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Publishing Under Fire: The Nippon Fijii and the Aftermath of Pearl Harbor…
December 8, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
It’s difficult to fathom what it must have been like to be a Japanese-American living in Hawaii at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. According to the 1940 census, more than 150,000 Japanese-Americans—roughly 35% of Hawaii’s population—suddenly found themselves in an impossible position, caught between loyalty to their home and suspicion from their neighbors.
Fear quickly swept through the islands. While the sheer size of the Japanese-American community made mass internment in Hawaii unfeasible, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested, many later sent to internment camps on the mainland. Their lives—and their trust in the nation they called home—were forever changed.
It was in the midst of this uncertainty and fear that the staff of NIPPON FIJI, Hawaii’s leading Japanese-language newspaper, produced their December 8, 1941 issue. The paper stands today as one of the most striking and rare firsthand publications from that dark and defining moment in American history.
Announcing: Catalog #361 for December, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
December 1, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Great Headlines Speak for Themselves… The First Moon Walk…
November 17, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The best headlines need no commentary. Such is the case with the WAPAKONETA DAILY NEWS, Ohio, July 21, 1969, which reported the first moon walk. Whereas most newspapers declared some variation of: “Man Walks on the Moon”, this one was a little more specific – perhaps because it was his hometown newspaper:
“NEIL STEPS ON THE MOON”
Announcing: Catalog #360 for November, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
October 31, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Catalog #360 (for November)
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What if Germany won World War I ?
October 6, 2025 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Some of the more intriguing newspapers are “futuristic” editions, those printed with a dateline 50 or 75 years in the future, filled with reports of what editors presumed life would be like at that time. They always prove to be very interesting reading.
We recently came upon a “what if” newspaper. Although we’ve had a few, including use of the atomic bomb on American cities, or end-of-the-world scenarios, this issue of “The Liberty Blast” (shown below) is printed as if Germany had won World War I. Although the dateline reads “April 29, 1920”, the editorial on page 2 notes that it was published on April 29, 1918, before World War I had come to an end.
The reporting is fascinating. See the many photos for what the editors thought could have happened. The page 2 editorial in this edition–the first any only of this title–was meant to: “…awaken in the hearts and minds of those who read it a realization of those horrors of a great world war…near to American shores…”.
An interesting issue to read. One of the many treasures to be discovered in the pursuit of this fascinating hobby!
Announcing: Catalog #359 for October, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
September 30, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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October’s catalog (#359)
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Announcing: Catalog #358 for September, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
August 29, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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September’s catalog (#358)
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Great Headlines Speak for Themselves… The Nuremberg Trials…
August 8, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The best headlines need no commentary. Such is the case with the October 2, 1946 issue of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram which reported the final outcome of the Nuremberg Trials:
“12 NAZIS GET DEATH, 7 PRISON; 3 FREED”
This is certainly one of the best we’ve seen.
When is dead really dead – USSR edition?
August 4, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Is a chicken dead when its head is cut off, or when it finally stops moving? How about the flower your grandchild just presented to you as a gift? Was it dead as soon as it was severed from the plant, or will it not be dead until it turns brown? How about a marriage (a court document vs. a covenant before God), our very existence (a doctor’s declaration vs. spiritual implications), or a nation – especially if its formation is similar to The United States of America? How many states would need to secede before one could truthfully claim “The United States is no more”?
These were some of my ponderings as I recently came across two issues related to the demise of The Soviet Union. The first was The Philadelphia Inquirer dated August 25, 1991 which reported Mikhail Gorbachev’s resignation and his formal statement requesting for the Soviet Communist Party to dissolve, and the second was a December 9, 1991 issue of The Los Angeles Times which had the bold heading: “Slavic States Call Soviet Union Dead, Form a Commonwealth”. The dissolution may not have been official until December 26, 1991, but many would argue the death really took place back in August when Gorbachev made his announcement and plea. Still some would say its status is more like that of a cicada. Buried, but latently waiting for just the right moment to rise again and loudly make its presence known (the last statement read with the Jaws soundtrack playing in the background). Regardless of how things play out over time, the list of once-powerful nations which no longer exist is a sober warning to anyone who thinks today’s top players will exist forever.
Announcing: Catalog #357 for August, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
August 1, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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August’s catalog (#357)
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