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The Gentleman’s Magazine & Poetry… Still learning…
September 28, 2020 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
Nestled among the prosaic commodity prices, legal decisions, and historical chronicles that regularly appear in an issue of Gentleman’s Magazine is a section that seems surprising to me — “Select Poetry, ancient and modern.” In some ways, this is a reminder that times certainly have changed, and things are not as they always were. A current publication for the leaders of our era, such as Forbes or Bloomberg or The Wall Street Journal would not contain poetry, unless a noteworthy personage deviated from business acquisition long enough to write, or possibly promote a struggling artist in the name of philanthropy, etc.
But, once upon a time, the well-educated person was learned in literary as well as economic matters. As the 
column title hints, the classical emphasis on education set a background that persisted into all arenas of life. With this in mind, I delved into the section and became even further struck by the subject matter of my sampling in meter and rhyme. The closing refrain to each stanza concludes that nothing in life matters without….love.
But weak is our vaunt
While something we want,
More sweet than the pleasure that Prospects can give.
Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan,
Love can alone make it blissful to live.
The author of this particular poem only provided his (presumably) initials to this listing of Prospects, Nectar, Odours, Music, Friendship, Learning, Riches and Honour. All, the poet asserts, are not sufficient to bring bliss to life — only love can do that. The musings that follow include “Ode to a Goldfinch”, “An Astronomical Thought” and “A Translation of the Epitaph”. Put together, they summarize the principle concerns of the time period — the natural and known world, the world yet to be discovered, happiness within all experiences, and the context provided by knowledge of eventual death.
That is, indeed, a selection of ancient and modern — even the modern of today.
They Put It In Print (1848)… “Lincoln that is, political gold, Illinois tea…”
September 25, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A tremendous wag, hilarious, upright, a real gem… We recently uncovered the earliest “feature” article we’ve ever found regarding Abraham Lincoln – buried on the back page of the The Greensborough Patriot (NC) dated September 16, 1848. On the heels of gold having just been discovered in California, another golden-nugget was slowly becoming unearthed on the opposite side of the country – before the very eyes (and ears) of the nation. Although Lincoln was a relatively unknown senator from Illinois, a reporter heard him speak before The House and was impressed enough to take the time to record his observations. It appears this reporter, along with a host of others, would be drawn to the qualities which would set him apart from the pack, and would eventually propel him into the history books. How do we know? Back in 1848, they put it in print:
I can imagine, as articles such as this began to circulate, that the folks back in home in Illinois began to talk in Lincoln’s ear, and…
The first thing you know ol Abe’s politically extraordinaire,
Kinfolk said “Abe move away from there”.
Said “The Capitol” is the place you ought to be”
So they loaded him on a train and he moved to D.C.
The UNITED States would never be the same.
The September (2020) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
September 18, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers
Welcome to the September 2020 edition of our monthly newsletter. This month we’d like to bring your attention to the following:
An Expanded Set of Discounted Newspapers – 50% Off
New Items Added to September’s Catalog
Since Catalog 298 went to print we’ve added over 50 additional items. Some of the topics/issues include: an extremely rare issue of the Black Hills Herald (Dakota Territory), the mention of Ben Franklin in a Philadelphia newspaper from during the Rev. War, an issue which only existed for two dates, the first candidate of the Republican Party, the financial panics of 1873 and 1907, the fist black female senator appointed, the first appearances of a couple of Walt Whitman’s poems, and more.
Catalog 298
History’s Newsstand
Newly Discovered Items
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See what’s happening on our social sites
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Snapshot 1929… Just prior to the “crash” – Thomas Edison’s electric lamp…
September 14, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When one thinks of late October, 1929, it’s hard not to focus on The Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. However, even just a few days prior to the world-altering event, people were going about their lives enjoying news of a huge new airport in Chicago which at the time featured the largest hanger in the world and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thomas Edison’s electric light bulb. In regards to the pre-crash celebration of Edison, the October 21, 1929 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune printed a set of related cartoons on the front page, one of which is related to this joyous event. I also (accidentally?) included the 3rd due to its timeliness. Enjoy.
The Woman’s Journal & Literary Notices… I’m Still Learning…
September 11, 2020 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
The Woman’s Journal (1872 and more), out of Boston, is the publication I am happiest to pull for any reason. It is well-organized, with clear headings and a clean layout. If I have research to do, I save it for last as I am frequently inclined to ramble through the columns, and lose track of time. With that said, it’s a splendid thing to be assigned an opportunity to focus on this paper. Each instance of opening it brings me to a new regular feature, and this one brought me to the Literary Notices where I discovered a special treat.
In the first place, the professional tone and straightforward language convey an instant sense of intelligent discussion. This is serious scholarship being presented. The selections that follow only serve to deepen that impression, as listed here:
The Sphinx’s Children and Other People’s, Reason and Revelation Hand in Hand, A Study of Dante, A Tale of a Lonely Parish, Tokology, A Book for Every Woman, Evolution of To-Day
Each title precedes a 200-word thoughtful review, with summary and critique included. The style is witty and educated, and I was wondering which of these might still be available –as they were so very interesting– when I spotted a last review occupying five times as much space as any of the others. To my delight, it was headed as follows:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: With Extracts from His Journals and Correspondence. Edited by Samuel Longfellow
It’s a great thing to be able to read someone else’s evaluation of a work with which you are yourself familiar, most particularly if their review was written 134 years ago. There is much to recognize and much to learn in the details of this piece. Interestingly, I looked up the author’s name and found it to be the only one of the editorial and contributor staff to be listed by initials, rather than first name. Further research showed that H.B. Blackwell was really “Henry Brown Blackwell” and the only male member of the staff. The entire review closes with the “last words he [Wordsworth] ever wrote were these:
O Bells of San Blas, in vain,
Ye call back the past again;
The past is deaf to your prayer;
Out of the shadows of night
The world rolls into the light;
It is daybreak everywhere.
The very last interesting bit in this excursion of mine is an item in the adjacent Gossip and Gleanings column which reads, “Rev. Samuel Longfellow has the gratification knowing that the 4,000 copies of his brother’s life composing the first edition, are all sold.”
Snapshot 1879… Thomas Edison – in defense of his electric light bulb…
September 7, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The benefits of the light bulb are so interwoven throughout our lives, few would argue we take them for granted – until we notice their infamous ultra-luminescence just moments prior to our world becoming dark. However, back in 1879, Edison had received enough grief concerning his invention he would often feel compelled to provide a defense – some of which appeared in newspapers throughout the country. Such was the case with the December 27, 1879 issue of The Sun (New York). I appreciate the irony of a discussion regarding artificial light appearing in an issue of The Sun. Enjoy.
Still Learning… Scientific American & Lupines…
September 4, 2020 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
We continue the “Still Learning” series by our former office manager, Stephanie, who relocated to another sate:
Lovers of children’s literature know the book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, the sweet tale of a little woman who brought the bloom of lupine to the coast of Maine. It was an act that flowed from a desire to be content in her circumstances, and even make a masterpiece of her life. Cooney’s artwork is memorable, as is the lesson she -illustrates, so the word “lupine” caught my eye as I skimmed through a The Scientific American issue of the late 1800’s.
I have been immediately aware of the inventions featured in this publication, without taking in the additional material in these journals. Directly following an expected “The Properties of Iron and its Resistance to Projectiles at High Velocities” came the surprising, “Character, Cultivation and Use of the Lupine.” The full page report begins, “We continue this week our valuable extracts from the agricultural office of the Patent Office Report for 1861 by publishing in full the article on the Lupine, by Louis Schade, of Washington, D.C. –“, exciting my interest with the promise of other content in preceding issues.
This one is so well-written that I, science and math challenged as I am, followed the explanation and proposal. It seems Mr. Schade studied the extensive use of these plants in European countries, particularly Germany and Prussia, where they served the dual purpose of providing cattle fodder as well as fertilizing the ground. It seems the lupine creates more energy than usual in its absorption of soil minerals, and it “dissolves the the chemical constituents of minerals by the evaporation of its root, which is impossible for other plants,” which in turn enriches the soil. Within two years the physical change can even be seen in the changed color of the land.
The point of this piece is a plea that farmers adopt this crop as an economic solution to the very real challenge of favorable soil. Species of lupine are compared and rated/recommended, and sowing methods and seasons are meticulously described. I appreciate a bit more how vital this publication was to the successful establishment of the strong agricultural system we have today. And I am looking forward to a little more digging through the botanical titles, particularly those that stretch my gardening interests into the realm of the science of growing food.
Being firmly convinced that the lupine, if introduced by our farmers into this country, will be a Godsend to all those who have either light, sandy or exhausted soil, I consider it a matter of the highest importance that some trials with the same should be made, particularly on the sand lands of New Jersey, and the worn-out lands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky and other States.
Announcing: Catalog #298 (for September, 2020) is now available…
September 1, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 298 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 298 ($250+)
- Combined Catalogs (current, w/ remnants of previous)
Don’t forget about this month’s DISCOUNTED ISSUES.
The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days,
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.