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Happy Passover… Happy Easter…
April 6, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
President George Washington is known for his letters to various Hebrew congregations (Newport, Savannah, etc.) and churches which are filled with spiritual references. Considering the recipients, such language might be expected even if the writer was not a person of faith. However, the following is a speech he gave to the leaders of Philadelphia upon his visit to the city while in transit to New York to take the oath of office. At a time when he could have said anything, what he chose to say and how he chose to say it speaks volumes. Please enjoy his address as it appeared in The Massachusetts Centinel, May 2, 1789:
Start Spreading the News…
March 17, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Stephanie Finnegan from TREASURES MAGAZINE – Antique to Modern Collecting recently interviewed Tim Hughes for an article which was printed in the February, 2012 issue. A copy of the article is below. Thanks and appreciation goes out to Stephanie for her fine work.
A gem in the American Antiquarian Society… The Michigan Essay…
January 14, 2012 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
In celebration of its 20oth anniversary the American Antiquarian Society published a beautiful exhibition catalog titled “In Pursuit Of A Vision – Two Centuries of Collecting at the American Antiquarian Society”. Featured are a fascinating array of books, documents, maps & other paper ephemera, as well as several very rare & unusual newspapers we felt worthy of sharing with our Rare & Early Newspapers’ collectors (with permission from the A.A.S.).
“Michigan Essay; or, The Impartial Observer“, Detroit Michigan, August 31, 1809
Isaiah Thomas devoted substantial space in The History of Printing in America (Cat.9) to a history of American serial publications, closing with an eight-page census of newspapers “Published in the United States in the beginning of the year 1810.” Thomas sought help in its compilation in March 1810 by placing a widely reprinted notice in The Massachusetts Spy, requesting publishers “to forward one or two of their papers … that the right titles of their several Newspapers, may be correctly inserted.” Many responded, and the newspaper issues sent to Thomas were later donated to AAS.
This example — the first and only extant issue of the first Michigan newspaper — arrived too late for inclusion in Thomas’s checklist. The manuscript notation on the side reads, “Utica, (N.Y.) Aug. 3d 1810. Mr. Thomas, Sir I send you this paper printed by a friend of mine to insert in your ‘History of Printing.’ If he sees your advertisement, he will send more, perhaps of a later date. Your obt. Servt. C.S. McConnell.” The Michigan Essay was printed by James M. Miller on Michigan’s first press, brought to Detroit from Baltimore in 1809 by Father Gabriel Richard. Most of the text is in English, but a few articles and advertisements are in French.
The Civil War… December 28, 1861…
December 28, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
This week we return to our reflection upon the Civil War events of 150 years ago… as seen through the eyes of the original readers of the Harper’s Weekly issue printed for December 28, 1861.
Note: The following commentary was written by Dr. James Robertson* as part of a weekly review for the reprint edition of the “Harper’s Weekly” which was done at the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It provides much insight into the events of the day and scholarly commentary on both the illustrations and reporting found in the original 1861 newspaper.
* The Virginia Tech website provides the credentials of Dr. James Roberson:
“One of the most distinguished names in Civil War history, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission and worked with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson in marking the war’s 100th anniversary. Today his Civil War Era course at Virginia Tech, which attracts 300 students per semester, is the largest of its kind in the nation.
The Danville, Va., native is the author or editor of more than 20 books that include such award-winning studies as “Civil War! America Becomes One Nation”, “General A.P. Hill”, and “Soldiers Blue and Gray”. His massive biography of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson won eight national awards and was used as the base for the Ted Turner/Warner Bros. mega-movie, “Gods and Generals”. Robertson was chief historical consultant for the film.”
A Christmas thought… loving our enemies…
December 25, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
As we reflect on all we’ve been given, the following historic account seems quite timely. The coverage, from WWI, appeared in the New York Times, December 31, 1914. I believe no commentary is needed:
Merry Christmas!
One never knows… Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The Christmas Season is a wonderful time of reflection for many… of love… of giving… of sacrifice. A few weeks ago a man came to us with a story involving rare newspapers (indirectly) which reminded us of the importance of caring for others. The icing on the cake is the involvement of a soldier who had given much… and received so little, until…
Richard Storrs was in the military in 1950 and had the unfortunate fate of being on a train as it traveled through Ohio when it was rammed by another. “221 Guardsman Dead” was the headline of the “Detroit News” of Sept. 11, 1950. Richard Storrs was among the survivors, but he injured his leg causing a disability.
He never received pension benefits from the incident, perhaps not believing it was possible as the years passed. But a prompt from others to pursue let to the need to prove the incident happened. Searching online in 2010 the Storrs’ found our website, which by good fortune happened to have the mentioned newspaper with details of the report on the front page. With this evidence his proof was secured and he was not only able to get pension benefits, but payments missed over the previous 60 years.
One never knows how our newspapers are actually used. We assume only collectors treasure them for historical information related to their interests, but obviously they can provide to be the missing link to family events, solve historical conundrums, and evidence needed to right a wrong from many years past.
The heros of this story are the “others” who will likely forever remain nameless, who saw a friend in need and prompted him to take action. Who can we be an “other” to during this wonderful season? We may never know the results of our kindnesses, but there is Someone who certainly will… and regardless, a child of God will be blessed.
Merry Christmas (Luke 10:25-37)!
The Staff of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers
The Civil War… December 21, 1861…
December 21, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
This week we return to our reflection upon the Civil War events of 150 years ago… as seen through the eyes of the original readers of the Harper’s Weekly issue printed for December 21, 1861.
Note: The following commentary was written by Dr. James Robertson* as part of a weekly review for the reprint edition of the “Harper’s Weekly” which was done at the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It provides much insight into the events of the day and scholarly commentary on both the illustrations and reporting found in the original 1861 newspaper.
* The Virginia Tech website provides the credentials of Dr. James Roberson:
“One of the most distinguished names in Civil War history, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission and worked with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson in marking the war’s 100th anniversary. Today his Civil War Era course at Virginia Tech, which attracts 300 students per semester, is the largest of its kind in the nation.
The Danville, Va., native is the author or editor of more than 20 books that include such award-winning studies as “Civil War! America Becomes One Nation”, “General A.P. Hill”, and “Soldiers Blue and Gray”. His massive biography of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson won eight national awards and was used as the base for the Ted Turner/Warner Bros. mega-movie, “Gods and Generals”. Robertson was chief historical consultant for the film.”
December 14, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
This week we return to our reflection upon the Civil War events of 150 years ago… as seen through the eyes of the original readers of the Harper’s Weekly issue printed for December 14, 1861.
Note: The following commentary was written by Dr. James Robertson* as part of a weekly review for the reprint edition of the “Harper’s Weekly” which was done at the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It provides much insight into the events of the day and scholarly commentary on both the illustrations and reporting found in the original 1861 newspaper.
* The Virginia Tech website provides the credentials of Dr. James Roberson:
“One of the most distinguished names in Civil War history, Dr. Robertson was Executive Director of the U.S. Civil War Centennial Commission and worked with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson in marking the war’s 100th anniversary. Today his Civil War Era course at Virginia Tech, which attracts 300 students per semester, is the largest of its kind in the nation.
The Danville, Va., native is the author or editor of more than 20 books that include such award-winning studies as “Civil War! America Becomes One Nation”, “General A.P. Hill”, and “Soldiers Blue and Gray”. His massive biography of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson won eight national awards and was used as the base for the Ted Turner/Warner Bros. mega-movie, “Gods and Generals”. Robertson was chief historical consultant for the film.”
Documenting the Civil War…
September 26, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
David Chasanow, at Americollector.com, recently did a post regarding the valuable role rare & historic newspapers play in documenting the events of the Civil War. The post included an interview with Tim Hughes. Please enjoy!
Battle lines: Vintage newspapers documented the Civil War as it happened
Actual headlines…
September 10, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
We offer thanks to fellow collector Morris Brill for some of the following headlines which appeared in recent newspapers:
“Iraqi Head Seeks Arms”
“Cold Wave Linked To Temperatures”
“Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge”
“Many Antiques At Senior Citizens’ Sale”
“Lack of Brains Hinders Research””
“Prisoners Escape After Execution”
“No Cause of Death Determined Fro Beheading Victim”
“Teacher Dies; Board Accepts His Resignation”
“Experts Are Sure The Dow Will Either Rise Or Decline”
“Lucky Man Sees Friend Die”
“Voluntary Workers Strike For Higher Pay”