Announcing: Catalog #255 (for February, 2017) is now available…

February 2, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

Rare Newspapers’ monthly offering of collectible newspapers, Catalog 255, is now available. This latest collection of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 350 new items. Some of the noteworthy content includes: Rivington’s New York Gazetteer, the Oxford Gazette, Washington’s miracle escape from Long Island, “War Declared” in a Honolulu newspaper, the death of Marilyn Monroe in a Los Angeles newspaper, a great graphic issue on Abraham Lincoln, and more. Key items which include the remaining items from the above may be viewed at: Noteworthy Catalog 255

Whereas the entire catalog is shown at Catalog 255, the following links are intended to aid in quickly finding items from the catalog based on era:

1500-1799 (full view OR quick-scan/compact view)
1800-1899 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
1900-2015 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)

To view items from both the current and the previous catalog, go to: Combined Catalog

Note: The links shown above will expire in approximately 30 days.

Announcing: Catalog #253 (for December, 2016) is now available…

December 1, 2016 by · 2 Comments 

Rare Newspapers’ monthly offering of collectible newspapers, Catalog 253, is now available. This latest collection of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 350 new items. Some of the noteworthy content includes: Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, the Olive Branch Petition, the Battle of Bunker Hill, several nice Nast Santa Claus prints, the Battle of Gettysburg in a Confederate newspaper, a 1775 map of Boston, and more. Key items which include the remaining items from the above may be viewed at: Noteworthy Catalog 253

Whereas the entire catalog is shown at Catalog 253, the following links are intended to aid in quickly finding items from the catalog based on era:

1500-1799 (full view OR quick-scan/compact view)
1800-1899 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
1900-2015 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)

To view items from both the current and the previous catalog, go to: Combined Catalogs

A November, 2016 stroll back thru time – 50, 100, 150, 200, & 250 years ago…

November 3, 2016 by · Leave a Comment 

What news was reported in the month of November – 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 years ago (1966, 1916, 1866, 1816, 1766)? Such a walk back through time via the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite revealing. This is why we often say, “History is blog-11-3-2016-harpers-weeklynever more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.” The following links will take you back in time to show the available newspapers from the Rare & Early newspapers website. There’s no need to buy a thing. Simply enjoy the stroll.
November:
1966 – 50 years ago
1916 – 100 years ago
1866 – 150 years ago
1816 – 200 years ago
1766 – 250 years ago

The City of Boston receives noteworthy journalism award…

March 9, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog_Guy_11_2012The following is a note we recently received from one of the collector friends of Rare & Early Newspapers:

Happy to report that the section “Boston Journalism Firsts” and other contents of the Boston Journalism Trail site were used to nominate Boston for the Historical Site in Journalism Award given by the American Society of Professional Journalists, the largest journalists organization in the United States. The organization gave its 2014 award to Boston, thus for the first time honoring a whole city for the totality of its contributions to journalism. The organization’s president is to present the city’s mayor with a memorial plaque to be placed in a public space in downtown Boston in 2015. Thanks for all your support over the years.

To view details:

http://www.spj.org/news.asp?REF=1260

http://www.emerson.edu/news-events/emerson-college-today/boston-recognized-journalism-history#.VL0ipnZ6_YI

The end of an era… Thank you Jerry…

February 21, 2014 by · 3 Comments 

Today marks the end of an era – decades of dedication and love from one of the most cheerful and faithful members of our Rare & Early Newspapers team. At the ripe young age of 87, Gerald Hughes, the father of our founder, Timothy Hughes, will hang up his folder making tools to spend more time at home with his wife, Lois.

His history with our office/warehouse goes far beyond the founding of the company, as he literally built the office portion of our building back in 1960 when he owned a band saw filing business. And it was extra storage space in that building that allowed Tim to make his first sizable purchase in the 1970’s. With warehouse additions built  in later decades, all of the wood shelving which holds our considerable inventory was built by Jerry, and his mechanical ingenuity has been a blessing in solving the many unique challenges our business has encountered through the years.

Thank you Jerry! You will be greatly missed.

With All Our Love,

Guy, Doreen, Brian, Tim, Mike, Josh, Sarah, & Rebekah

Additional kudos for, “Reporting the Revolutionary War”…

February 15, 2013 by · 2 Comments 

Additional recognition has been received forReporting the Revolutionary War“, by Todd Andrlik:
“Best American Revolution Book of 2012”
(February 5, 2013) NAPERVILLE, IL—Reporting the Revolutionary War claimed victory—as the best book of 2012 on the American Revolution!

Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News
(ISBN: 9781402269677; November 1, 2012; $39.99 U.S.; History; Hard Cover) by Todd Andrlik is being awarded the annual prize of best American Revolution book by The New York Revolutionary War Round Table.
This great honor puts Andrlik in the prestigious company of previous winners, including Maya Jasanoff, professor of history at Harvard’s Center for European Studies, for her book, Liberty’s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World; Benjamin L. Carp, professor of history at Tufts University, for Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America; Mary Beth Norton of Cornell University; Charles Bracelen Flood; and Thomas Fleming.
“I’m grateful to the New York Revolutionary War Round Table and thrilled to join such an impressive list of past recipients,” said Andrlik. “I had the privilege of speaking at the Round Table in December and learned from its members just how much this book transcends normal history circles, appealing to both amateur and professional historians as well as casual history enthusiasts.”
The New York Revolutionary War Round Table was founded in 1958 and is now in its fifty-fifth year. It meets five times a year to hear a talk by an author of a new book on the Revolutionary War.
“Seldom, if ever, have we welcomed a book with more power to carry us back to the days of 1776 with such compelling authenticity,” said The New York Revolutionary War Round Table in its February 2013 newsletter announcing the honor
By the way, this Best American Revolution Book of 2012 comes on the heels of Barnes & Noble naming it one of the Best Books of 2012. Good stuff.
To read more, go to:  Award: Reporting the Revolutionary War
Congratulations Todd… we’re very proud of your accomplishment!

Guy
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand

Historic newspapers make current headlines… an interview on CNN…

December 14, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

A little more than a month ago we introduced Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News, a new book by a collector friend Todd Andrlik. His endeavor, which tells the story of the American Revolution through the eyes of Rare Newspapers, received national recognition through a recent interview on CNN.  Please enjoy:  History As It Happened

Alister & Paine Magazine visits Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…

December 10, 2012 by · 1 Comment 

A few weeks ago the staff of Alister & Paine Magazine came to South Williamsport, PA to visit our historic newspapers archives and to interview Tim for the purpose of introducing their readership to the world of Rare & Early Newspapers.   It was fun getting to know such well-traveled individuals – introducing them to the hobby and hearing of their varied experiences. Sharing the love for collecting historic newspapers is always a pleasure… and based upon their reactions, “History continues to never be more fascinating than when read from the day it was first reported. The feature story may be viewed at:

Alister & Paine Magazine

Thanks Jenna, Brian, and Kaitlin

Beyond the historic headline…

November 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

"Newspapers that shaped the world..."Newspapers that shaped the world…

Some of the better & more fascinating items found in old newspapers are not the most historic or significant, but rather the casual appearance of seemingly innocuous reports which excite collecting interest beyond the historic headline or dramatic presentation which are the more usual draw.

Much of what intrigues collectors can be lost within the body of reports, yet they tell a story of their own, such as the patriotic fervor of some colonist during the Revolutionary War.  I recall an issue of the Edinburgh Evening Courant of June, 1776 reporting on American soldiers: “…Their uniform is a dark grey coarse linen frock, which covers the whole body…with the words, ‘Death or Liberty’ marked in large red letters on the right sleeve; and many of them are so enthusiastic as to have them marked with their own blood…”. This report is almost lost on page 3 yet its message is very telling of the spirit which caused the Americans to win the war against a world power despite insurmountable odds.

Some reports are fascinating by their bias. A Richmond newspaper of July, 1863 reporting on the Battle of Gettysburg notes: “…The Confederates did not gain a victory, neither did the enemy. He succeeded in defending himself & we failed in some portions of an attack…We killed more of the enemy than we lost; we took very many more prisoners than lost. The Confederate army did not leave the enemy until it had tried every link of his armour…” Another newspaper notes: “ ..Information, certainly authentic, is in the hands of the Government, which leaves no doubt of the safety & triumph of the noble army. General Lee was victorious in all the combats which have taken place. He has been engaged with the whole force of the United States & has broken its backbone…”, Perhaps the most extraordinary example of optimism appeared in the Richmond Examiner of July 25: “…The result was not a defeat, it was not a loss; it was only not a victory…It was little else than a disappointment of extraordinary expectations…”. What a precious statement as an example of Confederate optimism.

Other little gems were very prophetic in their reporting, particularly when read with an historic perspective. A Scottish newspaper from 1775 sensed a lasting war with America as it reflected on the Battle of Bunker: “…The mischiefs which have already arisen & the greater calamities which are threatened from the unnatural war excited in America…It is impossible we can see, without the utmost alarm, preparations making for the prosecution of an expensive & ruinous war with our own Colonies…”. Some can be very recent, like the New York Times comment on rookie Mickey Mantle in 1951: “…Mantle, who gives every promise of developing into an outstanding baseball star, was ordered to report to his draft board next Wednesday…” An editorial comment in the Army & Navy Journal just after the Gettysburg Address opined: “…a dedicatory speech by President Lincoln, which we give in full, as decidedly the best feature of the occasion, as well as one of the most felicitous utterances of its author.” How true.

Some were prophetic even when the reports were simply wrong, like the Illustrated American article of 1898 reporting on “A New Flying Machine That Flies”–five years before the Wright brothers–when it said: “…It is impossible to imagine without terror the day when these mechanical birds, these flying apparitions, will be able to rain upon armies, hostile towns and escalating parties most deadly and most destructive explosives…”. How true it would become.

There can be much to be found in newspapers beyond the headline. What a thrill it is to discover such hidden gems; reports that have escaped hundreds of years of history only to rediscovered with new-found relevance today. Such are just some of the joys of collecting early newspapers.

Please enjoy:  Newspapers that shaped the world…

Announcing…

October 29, 2012 by · 1 Comment 

Two special events related to the Rare & Early Newspapers collectible are scheduled for this week:

1) A long time collector of historic newspapers, Todd Andrlik, has written a book which is sure to quickly become a classic within the hobby, “Reporting The Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News”, which tells the story of the Revolutionary War through the eyes of the newspapers of the period. Todd used authentic newspapers from the period… putting into practice what has been stated many times at History’s Newsstand:  “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was 1st reported.”  The link below will take you to Amazon’s “Look Inside” and will give you the opportunity to pre-order a copy through Wednesday, and direct order starting Thursday.  Thanks Todd.

“Reporting The Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News”

2) Newspapers that shaped the world…, a special edition catalog from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers, is also scheduled to be released on Thursday, at 12:01 AM ET, on November 1, 2012. While the following link shows items from our previous catalog, as of 12:01, it will take you to the release of what may be our most notable catalog to-date.

Newspapers that shaped the world…

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