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Snapshot 1871 – Yosemite Edition…
February 10, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Snapshot 1871…
Well, perhaps technically not a snapshot, but certainly an 1870’s version of such – an amazing woodcut illustration of one of my wife’s and my favorite places to visit:
Sandwiched at the midpoint of the timeline between the Mariposa War and when Yosemite National Park was established, this 1871 print of the Yosemite Valley captures the essence of its unspoiled grandeur. To read the corresponding article written by one who had just recently explored the region, go to:
“The Cub”, November, 1871
This publication describes itself as: “An Amateur Journal devoted to the interests of Boys and Girls”. As I tried to place myself in the shoes of a 19th century boy reading the article after viewing the illustration, I was reminded of the 1st time my wife and I beheld the valley for the 1st time. Standing from a perch atop Glacier Point – a location which enables one to drink in much of the Yosemite Valley in one visual snapshot, my childlike wonder came bursting forth from some long-buried place within, and my spirit cried out in praise to the One who created such things merely for our pleasure. What a memory!
More than just another anti-slavery newspaper… A recent find…
February 7, 2025 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
I would have thought that after roughly a half-century in this hobby I would have heard of almost every title in America, even if I never owned them. But recently we encountered some issues of “The Non-Resistant” from Boston. Certainly the title intrigued me.
Wikipedia does a nice job of describing it:
“The New England Non-Resistance Society was an American peace group founded by William Lloyd Garrison (publisher of the famous ‘Liberator’ newspaper) in 1838. At the organizing convention, members of the American Anti-Slavery Society & the American Peace Society expressed discomfort with Garrison’s philosophy of non-resistance & inclusion of women in public political activities. After conservative attendees opposing Garrison walked out of the convention in protest, those remaining formed the ‘New England Non-Resistance Society’.
The Society condemned the use of force in resisting evil, in war, for the death penalty, or in self-defense, renounced allegiance to human government, and because of the anti-slavery cause, favored non-union with the American South.
The New England Non-Resistance Society was one of the more radical of the many organizations founded by William Lloyd Garrison, adopting a Declaration of Sentiments of which he was the principal author, pledging themselves to deny the validity of social distinctions based on race, nationality or gender, refusing obedience to human governments, and opposing even individual acts of self-defense.
In the Society’s Declaration of Sentiments, Garrison wrote, ‘any person without distinction of sex or color, who consents to the principles of this Constitution may become a member and be entitled to speak at its meetings.’ The Society rejected loyalty to any human government; one historian has described the Non-Resistance Society’s ‘basic outlook as that of philosophical anarchism’.
The declaration was signed by 44 people, of whom 20 were women. Maria Chapman became the editor of its publication, The Non-Resistant, along with Edmund Quincy and William Lloyd Garrison and started publication in 1839. The publication lasted only several years but was indicative of the millennial character of parts of the reform movement.”
An interesting newspaper with an intriguing history. I should never be surprised by what comes our way.
This Month in History – February…
February 3, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Today “This Month in History” turns the spotlight on the shortest month of the year – February. While searching through the available newspapers in order to select one to use as the representative photo, my initial short-list of possibilities included newspapers featuring coverage of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago, the sinking of the Battleship Maine (which led to the Spanish-American War), the Death of Geronimo, the assassination of Malcolm X, and similar. As I pondered which to pick, it occurred to me all of my selections were focused on the reporting of “bad news”. Wishing to take a different approach, I searched again for reports of positive events and discovered coverage of the passage of the 15th Amendment, the founding of The Boy Scouts of America, Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, one with a mention of the opening of the first publicly funded school in the U.S., Abraham Lincoln’s famous “Cooper Union” speech, and more. Finally, after much consideration, I landed on the perfect choice – a newspaper announcing…
If you think this was a poor or inappropriate selection you probably haven’t seen the movie. While it may not be anywhere close to the most important, historic, or “collectible” newspaper published in the month of February, it nails the age-old proverb regarding a cure for much of what ails us: “A cheerful heart is good medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22).
So, as you take a gander at the list of newspapers published in the month of February, although a smidge belated, the Rare & Early Newspapers Family wishes you a cheerful and healthy New Year!
NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY
Announcing: Catalog #351 for February 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
January 31, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[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 reason I collected it: magazines in original bindings…
January 27, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
In my last post I discussed the difference between disbound and never-bound newspapers – the latter being more preferred presuming other factors are equal.
The same holds true with 18th century magazines, with one added bonus: they usually contain original outer wrappers, almost never found with disbound magazines.
As was the case with newspapers, it was common for a full year’s edition of a magazine to be set aside by the publisher when printed and bound at the year’s end for sale to institutions & personal libraries in book form. I would say 95% or more of 18th century magazines we offer were once bound. They are easy to spot as they have disbound evidence at the spine, and their margins were trimmed for a more even, aesthetically pleasing appearance (some were bound but the margins were not trimmed).
Those who have read our catalogs for years will recall that I give special attention to magazines that were never bound. They were as sold on the streets or delivered to the subscriber. Such magazines typically had outer wrappers (often blue) that protected the issue within and were bound with string rather than glue, the latter the case for bound issues. These wrappers were often decorative, featuring an engraving, perhaps the table of contents, or advertisements of the publisher. When magazines were bound into annual volumes the wrappers were discarded, considered superfluous, essentially rendering some magazines incomplete if the wrapper was where the city of publication and publisher’s name were found.
Given that such never-bound magazines did not enjoy the protection of hard-cover bindings and the relative inaccessibility on library shelves, they tend to be more worn at the margins. It would not be uncommon for the wrappers to be worn at the spine and margins, more so than the pages within. but I would prefer a worn, never-bound issue to a more perfect disbound issue. I might suggest at least one never-bound issue in a collection as a representative example of a magazine’s original state, knowing that the vast majority of issues collected will be disbound without wrappers.
The Gentlemen’s Magazine shown above is what is most commonly found – trimmed, disbound, and without the original protective wrapper which was removed during the binding process (since it was no longer needed for protection). The one shown below is of the same date and is an example of a never-bound nor trimmed issue which includes the original outer wrapper. Others can be found on our website but be forewarned: they are very much in the minority (and are priced higher due to their rarity). Enjoy your collecting!
The reason I collected it: never-bound issues…
January 24, 2025 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
For the serious collector, the ideal state for a collectible newspaper is one as sold on the streets or delivered to a subscriber, meaning never having been bound nor trimmed at the margins, and almost certainly read by someone on the day of issue. They are, however, in the minority of those available on the collector market.
Most newspapers found today were, at one point, bound into a volume, either 3 months, 6 months, or a full year’s editions per volume depending on the number of pages. Binding consecutive issues was an efficient way for institutions to store newspapers on their shelves, making them easily available for researchers, looking much like a large book with the spine noting the title and time period. Most were guillotined at the edges to make the three exposed margins even and more aesthetically pleasing, albeit with the loss of a small portion of the original newspaper.
With the advent of microfilm and microfiche–and now digital storage–institutions began converting their holdings to such user-friendly formats, often discarding the hard copies to save space on their shelves. Such discarded volumes often found their way into the hands of collectors who disbound the volumes to secure those issues of significance for their collections. Disbound newspapers are usually easy to spot as they often have glue remnants at the spine and/or binding slits, holes or irregularity where strings once held the issues into the volume. Issues as sold on the streets will not have binding evidence at the spine and their margins are wider and typically uneven, evidence of the limitations of paper-making in the era.
Not surprisingly, disbound issues tend to be in better condition having been protected by the bindings for 100 years or more. They are also far more plentiful than never-bound issues. Never-bound newspapers did not enjoy such protection through the years and tend to show more wear or staining, most having been lost or destroyed in time. So when a never-bound newspaper is found in great condition, it is a rarity and a prime choice for a personal collection.
There is an emotional intrigue to never-bound issues as well which no collector should overlook.
Bound issues were more typically set aside on the day printed, stacked, and later bound into a volume without having been read by anyone on the date issued, and perhaps by no one for hundreds of years. It’s the same paper, original to the date, but more emotionally sterile.
Never-bound newspapers were once owned by a subscriber (name typically handwritten at the top) or purchased at the corner newsstand allowing today’s collector a sense of fascination in holding & reading a newspaper once read by someone many years ago. One gains a more personal appreciation of history knowing the subscriber first learned of Lincoln’s assassination from the newspaper now in your collection. Remember, no radio, television, or internet announcing the event within moments of it happening.
Enjoy the hobby, and when the option permits, think about being more discriminating in what ends up in your collection.
This Month in History – January…
January 10, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When considering the month of January, what historical events come to mind? Perhaps Lincoln signing the final version of the Emancipation Proclamation, Fidel Castro seizing power in Cuba, the discovery of King Tut’s sarcophagus, Greenland becoming America’s 51st U.S. (joking, but Alaska did become the 49th state in the month of January), the first U.S. commercial bank’s opening in Philadelphia, the ratification of the 11th Amendment, and/or cigarettes finally declared to be hazardous to one’s health would be among your list. Whereas reading books about such events is common practice – and if well-written, informative, reading the actual newspaper accounts of these events within 24 hours of their occurrence within the context of other news of the day has the power to provide a breadth and depth of understanding which is hard to achieve through other primary sources.
The link below will take you to a chronological list (1600’s-20th century) of our currently available newspapers from the month of January. There’s no need to buy anything. Simply enjoy your trek through time via the eyes of those who were present.
NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN JANAURY
Announcing: Catalog #350 for January, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
January 3, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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January’s
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
A New Era Captured in Story…
December 31, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
New Year’s Eve morning at the Rare & Early Newspapers’ archives was busy, but I did find a moment to clean up some issues in the ever-growing pile of “my favorite things”. As I progressed through the task at hand, I discovered the issue shown below and simply had to share it as it is a great reminder of how January 1st isn’t the only day to usher in a new era. Out of the ashes of the Civil War, Joel Chandler Harris captured the moment with whimsical stories gathered from black men and women who were piecing together their own America-rooted culture in the newfound light of freedom. Many years later, these stories were featured in movie & song so a whole new generation could appreciate the wisdom shared by those who had intimately experienced so much hardship decades earlier. Now we can hold tightly to the example of all the brave, overcoming souls who helped our country press forward at one of its most pivotal moments, and we can enter 2025 with boldness, hope and compassion. Happy New Year to everyone from those of us at Rare Early Newspapers. May your step into the new era of 2025 be smooth sailing. 
Who’s Who in Newspapers? Denmark Vesey edition…
December 16, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The 8th installment of Who’s Who in Newspapers
Denmark Vesey… Certainly not a household name, but how about Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and Nat Turner? These and more credit the Denmark Vesey incident (a planned slave revolt) as a key cog in their inspiration to risk their lives in order to help free the Southern slaves. The Niles’ Register dated July 13, 1822 contains the following is a brief article regarding the fate of those involved:
Douglass used Vesey, a free black man, as a rallying cry to recruit Black men to fight in the Union Army during the Civil War by declaring, “Remember Denmark Vesey of Charleston”. Vesey’s plot to arm enslaved people against their enslavers and temporarily liberate Charleston inspired abolitionists and fueled anti-slavery activity throughout the United States – many viewing him as a hero and martyr for freedom.
Note: In total, the courts convicted 67 men of conspiracy and hanged 35, including Vesey, in July 1822. Thirty-one men were deported, 27 were reviewed and acquitted, and 38 were questioned and released. You can read more about the incident itself at: The Denmark Vesey Incident.