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Darwin’s “other” sons…
July 11, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The Ogden Junction newspaper from Utah, dated September 6, 1873, includes this small comic tidbit making light of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Encouraging newspaper collecting in 1862…
July 2, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
An article in the “Charleston Mercury” of June 13, 1862 has a curious item concerning the collecting of early newspapers, and even includes a statement about the value in keeping current (meaning 1862) issues for future posterity:
“NEWSPAPERS—Many people like newspapers but few preserve them; yet the most interesting reading imaginable is a file of old newspapers. It brings up the past age with all its bustle and every day affairs, and marks its genius and its spirit more than the most labored description of the historian. Who can take up a paper half a century old without the thought that almost every name there printed is now upon a tombstone at the head of an epitaph? The newspaper of the present day will be especially interesting years hence, as containing the current record of events fraught with tremendous import to the cause of freedom in all the civilized world. We therefore would urge upon all the propriety of preserving their papers. they will be a source of pleasure and interest to them hereafter.”
Media Transformation…
June 22, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
From Benjamin Harris’ papers of the seventeenth century to the modern day media centers online and on TV, the newspaper has undergone a drastic change in style. The true transition began when America broke free of British news in 1783 and established the Pennsylvania evening Post as the first American daily. The many papers published in between these early years were deeply rooted in cultural ideals as well as secrecy from the British Empire depending on the time frame. The rise to the media outlets as we know them to be today has been a long time coming but is the best form of news to fit modern society.
Isaiah Thomas’ Massachusetts Spy was one such paper that was secretly published within 1770 and 1776 during the American Revolution. Many similar papers were published during this time, albeit a difficult time in which to publish any type of paper with a continuous circulation. Many papers did not survive past a few months and those that did were changed to Royalist perspectives due to the British occupancy. However, after the independence of 1776, papers began to experience the freedom they so craved from the tyranny of an overseas empire. These new papers united resistance to oppression, praised patriotism, and denounced tyranny, often making the papers themselves a bit more radical than the majority of the population. These papers often served to unify the general public which proved to be a general step in the right direction when instating a nation.
The later eighteenth century saw the rise of partisan papers and political parties began to take shape. Federalist and Republican presses dominated different realms of the nation and proved to reach out to constituents in an easy way. This time period cemented the newspaper ideals and molded the reporting to be what we now know it to be: local affairs and the rivalry of competitors which has since become a dominant force in American journalism. With the increased annexation of states, the newspaper audience grew as more and more citizens joined the ranks of the United States. These early papers of the West were often poorly written but served to provide an outlet for these new national citizens in which to approach their Congressman and get their voices heard. This is what the news was originally about, catering to a smaller local audience in order to get their voices heard on a national scale in the end. After this original introduction of papers around the United States, they have since grown into larger entities that are all-encompassing.
“Yellow Journalism” and muckraking are terms of the later nineteenth and twentieth century which have helped to cement the importance of journalism in American society. Yellow journalism references journalism that features scandal-mongering, sensationalism, or other unethical antics by news media organizations; muckraker refers to an individual who investigates and exposes issues of corruption that violate previous societal ethical values. The original Yellow Journalism battle began between Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal. These type of battles remain in existence today between rival news networks although they are no longer central to newspaper in print. The move from print papers to online and televised news accounts has made an extraordinary difference in the modern world. Most modern day businessmen do not have the time to read an entire newspaper which has since tripled in length, but can hear the snippets of news on the radio or from a news station on TV; furthermore, they can always go online and click the top headlines of the day. This transformation in the media world is a telling sign of the shift in technology that we have yet to fully realize the significance of.
This post was contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the BachelorsDegreeOnline.com. She welcomes your feedback at MeredithWalker1983@gmail.com.
The trek from boyhood to manhood…
June 20, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The Boston Evening Transcript of July 21, 1862 has an interesting article on the front page headed “Youth And Manhood”, which is the writer’s reflection upon how–for him–the step from youth to manhood was a singular, notable
“Today we are children; tomorrow we are not. Today we stand in life’s vestibule; tomorrow we are in the temple… awed… humbled… and smitten…”
Although a bit morose in tone, it is nicely written and worth sharing.
Exploring the world of old paper…
June 12, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Marty Weil, a freelance writer and journalist, maintains the informative blog, “ephemera… exploring the world of old paper“. Today he is featuring a guest post from our very own Tim Hughes. To view the post, go to “Old Newspapers as a Collectible“. Thanks Marty, for expanding the ephemera world’s understanding of historic and collectible newspapers.
About Marty Weil: He has written more than 250 magazine features on a variety of subjects. Articles written by Marty Weil have appeared in more than two dozen publications, including Fortune, Managing Automation, Antique Week, APICS, and Scholastic Administrator. Previously, he was the President of Weil Marketing Communications Inc., a successful high-tech PR consulting firm. He is a graduate of Illinois State University.
So what’s the earliest “London Gazette”?
May 21, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The world’s oldest continually published newspaper was begun in 1665 and still prints today, a staggering 345 year history which likely will never be broken by any other single title. Indeed, the newspaper still publishes today so it sets a more unbeatable record as each year passes.
The newspaper is titled “The London Gazette“, but collectors have occasionally seen issues of “The Oxford Gazette” and wondered about the connection.
First, the most convincing derivation of the term “gazette” is from “gaza”, the Greek word for a treasury or store. That newspapers are a “treasury or store” of information would allow for a plausible adoption of the term “gazette”.
In 1665 the Royal Court had been removed from London due to the Plague which had been ravaging the city. The smaller towns in the country seemed less susceptable to the contagion. So with a newspaper serving as a mouthpiece of the Royal Court it was logical that it would set up shop in Oxford, calling itself “The Oxford Gazette“.
But when the affects of the Plague seemed to have abated sufficiently for the Court to return to London, so did the newspaper. Twenty-three issues were published in Oxford, and with issue number 24 was the first with the title “The London Gazette“, a title which has remained unchanged for over three centuries.
So there might be a bit of a debate as to what the earliest issue is of “The London Gazette“. The earliest with this title would be issue #24, dated February 5, 1665 (1666 by today’s calendar), but argument certainly could be made that the first issue of “The Oxford Gazette” would qualify, it dated November 16, 1665.
Given its short life under the earlier title of “The Oxford Gazette”, such issues are extremely elusive. We have sold many over the past 33 years but rarely find them today.
Baseball fans… can you help?
May 11, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
A customer was requesting a newspaper with a report of Nap LaJoie, one of the more notable names in baseball in the early 20th century, ending the 1901 season with a .422 batting average. He was one of only a few to do so in the 20th century (there’s been a 67 year dry spell since Ted Williams was the last to do so, in 1941).
Finding reports of batting averages in 1901 is very difficult, but I did find a report at the end of the season which notes: “Lajoie…took part in 131 games. He was at bat 554 times, made 226 singles, 48 doubles 12 triples and 13 home runs…”.
Never mind that the numbers are slightly off from the official record book, which notes 543 games, 229 singles, 48 doubles (only one correct), 13 triples and 14 homers, as such errors might be understandable. But even given the accurate numbers, in calculating his average one comes up with a sum of 304 successful at bats, divided by the number of games (543) giving an average of .560. But curiously, if you just took his 229 singles divided by 543 the result is exactly his recorded batting average: .4217, rounded out to .422.
Should I surmise that the term “singles” actually means “hits” by today’s terminology ? Was this the common practice back then, to call any type of “hit” a “single”? If so, when did they make the switch?
Thanks for your help !
Tim
Sharing My Story… How I got started…
May 7, 2009 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
Tim Hughes, founder
Invariably there is the quizzical stare I get from anyone who asks “what do you do?” and I answer by saying, “I sell old newspapers.” The typical response is, “…what??” Any follow-up to the inquiry usually leads to, “How did you get started?”
We all have our own stories of what lead us to early newspapers, and mine may not but much different from yours.
I have always collecting something. I guess I was always intrigued by what was old, and coin collecting captured my interest when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, a hobby which still gets my attention but on a dramatically smaller scale. Collecting coins lead to old books, which lead to old bottles, which lead to old radios; and perhaps a few other items which struck my interest through the years.
I eventually found coin collecting a bit frustrating, as the rarities I needed to fill some holes in my collection were way beyond my budget. Coin collecting has always been a well exploited hobby so rare items were almost impossible to find at reasonable prices as the “heavy hitters” kept the prices quite high. I always dreamed of finding a collectible which few people knew about, where truly rare & historic items could be found at reasonable prices.
One day while browsing a local flea market I cam across an 1846 Philadelphia newspaper for $3. I was intrigued. I knew an 1846 coin in nice condition would be ten times that amount. I bought it, took it home and read all four pages and was fascinated by the content. I had found my new collectible and was hoping my dream had come true.
I expended much effort over the next several years looking for more newspapers and found several sources for 18th & 19th century issues at what I thought were amazingly low prices given my coin collecting experience.
Then one day I asked a source from whom I had been buying issues for $3 each if I could get a better price if I bought more than one. His response was fateful and set the course for the rest of my life: he said, “If you take 100 issues you can have them for $1 each”.
Although $100 was likely half of my net worth at the time, I sent the check, received my 100 issues, and starting advertising the issues for sale at $3 each (plus 25 cents for postage; which actually covered the cost).
As I sold the issues I bought more, and found more sources for different titles and different time periods. I eventually found several auction halls which regularly listed newspapers, and established contacts in England for early British material. In time I would travel not only throughout the Middle Atlantic & New England states but went to London each year to to search the back roads for antique & book shops which had material I could use.
Those were very exciting days, as material was plentiful and I bought voraciously. Buying today is more of a challenge so I take great comfort in knowing my appetite some 30 years ago was justified as much of our inventory of over 2 million newspapers was purchased long ago.
Good material still comes our way. Having our name in the marketplace for over 30 years and maintaining considerable Internet presence has allowed much great material to end up at our doorstep, a trend which–hopefully–will continue as we allow my dream to be realized by our customers: rare, historic material at reasonable prices.
In the coming months we will be posting the stories of other collectors as well. Details are forthcoming.
The plight of newspapers & its impact on the hobby…
April 20, 2009 by TimHughes · 3 Comments
In recent years–and to a greater degree recent months–we’ve been hearing about the demise of the newspaper, at least that edition which has appeared on newsstands & doorsteps for many generations. Much blame goes to the internet and our increasingly digital society, although the proliferation of cable news, now available 24 hours a day, shares in the blame as well.
For us hobbyists, who have collected the “hard copy” while they are still rolling off the presses across America, what will the impact be if print editions die off completely?
If the past is any example I would suggest there will be heightened interest in collecting newspapers. Much of what is popular today in the collecting world are items which are now obsolete: phonograph records, old telephones, mustache cups, treadle sewing machines, and on and on. While one school of thought is that interest is heightened once an item is no longer produced, another thought is that collecting interest will fade when they are no longer produced. How many thousands of items which have faded from memory & long ago ceased production are not on the “radar” of collectors?
Let hear of your thoughts. You are the collectors; your passion and holdings may well be impacted one way or the other if current newspapers cease publication. How do you think this could impact the hobby?
Collectible Magazines… Rich West… Periodyssey – Part II
April 13, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
Tammy Kahn Fennell at Collectibles Corner TV recently completed part II of her interview with Rich West of Periodyssey fame. Part II of the interview begins at the 3:32 mark; however, if you have the time, the entire episode is worth watching. Thanks Tammy… and Rich.
Episode #10 – Depression Glass, Colophon, Rich West of Periodyssey part 2, Get Me Video
Note from the previous post re: the interview with Rich:
Although Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers’ archives contain nearly every issue of Gentleman’s Magazine, Harper’s Weekly (actually an illustrated newspaper), Harper’s Monthly, The Sporting News, and a selection of others (Liberty Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Scribner’s, etc.), including many of these and others beyond what is posted on the Rare & Early Newspapers website, the Timothy Hughes of magazine collecting is Rich West of Periodyssey. He operates with integrity, has an incredible inventory of magazines to offer, and is the most knowledgeable resource in the field of magazine collectibles.