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Editorial policy (?) and the potential impact upon an issue’s collectibility…
April 11, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The following are a few thoughts by Morris Brill (guest contributor) concerning slight differences in the printing of the Declaration of Independence within the London Chronicle (dated August 17, 1776) vs. the printing within the Gentleman’s Magazine (dated August, 1776):
Recently on Ebay two different sellers offered a printing of the Declaration of Independence in the Gentleman’s Magazine. I also noted your offering of the Declaration within the London Chronicle.
I (Morris) noted, while reading the text of Gentleman’s Magazine, as photographed on Ebay, a particular sentence in which two words were missing and substituted with a line, i.e. ___________
The sentence is as follows:
“A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
In the Gentleman’s Magazine the words ” prince” and “tyrant” are deleted.
I find it interesting that although the Gentleman’s Magazine and the the London Chronicle are both British that one paper printed the words prince and tyrant, yet the other did not.
To me, the deletion of the two words certainly diminishes the historic value of the printing as it appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine, although I would not pass up the opportunity to own this paper. Perhaps it has to do with an opposing editorial policy, or the political persuasion of the two publishers.
Morris
Note: If anyone is aware of the formal policy which led to the deletion of certain words within the Gentleman’s Magazine, please share your insight with the rare newspaper community.
Red (British) tax stamps… They appear to be random…
April 2, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Recently a member inquired as to why the red-ink British tax stamps seemed to appear randomly within an issue – sometimes on the frontpage, sometimes on the backpage, and at other times somewhere within the issue. Although we had our thoughts on the subject, we called upon a collector of red-ink stamp issues, Randall Burt. His thought substantiated our “hunch”:
“These newsprint publishers bought their stock from the
paper makers, and then were required by law to pay the paper tax on it at the gov’t
house where the paper was taxed at current rates. The stamp was applied on
the blank sheets [pre-printing], then taken to their newspaper office where the news was added.
These tax stamps were not always in a desirable place for the collector. J.H. Chandler & H. Dagnall wrote extensively on this subject in their “Newspaper & Almanac Stamps of
Great Britain,” as did several other noted revenue writers.” Randall Burt
Thanks for your insight Randall.
If you have additional questions you would like to see addressed through the History’s Newsstand Blog, please comment to this post of send your questions to guy@rarenewspapers.com.
Collectible Magazines… Rich West… Periodyssey…
April 1, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
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. Lou Kahn and his daughter Tammy Kahn Fennell recently interviewed Rich for Collectibles Corner TV. Feel free to enjoy the entire video or advance to the 5 minute mark to catch only the portion of the show containing the interview with Rich. Rumor has it they’ll be doing a follow-up interview with Rich West shortly. Please Enjoy:
Episode #9 – Occupied Japan, Provenance, Antique Quilts, American Periodicals, Rich West of Periodyssey
A reference book for your shelves…
March 30, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
There are very few reference books which are exclusive to newspapers, so some of the better ones are about printing in general, peppered with historical accounts of newspaper publishing as well.
One of my favorites is such a book, titled “Printing In The Americas” by John Clyde Oswald. Done by the Gregg Publishing Company in 1937 it unfortunately is out of print, however copies can be found on book dealer shelves across the country. With the broad scope of internet sites abebooks.com and alibris.com I suspect it would not be difficult to find a copy.
There are 91 chapters totaling over 560 pages but it can essentially be considered to have three parts. first: a general history of printing in colonial America which includes much on early newspapers; second: a state by state review of the their first printing efforts, most of which were newspapers rather than books or pamphlets; and third: printing history in other countries of the Western hemisphere including Canada, Central America, South America and the West Indies, typically not dealt with in most printing history efforts.
I find the Midwest and Western states to have the most intriguing histories, filled with stories of tragedy & hardship in trying to operate a printing establishment in the wilds of America. There were far more failures than successes. Early printers must certainly have come from hearty and optimistic stock.
This is a title I would suggest you pursue. Given its format it doesn’t have to be read cover to cover, but rather chapters of interest stand alone as little histories in just a few pages.
Contest Winners… “In Search for the Unusual and Bizarre”
March 18, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
AND the winners are…
A few weeks ago the History’s Newsstand Blog ran a contest asking members to contribute unusual and/or bizarre articles they’ve discovered through the years. Many unique entries were submitted, and the voting, done by both members and staff, resulted in a photo finish. The results:
1st Place ($100 website gift certificate) -Phil Howland who submitted a St. Louis Missouri Republican, June 22, 1826, regarding “A MISSOURI TRAPPER”
2nd Place ($50 website gift certificate) – Joe Rainone, who submitted THE DAY’S DOINGS, February 10, 1872, regarding General Custer and Miss Spotted Tale”
3rd Place ($25 website gift certificate) -Erik Anderson, who submitted The Gentleman’s Magazine, dated March, 1732, regarding “Vampires”
The entire text all of entries may be viewed at:
“In Search for the Unusual and Bizarre”
Thanks to all those who took the time to submit an entry. Many members indicated by e-mail as to how much the enjoyed reading the entries. The MISSOURI TRAPPER:
Newspapers are not the only place to find buried treasure…
March 13, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
During the past several months we have enjoyed exploring the hidden gems often found within rare and historic newspapers. One of our friends drew our attention to another recently discovered treasure which relates to our beloved historic collectible, specifically, the Revolutionary War era. There appears to be a new finding involving Bunker Hill in Boston, as reported by the Boston Globe:
Bunker Hill dead may lie under gardens… (read more)
A related graphic may be found at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/08/history_of_the_remains/.
Although history may never be more facinationg than when it’s read from the day it was 1st reported, current discoveries certainly add depth to our walk through the past.
Note: If you’ve never taken a Walking Tour of Historic Boston, it is worthy of your time. The next time your in the Boston area, this tour is a must.
Meet the staff: Guy Heilenman, our President…
March 9, 2009 by TimHughes · 4 Comments
After many years of teaching in the Lancaster, Penna. area, Guy was in search of a new professional challenge. Timing was great for both Guy and “Hughes Rare Newspapers” as he found his way to Williamsport and his challenge was found.
Guy is the President of our 33 year-old rare newspaper company and has brought with him an enthusiastic attitude and many fresh and exciting ideas to carry our business into the 21st century.
Any who have spoken with him cannot help but impressed with his polite, caring personality. Cultivating customer loyalty and maintaining the integrity of the business are foremost among his duties, while developing additional channels for selling and marketing newspapers challenge his creative side. Guy is a great fit for our unique business and the many progressive changes initiated in recent years are due to his efforts.
It was six years ago that Guy moved his family to Williamsport. Along with his wife Laura, they have six children—Eve, Joshua, Rebekah, Sarah, Hannah & Rachel–aged 7 thru 18, so to call him a family man is an understatement. Despite the workload and extra hours the business requires it is rare that Guy does not have his family off on a weekend adventure in this scenic part of Pennsylvania. During the summer months camping is a favorite activity, but we who stay home cringe when he schedules an outings because we know it will be rainy, windy, or cold—or likely all three.
Several of his older children are part-time employees of our newspaper business, handling much of the background and photography work which is so important to our success. They are always a pleasure to have among us.
While not attending to business and family priorities Guy is very much involved in his church community. His faith is a central focus of not only his life but that of his entire extended family. It is with this foundation that his personality of caring and concern permeates all that he does and, most certainly, is evident to our customers who have dealt with him.
Guy and his family are a pleasure to have with us. Be sure to say “hello” to Guy the next time you give us a call. Both you and he will be glad you did.
Contest: “In Search for the Unusual and Bizarre”…
March 2, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 13 Comments
Back by popular demand… A History’s Newsstand Blog contest…
“In Search for the Unusual and Bizarre”
Have you ever discovered an unusual or bizarre report while perusing a rare and early newspaper? If so, our members would love to hear about it. From March 2nd through March 9th we will be accepting your contributions/discoveries. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes will be offered for the most unusual/bizarre postings. To enter the contest simply find your most bizarre report and enter it as a comment to this post. Only one entry may be submitted per person. Please include the title and date of the issue along with the report (or a summary of the report if it is long).
How will the winners be determined? Anyone may “vote” on their favorite choice starting March 10th – only one vote per person please. To vote, submit your selection by e-mail to guy@rarenewspapers.com. Choices must be made by the end of the day on 3/13/2009. Each Rare Newspapers’ staff member will also have one vote. The winners will be announced through the blog and by personal e-mail sometime during the week of 3/16/2009.
What will the winner receive? Winners will have their stories recognized on the blog, will receive a Rare Newspapers gift certificate worth $100 (1st place), $50 (2nd place), and $25 (3rd place), and will have the satisfaction of knowing they contributed to the enhancement of the rare newspapers collectible community.
You may want to view some of our own unusual/bizarre discoveries to help get you started. These are not eligible for the contest. They may be viewed at: https://blog.rarenewspapers.com/?cat=116
Please don’t hesitate. Share your bizarre or unusual report with the world!
Rare newspaper collector’s inspiring story…
February 26, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over the years we have had the opportunity to establish relationships with many wonderful people within the rare newspapers community. On occasion, we are blessed to hear about the story behind the voice on the other end of the phone. One such person is Robert (Bob) Cassidy, of Pekin, Illinois. He is one of those individuals whom always has something positive to say, and who manages to make everyone he speaks with feel important. What a gift. This gift is especailly noteworthy considering the health issues he must hurdle in order to communicate. It is obvious he is a man of strong character, and of even stronger faith. It is the combination of both traits which provide the backdrop for… his story:
Disease inspires man to paint…
(Source: The Journal Star by Elise Zwicky)
“For some, a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease might end an art career; for Bob Cassidy, it was the catalyst for getting started. ‘God, in his infinite wisdom, gave me Parkinson’s to see if I still had a sense of humor. And I did, thank God,’ said the 73-year-old retired speech specialist. Cassidy is planning an open house at the end of February or early March at his new art studio…” (read more)
Thanks Bob. You are an inspiration to us all.
An Interview with Timothy Hughes…
February 16, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
BakerTowne Collectibles recently filmed an interview with Tim Hughes on their Collectibles Corner TV website. Tim appears about midway through the show at the 4:38 time stamp. Once the program fully loads you can drag the time tracker to this spot; however, if you have the time, Tammy’s (the host) entire program is enjoyable to view.
The interview may be found at: http://www.collectiblescornertv.com/?p=114; even better, view the interview below.
Thanks Tammy for your addition to the Rare Newspapers Community.