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Announcing: Catalog #309 (for August, 2021) is now available…
July 30, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 309 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 309 ($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.
Why collect Rare & Early Newspapers? July 23rd…
July 23, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
It has often been said (by Tim Hughes and other collectors of historical newspapers) that “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported”. When past events are studied through the eyes of those who experienced them first-hand, revisionism, “woke”-ism, and the politicizing of history is kept to a minimum. The breadth and depth of our understanding of the past is undoubtedly enhanced when we view past events through the lens of contemporaneous reporting. This is one of the great satisfactions those of us at Rare & Early Newspapers enjoy on a daily basis, and the driving force behind why more and more people are joining the ranks of those who collect newspapers.
While history certainly has its share of triumph and tragedy, success and failure, progress and regression, together they combine to form the tapestry of our shared human experience. Warts have been part of daily life since we made our all-to-quick exit from The Garden, but hopefully, as we study history in order to learn from the good and the bad, the knowledge we gain by observing the past will inform our actions of the present to help pave the way for a few less blemishes in the future. Our hope is that those who collect historic newspapers 100… 200… 500 years from now will find we were good stewards of our own current events.
It is with the above in mind we will occasionally post the list of newspapers we have for a specific day in history.
Today we explore: July 23rd
18th Century Gentleman’s Magazines – So Much For So Little…
July 16, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over 40 years ago we discovered one of the best titles of the 18th century for period news reporting. The title wasn’t even a newspaper but rather, “The Gentleman’s Magazine” from London.
Having begun in 1731, Gentleman’s Magazines ran uninterrupted for nearly 200 years publishing pages capturing news reports concerning America which could never be found in period American newspapers, and were rarely found in period British newspapers.
From its earliest years this popular title printed reports as varied as the creation of the colony of Georgia, William Penn laying out the city of Philadelphia, slave revolts, and reports of pirates operating in the Caribbean.
Issues have much on Ben Franklin & his work with electricity including the lightening rod & famous kite experiments as well as rarely published poems by the famed slave poet Phyllis Wheatley.
Death reports of the famous–and infamous–abound, from Mozart to Handel, from John Paul Jones to George Washington, Patrick Henry and Benedict Arnold… the list is awe inspiring.
Military events are abundant including much on the French & Indian War (with very early Colonel George Washington reports) & all the Revolutionary War battles from the Boston Massacre through the Treaty of Peace.
Keep in mind the American colonies were part of the global British Empire until 1776 so there was much interest in not only American events but notable world events which affected the broad scope of British interests.
Some of the best gems to be found are very inconspicuous reports such as the hanging of what would famously become known as the Liberty Bell. Under the heading: “America” and with a “Philadelphia, May 10” dateline from 1753 is a report reading: “Last week was raised and fixed, in the State-House Steeple, the great bell, weighing 2080 lb. cast here, with this inscription, ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, to the inhabitants thereof.”
The full text of the hated Stamp Act is found within the pages of a Gentleman’s Magazine, and just one year later is found the formal repeal of the Stamp Act by King George III. Other Acts of Parliament harmful to colonial relations are reported as well.
Historic documents are certainly not lacking, among them being the Articles of Confederation, the “Causes & Necessity for Taking Up Arms”, the Constitution of the United States (in 1787), and the most desired document of all, the Declaration of Independence.
At a time when an early period printing of the Declaration in an American newspaper will sell for a half a million dollars or more, the ability to purchase a 1776 magazine with a timely printing of the full text of the document for under $4000 is a rare opportunity for any collector.
An added bonus found in many issues of Gentleman’s Magazine is that while plates and maps can simply not be found in newspapers of the 18th century, this wonderful publication contains a wealth of these engravings and wood-cut prints.
Printed separately from the regular pages of the issue and tipped within, most of the maps fold out to be double the size of the issue, and they include some of the more desired maps one would want of the 18th century, including Philadelphia, the colonies (from 1755), Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, the Caribbean, St. Augustine, the entire western hemisphere and so much more. Many collectors choose to frame the maps separately from the issue as they are very decorative and are typically dated in an upper corner.
Plates include the Philadelphia State House (later to be known as Independence Hall), St. Philip’s Church in Charleston, the fort at Bunker’s Hill, Ben Franklin’s ‘Square of Squares’, the guillotine which beheaded Louis XVI and his wife, a slavery medal, and even a plate of the Garden of Eden. What I have just described only scratches the surface of the treasures these magazines hold.
The “Gentleman’s Magazine” is a little gem packed with all the history one would want to find from the 18th century. Each issue typically has about 40 pages, and measuring about 5 by 8 inches, they take up very little room in a collection.
Perhaps best of all, The Gentleman’s Magazine is an accessible title as our inventory contains thousands of issues, and at prices far below what would be found in comparable American & British newspapers of the same period.
There can be little excuse for holding back on buying the best events in American history if one is willing to add this famous & successful title to their collection. And there certainly will be a time when even this title will become quite scarce as others discover it as a treasure just begging to be collected.
The June (2021) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
June 18, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers
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Happy Flag Day!
June 14, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Happy Flag Day, compliments of Harper’s Weekly and your friends at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand.
Contemplating Memorial Day in light of the last 15 months…
May 31, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
I’m embarrassed. Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, I was so consumed by “in the moment” issues I neglected to take the time on Memorial Day to be thankful for “those who have gone before us” – specifically, the men and women who gave their lives so those of us who reside in the United States could live in safety… freedom… hope – in a land where the ideals of the pursuit of happiness, equality, freedom of speech, etc., while not yet fully realized, were and continue to be part an parcel of the dream we call America. Starting with a revisit of a post from a few years ago, this year I’m committed to being more thankful for others and less self-consumed. Hopefully you’ll enjoy the following as much as I have while preparing this post:
Memorial Day… The Blue and the Gray…
We recently discovered an original issue of The Atlantic Monthly for September, 1867, which contained the earliest nationally distributed printing (and maybe the first ever) of ‘The Blue and the Gray,” by Francis Miles Finch. Although Memorial Day had not been officially proclaimed (via General Order #11, May 5, 1868), the practice of placing flowers and wreaths on the tombstones if the fallen was somewhat common. What was uncommon was the act of a group of women in Columbus, Mississippi, which is best described in the preface to Finch’s poem (quoted from the New York Tribune):
“The women of Columbus, Mississippi, animated by nobler sentiments than are many of their sisters, have shown themselves impartial in their offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederate and of the National soldiers.”
In recognition of Memorial Day, please enjoy the full text of this grand expression of appreciation for those who have fallen in battle – be they blue or gray:
Two additional Memorial Day themed posts from the past are:
Perhaps not a perfect system, but… Happy Memorial Day!
A simple reflection on Memorial Day…
Snapshot 1928… A couple in London is spotted in New York just a few seconds later…
May 24, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Impossible you say? I’ll let Wikipedia do the talking:
“On February 9th, 1928, Hartsdale became the birthplace of the American “Couch Potato” when the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird (1888-1946) transmitted the world’s first inter-continental short-wave television signal from a transmitter (call sign 2KZ) in Coulsdon, Surrey (a suburb of London, England) to his colleague O.G. Hutchinson in the cellar of Robert M. Hart, an Amateur Radio Operator (call sign 2CVJ) in Hartsdale, New York.”
And what was transmitted? A man and a woman… well, at least a “live” image of them, making them the first couple to been seen in two places at once. Most newspapers of the day reported this historic event, including the Chicago Daily Tribune shown to the right.
Announcing: Catalog #306 (for May, 2021) is now available…
April 30, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
- Catalog 306 (in its entirety)
- Noteworthy Catalog 306 ($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.
The April (2021) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…
April 19, 2021 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 January’s Catalog
Since Catalog 302 went to print we’ve added approximately 50 additional items. Some of the topics/issues include: a mid-1700’s map of Eastern Canada, Convicts shipped off to America and Oglethorpe before the founding Georgia in the same issue, several different rare Confederate newspapers, George Washington rejects an honor and the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in the same American issue, a Philip Burke caricature of Donald Trump, and more.
Catalog 302
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Snapshot July,1814… The war of 1812 ends nearly a year earlier than we thought…
April 19, 2021 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
While for years most of us were taught that The War of 1812 ended in February, 1815, we just unearthed a reliable source which makes it obvious we’ve been sold a bill of goods. How do we know? The highly respected Columbian Centinel, printed in Boston from 1790 through 1840, obtained a Proclamation from President James Madison declaring the war to be over and printed it in their July 2, 1814 newspaper. Furthermore, this announcement was signed in block type by the President himself – confirming its authenticity. Knowing this would be met with a degree of skepticism, we’ve included the evidence for all to see:
However, whenever something doesn’t pass the smell test from a few inches away, it’s often wise to pull back and take a whiff from a greater distance…
Perspective beyond the end of our own noses can change everything!