Carol and Steve,

Since the masthead title and the ISSN have remained stable, if I were a
CONSER cataloger I would be very inclined to merge the existing records.  Somehow
the publisher's intent is to keep the title together.

CCM 16.2.5: " ... When working retrospectively, if it is evident from
multiple issues that one source (e.g., the caption) has a stable title and that the
title on a more preferred source (e.g., the cover) changes, choose the source
with the stable title to avert the need for a successive record."

However, I would check the other records to see if the ISSN has been
cancelled, and whether the records involved have been authenticated. Is so, I might be
inclined to create/use a new record. However, the history of the cover would
lead me to believe that the cover title would be unstable indefinitely,
resulting constantly in new records.  Cataloger's judgment, right?  I think I would
still want to merge them.

Rick Gildemeister
Brooklyn