Joel Munsell (April 14, 1808 – January 15, 1880) was an American printer, publisher and writer.

Subsequently, he published The Lady's Magazine, the Northern Star and Freeman's Advocate, The Spectator, the Unionist, the Albany Daily State Register, the Guard, The New York Teacher, the Morning Express and Statesman, Webster's Almanac, The Daily Statesman, and for three years the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.

Munsell made a close study of the craft of printing, in its history and application, and his collection of works on the subject, the largest in America, was in part purchased by New York State for the New York State Library.

[3] He contributed papers to the Transactions of the Albany Institute, of which he was a founder, and published: Among his contributions to American historical literature was the "Historical Series" (10 vols., Albany, 1850–58) that he edited and annotated mostly himself.

In 1872, he published a catalogue of all the books and pamphlets he had printed down to that date (8vo, 191 pp.