The Traveler… unbelievable human brutality…

October 5, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

This week I traveled back to New York City by the way of the Harper’s Weekly, October 7, 1865. Although this issue is filled with a variety of woodcuts [illustrations], the one that struck me the most was of the “Grounds at ABlog-10-5-2015-Andersonvillendersonville, Georgia, Where are Buried Fourteen Thousand Union Soldiers Who Died in Andersonville Prison” and the accompanying article. “…The graves of the soldiers starved and poisoned and brutally murdered there are not scattered about over the innocent hill-sides of our land, but are dug under the sod that drank their blood and bore witness to the cruelty of Wirz, Winder, and the rebel authorities at Richmond, who kept these demons at their posts… James M. Moore,Assistant-Quarter-master, and his party, returned from Andersonville, where they have been engaged for a month in identifying the graves and giving honored sepulture to the fourteen thousand victims of rebel barbarity, who suffered all manner of torture and death in that notorious prison-pen…”.

~The Traveler

A September stroll thru time… 1815… 1865… 1915… 1945…

September 1, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

What news was reported in the month of September – 50, 100, 150, and 200 years ago? 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 Blog-9-1-2015-Hesperian-Sinksit 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, 1965 – 50 years ago
September, 1915 – 100 years ago
September, 1865 – 150 years ago
September, 1815 – 200 years ago

 

The aftermath of the Civil War… August, 1865

August 6, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-8-6-2015-Post-Civil-WarWhat news was reported in August, 1865 – approximately 150 years ago? The horrors of the Civil War were now in the past, but the emotions and sorrow of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln were still fresh. Where would the nation go from here? How would we move forward? Was unity possible?
Such a walk back in time through 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 link 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 walk back in time:

August, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: Andersonville Prison – and the trial of Captain Wirz, a return to a degree of normalcy via sports (baseball, horse racing, rowing, etc.), the follow-up to the trial of the Lincoln conspirators, and much on cleaning up after the Civil War and the beginning of reconstruction. Key Civil War figures (Jefferson Davis, Frederick Douglass, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, etc.) continue to make headlines as well. Please enjoy your travel into the past as you browse through the currently available original newspapers!

The aftermath of the Civil War… July, 1865

July 9, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-7-3-2015-ConspiratorsWhat news was reported in July, 1865 – 150 years ago? The horrors of the Civil War were now in the past, but the emotions and sorrow of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln were still fresh. Where would the nation go from here? How would we move forward? Was unity possible?
Such a walk back in time through 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 link 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 walk back in time:

July, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: The end of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the hanging of the Lincoln assassination “conspirators”, the capture of Kirby Smith, P.T. Barnum’s tragic fire, the emancipation of slaves, the return to a degree of normalcy as shown through interest in post-war sports (baseball and others), and more. Please enjoy your travel into the past as you browse through the currently available original newspapers!

The Civil War (post conflict)… June, 1865

June 5, 2015 by · 1 Comment 

Blog-6-5-2015-When-Johnny-Comes-Marching-HomeWhat news was reported in June, 1865 – 150 years ago? Such a walk back in time through 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 link 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 walk back in time:

June, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, the capture of Jefferson Davis (found wearing a woman’s dress), the first Hebrew free school in New York City, the trial of the conspirators (including Mrs. Surratt),  follow-up detailed Civil War battle reports from several Generals, a well-known print in a Harper’s Weekly titled, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” and more. Enjoy!

News in camp… The life of a Civil War soldier…

May 8, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Blog-3-27-2015-Frank-LeslieWhen speaking of rare & early newspapers, we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported”. However, what about those who read them fresh off the presses? While collectors can appreciate holding history in their hands, we often forget that at one time these very newspapers were greeted with eager anticipation by those who were living through the events we now call history. This image from a Frank Leslie’s Newspaper dated October 31, 1863, titled “Frank Leslie In Camp”, depicts the arrival of “the news” by horseback, with several enthusiastic soldiers gathered around reading recently published issues of this wonderful illustrated newspaper. Feel free to peruse our other Civil War era images and descriptions of this title: Frank Leslie’s Illustrated

 

The Civil War (post conflict)… May, 1865

May 1, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

What news was reported in May, 1865 – 150 years ago? Such a walk back in time through the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be Blog-5-1-2015-Jefferson-Davis-Capturedquite 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 link 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 walk back in time:

May, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, the capture of Jefferson Davis, the capture and killing of John Wilkes Booth, the promotion of Ulysses S. Grant, President Andrew Johnson’s amnesty proclamation, and more. Enjoy!

They put it in print… The floating soap surfaces…

April 27, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

It’s interesting to find articles reporting the very beginning of some of the more commonplace items in present-day life, but which were given little consequence at the time. A good example is a rather inconspicuous article in an April 1, 1882 issue of “Scientific American.

Blog-4-29-2015-Ivory-SoapTitled simply “Floating Soap”, the article includes: “…the peculiarity of the soap they were using. When one of the men had soaped himself he would drop the soap into the water and it would ‘bob up serenely from below’ like a cork, ready for the next man to pick it up…The soap was called ‘ivory’, presumably on account of being of a creamy white color like ivory…We are pleased to note that Messrs. Proctor and Gamble, of Cincinnati, have at last discovered how to make a soap that will float & at the same time be durable & serviceable, & reasonably cheap.”

Ivory soap remains today–some 133 years later–a very common product on store shelves around the world. And it still floats.

The Civil War… April, 1865

April 10, 2015 by · 2 Comments 

What news was reported in April, 1865 – 150 years ago? Such a walk back in time through the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite Blog-4-3-2015-Lincoln-Shotrevealing. 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 link 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 walk back in time:

April, 1865

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln (along with much on his funeral), the capture and death of John Wilkes Booth, the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox, the Fall of Richmond, and more. Enjoy!

The things we take for granted… Let there be light…

March 30, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

Hofstra University maintains a Facebook page where staff from their special collections department can post interesting finds. We recently discovered yet another interesting post – this one showing a late 19th century image from a January 14, 1882 issue of Harper’s Weekly.  It sure brings to light one of the joys of the hobby – reading contemporary reactions to inventions and advancements of which we now take for granted. For an interesting historical journey, do a little internet research on the electric battles between Tesla and Edison.

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