, some are mislabeled in that archive and that archive is not complete (see my C-H columns). Also, most of those scans are usable for reading, but not to the level of standard on this site and they'll need to be re-collected here.
Line 205 in my Excel file is highlighted yellow because the 2-digit ISBN shows "01" but this is in fact a truncated "101" within their naming schema for special editions.
You'll notice most winter issues are actually right over new year, meaning they are often ISBN numbered for the previous year, but date-titled with the next year. For example, see Fall 2006 and Winter 2007, with 2006 ISBNs 64 and 65 respectively. Several years increment the special editions with the year as the tens part of the ISBN = 2004 specials are 40s, 2005 are 50s, 2006 are 60s, and that's where they abandoned that schema in 2010 realizing it went back to "101"/"01" and caused confusion with existing ISBNs. At that point, the problem was solved by sticking with 13 for holiday and dropping specials/seasons.

maximum pc print db 2025-07-23.xlsx

**anthonydpaul** · July 24, 2025

This 2009 lot confirms my use of volumes including Boot years. 1998 is v3, not v1.

**JHD** · July 24, 2025

I have nothing useful to contribute to this discussion, but I utterly love the spreadsheet and the level of detail that it provides! I am truly impressed.

I used to be a professional librarian, and trying to deal with publications that published irregularly and/or had odd issue numbering was a cataloguing nightmare.

**anthonydpaul** · July 24, 2025

@JHD Ha, thanks! I guess this is why nobody had tackled this pub yet. It was a bit of a puzzle.

It looks like they experimented with their magazine name, then were acquired or new management a few times, so their strategy for numbering system, dual releases, and specials changed often. The most problematic to figure out were "winter" issues with the saddled year problem—most egregious being in 2008 with two named "winter" issues, but in reality, the ISBN shows one is from the beginning of the year and the other is the tail of the year (ISBN in 90s for 2009).

**kitsunebi** · July 25, 2025

9 hours ago, anthonydpaul said:

@JHD Ha, thanks! I guess this is why nobody had tackled this pub yet. It was a bit of a puzzle.

As I mentioned before, I believe you have the ability to add issues to the database (according to the site FAQ all members have that ability) - if not now, then once you become a regular member when you hit 25 posts. So seeing as how you put in so much effort already and have an active interest in it, I'd say you're without doubt the most knowledgeable/qualified person to build that particular database. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about how to do that.

**anthonydpaul** · July 25, 2025

@kitsunebi Yeah, I don't think I have any of those permissions yet. It looks like I have edit buttons on the publications database, but not the magazines database.

**kitsunebi** · July 26, 2025

11 hours ago, anthonydpaul said:

Yeah, I don't think I have any of those permissions yet. It looks like I have edit buttons on the publications database, but not the magazines database.

Looks like you need 8 more posts, then. It's silly, but I don't make the rules.

Then, what you'll be looking for is this:

**anthonydpaul** · July 28, 2025

I found another special missing from my spreadsheet and have the hard copy on order.

Following the anomalistic naming of line 205 with duplicate ISBNs "01" due to truncation of "101", there is also a duplicate ISBN "02" at the end of the year, for a special edition print-titled as "January/February 2011". 101 would have been winter 2009/2010 and 102 is winter 2010/2011. It follows Holiday 2010 and is numbered via ISBN for 2010, despite the print-title in 2011. Note my volume identifiers for both are linked to the print-titled year, with each showing 2009 and 2011 and neither showing 2010 even though their ISBNs are 2010.

This issue should be titled as = Maximum PC Vol 16, No 014 (Winter 2011) ISBN 102

When I have a printed copy in my hands, I can confirm, but this should match what's printed on the spine.

I've not been able to find any other image search results for this specific issue. Because of the ISBN and time of year, I do not believe there are Summer, Spring, Fall, or additional special editions on 2010. The two saddled winters are the only ISBN 100s.

**kitsunebi** · July 28, 2025

6 hours ago, anthonydpaul said:

When I have a printed copy in my hands, I can confirm, but this should match what's printed on the spine.

See, this is why your help on this title is needed. I've got 250 issues of this mag...on my hard drive, but I've never once seen an issue in person. I had no idea these things even HAD volume/issue numbers, since apparently the only place they ever printed that information WAS ON THE SPINE (which never gets scanned.) Having someone with physical copies in their hands put together this database is invaluable.

**anthonydpaul** · July 28, 2025

21 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

See, this is why your help on this title is needed. I've got 250 issues of this mag...on my hard drive, but I've never once seen an issue in person. I had no idea these things even HAD volume/issue numbers, since apparently the only place they ever printed that information WAS ON THE SPINE (which never gets scanned.) Having someone with physical copies in their hands put together this database is invaluable.

If you can give me the list you have above and beyond the archive.org dump, that would help. That lot is ~215 or so, then there were a few individual ones I found. The rest I assembled a list of from other places. I’m going to start acquiring batches and find copies of all the gaps.

Off topic, I have nearly all the missing issues of PC Gamer now.

**kitsunebi** · July 28, 2025

21 minutes ago, anthonydpaul said:

If you can give me the list you have above and beyond the archive.org dump, that would help. That lot is ~215 or so, then there were a few individual ones I found. The rest I assembled a list of from other places. I’m going to start acquiring batches and find copies of all the gaps.

Off topic, I have nearly all the missing issues of PC Gamer now.

Yeah, between here and OldGameMags, I'm pretty sure every issue of both PC Gamer USA and UK are already available. A FAR cry from when I first joined and there were a literal handful of issues available.

I'm not sure how helpful a list of what I've got would be. Aside from the stuff pulled from googlebooks, I've got about 100 digital PDFs from 2012-2020. But since none of that stuff can be shared here, and the identification marks you seem to be using aren't present on digital mags (vol/no on spine, ISSN on barcode box), I'm not sure how useful they'd be.

**anthonydpaul** · July 29, 2025

27 minutes ago, kitsunebi said:

Yeah, between here and OldGameMags, I'm pretty sure every issue of both PC Gamer USA and UK are already available. A FAR cry from when I first joined and there were a literal handful of issues available.

I'm not sure how helpful a list of what I've got would be. Aside from the stuff pulled from googlebooks, I've got about 100 digital PDFs from 2012-2020. But since none of that stuff can be shared here, and the identification marks you seem to be using aren't present on digital mags (vol/no on spine, ISSN on barcode box), I'm not sure how useful they'd be.

Ah, yeah, that’s later stuff. I accounted for Google Books and archive.org, plus the few we have here, plus a few individual ones on archive.org, plus our album of covers. Then I itemized them all to identify numbering patterns so I could surgically search Google/Ebay for issues I believed existed.

Those unarchived issues are the ones I’m buying.

**anthonydpaul** · July 29, 2025

@kitsunebi I did the PayPal request for an OldGameMags account to fill in some gaps. I hadn't seen that site yet. Thanks!

This site also looks good, but doesn't have downloads: https://archive.gamehistory.org/

**kitsunebi** · July 29, 2025

23 minutes ago, anthonydpaul said:

@kitsunebi I did the PayPal request for an OldGameMags account to fill in some gaps. I hadn't seen that site yet. Thanks!

This site also looks good, but doesn't have downloads: https://archive.gamehistory.org/

OGM has oodles more downloads than Retromags, especially UK/AUS/NZ and computer-related titles. (Btw, regarding PC Gamer, they have all the newer issues archived as well, they just aren't available to download so long as the publisher is still selling them).

The VGHF provides lots of scans to Retromags, actually. A significant amount of the scans released by MigJmz and dablais over the past couple of years were provided by them (anything with TheRedEye or Shadsy listed as scanner is from the VGHF.)

**anthonydpaul** · July 30, 2025

Update: Using my spines photo collection, I've also determined the minimum years 2005-2007 had issue numbers reversed in December (no.13) vs Holiday (no.12) despite their ISBNs being standard December ISBN 12 and Holiday ISBN 13.

2004 and prior are unconfirmed, though 2004 is my earliest confirmed Holiday-branded issue. Most likely it follows the 12:13 and 13:12 format.
2008 is unconfirmed and has a 50/50 chance either way, until I see spines.
2009+ is reconfirmed as 12:12 and 13:13.

One much later anomaly I have (outside of the scope of my Excel sheet) is Spring 2017, with Issue no.4, implying it was between March and April, or replacing April. I've not seen any other years place non-holidays specials into the 1-13 numbering range.

**anthonydpaul** · August 10, 2025

On 7/26/2025 at 12:32 AM, kitsunebi said:

Looks like you need 8 more posts, then. It's silly, but I don't make the rules.

Then, what you'll be looking for is this:

It looks like I don't have that button yet, still.

**slider1983** · August 14, 2025

On 8/10/2025 at 2:20 PM, anthonydpaul said:

It looks like I don't have that button yet, still.

I don't have the authority either. Still waiting to get approval.

**anthonydpaul** · August 29, 2025

@kitsunebi I still don't have the button. I'm 140-something points from my next member level, but I'm unsure if that level is when I get the button or not.

I've been collecting hardcopies to also verify spines.

**slider1983** · August 29, 2025

2 hours ago, anthonydpaul said:

I still don't have the button. I'm 140-something points from my next member level, but I'm unsure if that level is when I get the button or not.

Have you emailed admin like E-Day?

**kitsunebi** · August 29, 2025

3 hours ago, anthonydpaul said:

@kitsunebi I still don't have the button. I'm 140-something points from my next member level, but I'm unsure if that level is when I get the button or not.

As I mentioned before, it's been quite some time (around 10 years) since I was a regular member, so I can't remember what permissions they have and don't have. But apparently, creating database entries is one of the don't haves.

There's no other status level for you to go to get new permissions other than team member, and that's just for people releasing scans (the other point-based status levels you mentioned are completely meaningless - just a function of the software the site runs on.)

So your only hope is to contact an admin, explain what it is you're trying to do, and ask them to give you the permissions necessary to create magazine database entries (this can be done without needing to actually alter your member status.) Will they make an exception for you? I can't promise anything. All you can do is try. It's completely out of my hands, I'm afraid.

**jcuralli6079** · October 13, 2025

Another to check out that I didn't see on your list - on sale on Ebay, but I haven't seen it digitally. ISBN is 55...

Maximum PC Special Issue, Music & Audio Guide, Holiday 2000/2001 - https://ebay.us/m/ScwU3C

**dablais** · October 13, 2025

6 hours ago, jcuralli6079 said:

Another to check out that I didn't see on your list - on sale on Ebay, but I haven't seen it digitally. ISBN is 55...

Maximum PC Special Issue, Music & Audio Guide, Holiday 2000/2001 - https://ebay.us/m/ScwU3C

@jcuralli6079 feel free to buy it and send it us, I can scan it for you.

**anthonydpaul** · October 13, 2025

13 hours ago, jcuralli6079 said:

Another to check out that I didn't see on your list - on sale on Ebay, but I haven't seen it digitally. ISBN is 55...

Maximum PC Special Issue, Music & Audio Guide, Holiday 2000/2001 - https://ebay.us/m/ScwU3C

Thank you. I do have that one in my newer personal database. I uploaded an early copy. I've been working on this publication for a few months now and own nearly all print copies of it. At the moment I still don't have site permission to add missing issues to the site databases.

cc @dablais

**anthonydpaul** · October 13, 2025

Here's a new export. Any cells highlighted in purple are ones I've confirmed with actual print copies or found listings with photos of stacked spines. Yellow are guesses or corrections (e.g., if the print publication says one thing, but I know it to be mis-labeled). If you find any missing ones in this database, let me know! I think I MUST be close to 99.99% complete and accurate now though!

The print columns are copies I either have in-hand or I've purchased and they are not yet in my hands. (e.g. I have a 22-year collection a friend picked up for me in another city, but I have to figure out how to get it to me.)

I may split off the database for the specials, because some of them get messy with naming anomalies. For example, there are all these How-To guides that were sold as monthly issues, but are titled uniquely. It makes more sense to spin them off and move them into the specials database, IMO, because in later years they were given different numbering and ISBN conventions. It seems the publisher experimented with their numbering a few times, some related to mergers and acquisitions.

I have similar databases and print collections for PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, CPU, PC Modder, PC Upgrade, PC Accelerator, Computer Shopper, Tiger Direct (catalogs), PC World, PC Magazine, PC Format, and some others I'm interested in. I've ended up with a number of GameInformer and Xbox issues inside of lots, but I'm not working on either those publications myself.

p.s., I'm specifically interested in years ranging from 1996-2006, so my collection is minimal below or above those years, though I do have many complete years of PC Gamer and Maximum PC after 2006—again, mostly because they came in lots.

maximum pc print db 2025-10-13.xlsx

Edited October 13, 2025 by anthonydpaul

**anthonydpaul** · October 13, 2025

An example of a yellow correction is this spine print mistake I found in my PC Gamers:

In Maximum PC, a common correction is the Winter year. Because winter spans the new year, they were very inconsistent in correctly stating the year it was for. For example, a winter 2004/2005 may have been labeled as 2004 or 2005, which in the series meant two different winters and made it appear as if there were 2 in one winter and none in another. The ISBNs helped clarify this, as the ISBN numbering would follow the other seasons in the correct year of attribution.