A September, 2017 stroll back thru time – 50, 100, 150, 200, & 250 years ago…

September 4, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

What news was reported in the month of September – 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 years ago (1967, 1917, 1867, 1817, 1767)? 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 never 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.
September:
1967 – 50 years ago
1917 – 100 years ago
1867 – 150 years ago
1817 – 200 years ago
1767 – 250 years ago
Wanting for more? Why not take a year-long gander at 1667, 1717, 1767, 1817, 1867, 1917, and/or 1967?

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Harper's Weekly, Illustrated Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Sports, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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Announcing: Catalog #262 (for September, 2017) is now available…

September 1, 2017 by · 2 Comments 

Rare Newspapers’ monthly offering of collectible newspapers, Catalog 262, is now available. This latest collection of authentic newspapers is comprised of nearly 350 new items. Some of the noteworthy content includes:

• Newsbook dated 1548
• Boston newspaper with a report on the Battle of Bunker Hill
• A more rare edition of the Herald on Lincoln’s assassination
• Washington’s inaugural address
• Illustration shows the Lincoln assassination
• Confederate newspaper from Houston, Texas

To view the above key issues and a whole lot more, go to: Catalog 262

(The catalog links shown above will redirect to the latest catalog in approximately 30 days.)

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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The (now) controversial Robert E. Lee monument unveiled in Richmond (1890)…

August 28, 2017 by · 1 Comment 

Whether or not the Robert E. Lee monument will remain in Richmond has yet to be determined, but considering the controversy, we thought it might be interesting to post the original Harper’s Weekly report from June 14, 1890 concerning the unveiling of the monument. The link provides the full text related to the image. The text reads, in part:

“The occasion of the unveiling of the Lee statue at Richmond, Virginia, on the 29th of May, possessed features that render it unique in history. It was a mighty tribute to the central figure of a lost-cause, attended by an undercurrent of satisfaction even that the cause was lost… The Confederate flag was everywhere conspicuously displayed…  The military companies affectionately bore it in the line of march, but with it they bore the Stars and Stripes, and bore them loyally. The paradox is explainable only by the fact that the former no longer meant disunion… The opinion has with much reason been expressed that the occasion of such magnitude as the one described, with reference to the late Confederacy, is not likely ever to be repeated. General Lee personified what was best in a bad cause. His individual virtues gave the Southern people, who craved a demonstration commemorative of an indelible epoch in their lives, some substantial and unquestioningly credible to rally around. The honor to the hero of their vain struggle has been paid, and the full conditions for another gathering are wanting. It may therefore by surmised that in the great outpouring of the ex-Confederates at Richmond the final obsequies of the war of session have taken place, and the circumstances attending it show how completely the wounds of conflict have been healed, and a mist important chapter of American history closed. AMOS W. WRIGHT

Filed under: Food for Thought, Harper's Weekly, Noteworthy Issues, Post Civil War
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The Day the Music Died? Mother Theresa dies… Princess Diana is laid to rest…

August 24, 2017 by · 3 Comments 

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff, and inspired one of the most recognizable tunes of all time: American Pie (Bye, bye Miss American Pie), by Don Mclean – a song he says was inspired by his reaction to reading the account of the crash in the morning paper. Fast forward nearly 20 years to the morning paper for September 6, 1997, and one can only imagine the emotions evoked by the duel headlines: “The World Mourns Diana” and “Revered Mother Teresa Dies”. Two people – one young, one old… one living in abundance, one living in squalor… one with the soft skin of a new-born babe, one with wrinkles upon wrinkles… one incredibly rich, one overwhelmingly poor – yet both committed to making a difference in the lives of the needy… the infirm… the neglected… the destitute. In the blink of an eye, both passed into eternity, leaving a mantle just begging to be picked up by those whose lives they had touched.

What about you? What about me? Truth be told, we’re all just Candles in the Wind. What acts of kindness, goodness, and humble service are filling our days while our candles are still burning? Stirred emotions can be a salve for the soul if they lead to action. Have you picked up their mantel? Have I? Who among us is selflessly helping those who are unable to help themselves?

Yet another set of heart-challenging thoughts (questions) ran through my mind as my damp eyes leafed through the pages of The Arizona Republic (September 6, 1997), passed over the various images of Princess Di and Mother Teresa, absorbed the printed lyrics of The Candle in the Wind (by Elton John), and settled on the photo of the two, together, only months prior to their deaths:

What song does Mother Teresa get? Princess Di gets “A Candle in the Wind”, and the Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper get “American Pie”, but what about Mother Teresa? Who sings for her? And the 2nd question…

If February 3, 1959 is The Day The Music Died, then what is September 6th (or 5th), 1997? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Filed under: Death Reports, Food for Thought, Great Headlines, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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Ticktock, ticktock, ticktock, ticktock…

August 14, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

What do Grace Kelly, Gene Kelly, Lillian Gish, Ruby Keeler, Gergory Peck, Henry Fonda, Stanley Kubrick, Madeline Kahn, DeForest Kelley, Fay Wray, Michael Landon, Dalton Trumbo, Sal Mineo, Robert Mitchum, Anne Baxter, Rock Hudson, Orson Welles, Barbara Stanwyck, Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo, John Candy, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Perkins, Audrey Hepburn, Liberace, Cab Calloway, John Candy, Marlene Dietrich, Dean Martin, Orson Wells, Anne Baxter, Ava Gardner, William Holden, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Gilda Radner, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, Natalie Wood, Robert Shaw, Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Kaufman, Jackie Gleason, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, John Belushi, Jimmy Stewart, and Steve McQueen all have in common? Answer: There was a time when they were each on top of the world – adored by millions, and thanks to the silver screen’s ability to capture them in their prime, they seemed as if they would live forever. However, truth be told, the clock strikes midnight for everyone – regardless of their fame.

Over the past few months this reality was brought home to the staff at Rare & Early Newspapers as we discovered the death reports of some of the most famous Hollywood celebrities of all time – nearly all within Los Angeles newspapers. As Mark Twain not-so-subtly revealed through Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and Frank Capra reinforced through the eyes of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart – shown above) in It’s A Wonderful Life, sometimes a glimpse at the brevity of life can be a healing, re-purposing salve for the soul. With this in mind, please enjoy(?): Death Reports of the Hollywood Famous

Filed under: Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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An August, 2017 stroll back thru time – 50, 100, 150, 200, & 250 years ago…

August 3, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

What news was reported in the month of August – 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 years ago (1967, 1917, 1867, 1817, 1767)? 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 never 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.
August:
1967 – 50 years ago
1917 – 100 years ago
1867 – 150 years ago
1817 – 200 years ago
1767 – 250 years ago
Wanting for more? Why not take a year-long gander at 1667, 1717, 1767, 1817, 1867, 1917, and/or 1967?

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Harper's Weekly, Illustrated Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Sports, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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Announcing: Catalog #261 (for August, 2017) is now available…

August 2, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

Rare Newspapers’ monthly offering of collectible newspapers, Catalog 261, is now available. This latest collection of authentic newspapers is comprised of nearly 350 new items. Some of the noteworthy content includes:

• Phillis Wheatley letter in a 1774
• Deadwood newspaper with mention of Wild Bill Hickok
• New York Times reporting Lincoln’s assassination
• Newsbook dated 1609
• Quebec Gazette from 1775
• First “Confederate” newspaper to report Lincoln’s assassination

To view the above key issues and a whole lot more, go to: Catalog 261

(The catalog links shown above will redirect to the latest catalog in approximately 30 days.)

Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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Mid-18th century math challenges found in Gentleman’s Magazines…

July 27, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

Two weeks ago, as we were exploring the varied content to be found in 18th and 19th century Gentleman’s Magazines, we took time to focus on the monthly mathematical challenges the publisher would serve up to the subscribers. At the time we provided our readers with a set of challenges from an issue dated May, 1768. Admitting they were a bit difficult, the following week, along with the available solutions which appeared in the August issue, we provided yet another set of mathematical exercises. The results to this 2nd set are shown below. Whether it is content covering the (now) historical events of the day, book reviews, obituaries, poetry, maps, plates (diagrams), and yes, even mathematical challenges, 18th and 19th century Gentleman’s Magazines never fail to deliver on a truly contemporary experience. As we’ve often said (slightly revised): “History (and poetry, and book reviews, and discoveries, and ____) are never more fascinating than when read from the day they were first reported.”

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The 1700's, The Hobby, The Rare Newspapers Community, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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Solutions to the May, 1768 Gentleman’s Magazine’s math exercises…

July 20, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

Last week we posted a set of math exercises which were provided in the May, 1768 issue of The Gentleman’s Magazine. Today we post the solutions (see below). Understanding that the set of problems were a bit cryptic to the 21st century mind, the bottom of the solutions below provides yet another set of problems to explore – which appear a bit more straight-forward. We’ll post the solutions to these next Thursday. Before you throw in the towel, don’t forget the famous words of W.E. Hickson: “If at first you don’t succeed…”

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The 1700's, The Rare Newspapers Community, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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The July (2017) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…

July 18, 2017 by · Leave a Comment 

Each month the staff of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers sends out a newsletter to our members which includes special offers, discounts, alerts to new inventory, and information related to the rare newspaper collectible.

The July, 2017 newsletter is as follows:

Dear Friend of Rare & Early Newspapers,

Welcome to the July edition of our member’s newsletter. This month we have a special set of Dewey Defeats Truman issues to offer, more issues added to our list of items priced at 50% off, additional reports of famous Hollywood deaths (Auction & Buy It Now), an updated link to items listed since our most recent catalog went to print, Catalog 260, and the most recent posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
Dewey Defeats Truman: Just a few days ago we had the pleasure of adding a few more issues featuring the infamous Dewey Defeats Truman headline. As a result, we have decided to significantly discount two our our offerings:
Hollywood Stars: Over the past few weeks we have begun to explore a relatively new set of Los Angeles Times issues we’ve added to inventory – searching for the deaths of famous Hollywood celebrities. Since our last e-mail only a week ago, we have found quite a few more, some of which are currently listed via Auctions, and others available immediately through our website:
  • AUCTION (Deaths of Hollywood Celebrities) – including Anthony Perkins, Audrey Hepburn, Liberace, Cab Calloway, John Candy, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Stanwyck, Dean Martin, Orson Wells, Anne Baxter, Ava Gardner, William Holden, Ginger Rogers, Rock Hudson, Lana Turner, and more.
  • WEBSITE (Deaths of Hollywood Celebrities) – including Gilda Radner, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, Natalie Wood, Robert Shaw, Alfred Hitchcock, Andy Kaufman, Jackie Gleason, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, John Belushi, Steve McQueen and more.
*Discounted Newspapers: An additional 100+ newspapers have been added to our list of items reduced in price by 50% (through August 14th), and may be viewed at: Discounted Newspapers. The prices shown already reflect the discount. Some of the noteworthy content includes: Emancipated slaves in Louisiana, the Battle of Bull Run, Greta Garbo, Betty Grable, Jesse Owens, Rube Barrow, Botany Bay, Daniel Mendoza, when the swastika became the symbol of Nazism, the first balloon flight across the English Channel, and more.
Catalog 260 continues to be available, and a number of great items still remain.
Recent Listings – Items which have been listed since our latest catalog went to print.

History’s Newsstand Blog (recent posts):

  • Are you smarter than a 17th century 5th grader? Math exercises within Gentleman’s Magazines…  As we continue to explore the diversity of content found on the pages of 18th and 19th century Gentleman’s Magazines, our attention was drawn to the abundance of Mathematical challenges found within many issues – particularly those from the 1700’s. Rather than opining on the difficulty level of the quests as opposed to what might be expected of the average reader of a common (blog) post or publication of the 21st century, especially since we have no idea as to the intended target audience. Instead, let’s just enjoy the challenge as if we were living just prior to the American War for Independence. The challenge: On a somewhat regular basis the publisher would provide a set of Mathematical exercises and invite their subscribers to submit solutions. These responses would then be printed… (continue reading)
  • Some things actually do change… One of the things that struck me while discussing the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution with my children earlier this month was the insight of the American forefather’s demonstrated in their framing of the foundation of this new experiment in self-rule. While some might point to the flaws found within many of the founding documents, procedures, underlying beliefs, and early practices to poke holes in our current state of government, truth be told the seeds of change were sewn throughout the fabric of this new society – avenues which have allowed for peaceful and rightful adjustments to be made over time. Sure, there were times when peaceful change took a backseat, however… (continue reading)
  • O Canada! The Traveler… Earlier this week I traveled to New York City by the way of The New York Times dated July 2, 1867 where I found the headline “The Dominion of Canada” with the subhead “Inauguration of the Confederation — A General Holiday — Lord Monck Sworn in — Review of Troops”. “This day has given birth to the political infant, the Dominion of Canada…” This was the announcement of the birth… (continue reading)
  • Victor Hugo – poetry in early 19th century Gentleman’s Magazines…  In our opinion, one of the early titles we come across, The Gentleman’s Magazine, is grossly underappreciated. This London “Reader’s Digest-sized” publication which spanned the early 18th through mid-19th centuries and was known for great reporting from throughout the world, was also pregnant with book reviews, poetry, mathematical challenges, birth and death notices, and an abundance of plates depicting everything from maps to sketches of rare animals, historical cathedrals, and notable men and women of the era. While we’ve written about this title in previous posts (view posts), our attention this time around is in regards to poetry – with a question. Whereas nearly every issue contains poetry of the period, the poets are often unknown to me, and therefore, rarely catch my eye. However, during the process… (continue reading)
  • Are Presidential proclamations for thanksgiving and prayer unconstitutional? Over the years we have written multiple posts featuring noteworthy Presidential proclamations for days of thanksgiving, humiliation, and prayer, and have listed quite a few on the Rare & Early Newspapers website. Not too long ago we came across an issue of The Boston Investigator for November 10, 1880 which contained an article focused on a view that such proclamations are/were unconstitutional. So, although we passionately disagree with this opinion, in an effort to be fair and balanced, we present… (continue reading)

* Regarding our discounted issues… Why the extreme discount? Having over 15,000 items posted on the Rare & Early Newspapers website, with most links showing the most recently listed items first, there are undoubtedly a host of great items which simply become overlooked. These selected discounts enable us to bring a handful of these to light while benefiting our members.
 Thanks for collecting with us.

If you would like to receive these free monthly newsletters, along with additional news and alerts concerning the hobby, go to:

FREE RARE & EARLY NEWSPAPERS MEMBERSHIP

Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Common Questions, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The Hobby, The Rare Newspapers Community
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