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Reprinted Newspapers – Identified as of 1931…
November 10, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
In 1931, Joseph Gavit, the senior librarian at the New York Public Library, published a list of known newspaper reprints: “A List Of American Newspaper Reprints”. This well-known but seldom found 16 page booklet begins: “This is an attempt to bring together, in one list, notes on all the complete separate reproductions of early or historic issues of American newspapers…”, with more to follow. At the time the list included nearly 150 reprint editions. Although the list has grown to more than 500 editions, most of the more common reprints were identified by Gavit.
We’ve created a listing “For Information Purposes Only” on the Rare & Early Newspapers website which includes photos of his work. We hope you find it useful.
An expanded list of newspaper reprints can be explored at Common Reprints – several which can be explored through this Blog by searching for “reprint“.
The reason I collected it: The John-Donkey – 1848…
October 30, 2023 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
While historic events & people–whether they be tragic, heroic, or celebratory–are the domain for most collectors, venturing out of this arena into the small world of comic and satire magazines can be a refreshing change.
This title is a great example, and in my 47 years of collecting newspapers this is the only issue I have encountered. It lasted but 29 weekly issues in 1848. Its significance is such that Frank L. Mott, in his book “A History of American Magazines, 1741-1850”, devoted a chapter to this title.
A few comments from his book include: “…John-Donkey always maintained the tradition of his stupidity… he claimed only to be stupid and was continually trying to prove his stupidity…Most of John-Donkey’s articles, long and short, were satires upon contemporary events or fads, upon organizations, movements, and persons. Politics were prominent…The first page of each issue bore a series of pictures of John Donkey himself in various attitudes…Each number contained a political cartoon, full pate in size, and printed on an unbacked leaf [the print in this issue of ‘The Pennsylvania Thimble-Rigger’, blank on the reverse]… It is very probable that the seven libel suits filed against the John-Donkey in May had something to do with its demise…”. The photos below is of the issue dated March 11, 1848 – the one I collected.
October Newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 20, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Bad Luck vs. Fate – The Sullivan Brothers…
October 13, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Today is Friday – more specifically, Friday the 13th. I’m not superstitious or a fatalist, and I’m not quite sure what I think about “the luck of the Irish”, and even if it does exist on some level, whether or not Irish-Americans have it (or is it washed away in the salt water of Atlantic during transit. Quite honestly, I try to limit my exposure to bad news. However, a few weeks ago one of our staff brought me a 1943 newspaper containing an article regarding the dreadful story of the Sullivan Brothers during WWII. While the event was immortalized in the movie “The Fighting Sullivans”, and inspired drama “Saving Private Ryan”, there is no better way to capture this horrible moment than reading it as it was reported in 1943. A clip of the article is shown below, and more may be viewed through the link: Five Sullivan Brothers Killed in WWII Action. Was it fate, bad luck (of the Irish?), or something entirely different? Regardless, one thing is for certain, it was horribly tragic!
Who will be the Superpowers of the 22nd century?
October 9, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While Great Kingdoms come and Great Kingdoms go, no one can argue that The British Empire owned the title of Superpower for much of the 1600’s through 1800’s. This is not to disparage Spain, Prussia, France, Russia, Portugal and the entire Asian and African regions, but during this stretch of time, England/Britain had staying power to go with their strength. However, as the writing on the wall began to identify potential challengers to their title, it is interesting to hear who Lord Stanley, the notable British Prime Minister in 1858, had to say would be the major powers of the 20th century. An article with his thoughts which would prove to be prophetic in less than 100 years appeared in the March 22, 1858 issue of The New York Times. I wonder who will be the global force(s) 100 years from today? Bonus question: Will their dominance reach into the heavens… or to the depths of the sea?
Exploring “This Day in History” through Rare & Early Newspapers… Updated!
October 6, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Who among us isn’t a bit curious as to what occurred on our birthday (or today’s date) through time? The concept of exploring a specific day (month/day) through history has always been intriguing, but before the internet, such knowledge was not easy to obtain. However, in the present world of data explosion, websites which explore “This Day in History” do the job quite nicely and have become very popular. One of my favorites is HISTORY.COM maintained by The History Channel.
Of course, as a collector and reseller of old newspapers, this trek is amplified by the capability of holding authentic newspapers containing contemporary reporting of these events – to not only read the articles themselves, but to explore the context of what else was going on as the events unfolded.
Thanks to ongoing requests from collectors, we’ve created an interface on our website which enables the seeker to explore what is available at any given moment for any month/day. Even if you are not looking to add to your collection, perusing through the issues can be fascinating. If you have interest in giving this a try, the steps below are provided to help you get started.
This feature is available at: Explore: “THIS DAY IN HISTORY”
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I tried own birthday and came up with the following: January 2nd Through Time
Don’t forget the “Sort” feature which will give you multiple ways to arrange your search results. Have Fun!
Goodbye Lyndsay… Hello Breck…
October 2, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
It is with both joy and sadness we (the staff at RareNewspapers.com) say goodbye to Lyndsay Miller who served as our office assistant and primary “order fulfillment guru” over the past few years. We are sad to see her go as she was an outstanding member of our staff, and many of those who collect with us were very fond of her pleasant and helpful spirit. However, we are also excited on her behalf as she embarks on her next adventure: a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Williamsport, PA (as a companion venue to her on-line presence) where she has the opportunity to engage in her love for vintage clothing. We wish her the best and are thankful we had her with us for longer than expected.
In typical Lyndsay fashion, she helped us find her replacement, Breck Miller – a young man from Jersey Shore, PA who has a strong work-ethic, solid values, a love for history… oh, and in case you haven’t already guessed, he just happens to be Lyndsay’s brother-in-law. Welcome Breck! The fun has just begun!!!
Snapshot 1839… Is an atheist’s sworn statement in court valid?
September 22, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Let’s be honest, if a journalist posed this question in a mainstream newspaper today, the pushback for even asking the question would likely go viral within minutes, if not seconds. However, in 1831 the Boston Police Court was wrestling with this very question. In fact, the language used to describe such a situation was not one of validity, but competency. The article is too long to show in full, but for those who may be curious I’ve included 2 photos below – one each of both of the introduction and the conclusion.
Note: Some might also find the slavery-themed content within this same issue rather interesting as well: Daily National Intelligencer, July 2, 1839.
They Put It In Print – Going to extreme lengths to prove another’s innocence…
September 18, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Would you step in front of a moving vehicle to push a small child out of the way of its path? Would you jump into a river to save a drowning family member? Would you kill yourself to prove a stranger’s innocence? If you are anything like me, the answers in order are: “yes”, “Yes”, and “NOT A CHANCE”. However, someone not only said “yes” to the 3rd question, he actually put his “yes” into action. How do we know? The New York Herald dated June 17, 1871 put it in print:
Nothing Stops Football Season… 1929 edition…
August 28, 2023 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
From its inception (see Rutgers vs. Princeton, November 6, 1869), College Football has developed an incredible fan base comprised of alumni, students (and children of former students who were swept up by their parent’s enthusiasm), locals, and more. Diehard fans have been known to withstand fierce weather conditions, hours upon hours of traffic, mortgage-level ticket prices, and have even been known to travel from one side of the country to the other just to see their favorite team and players battle it out on the gridiron. It seems as if nothing will stop a passionate football devotee from attending a game.
This dedication was demonstrated in spades on November 24, 1929, only one month after Black Thursday’s Stock Market Crash of 1869, when a California or Stanford fan (we’re not sure which) boarded a train at Palo Alto Station on University Ave., San Francisco, and headed off to the mid-afternoon game. Later that evening the exhausted, sore-throated fan headed home with both train and game ticket stubs in hand, and the itinerary in their back pocket. We know who won the game; we just don’t know if our devotee departed with a smile or a tear.
We (RareNewspapers.com) discovered the evidence of the fan’s attendance among a recent acquisition of historical newspapers, and partnered the treasures with a 1929 newspaper containing a brief mention of the game. Now, nearly 100 years later, new fans can enjoy a small piece of history from their favorite team – and one can actually own the very artifacts of this century-removed but favorite-team-connected fan.
While not earth-shattering, such “finds” are one of the many delights our staff experiences almost daily. What fun!