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Countdown to “Newspapers that changed the world…”
October 24, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Each month Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers releases a catalog containing a new set of historic and collectible newspapers (1600′s through 20th century). However, on November 1, 2012, at 12:01 AM ET, the special edition, “Newspapers that changed the world…” will be released. Whether you already collect newspapers, or desire to simply view a sampling of what the hobby has to offer, check back for this special occasion:
Prior to November 1, 2012 and after November 30, 2012, the link below will take you to the most recent offerings of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers… History’s Newsstand! During the month of November it will take you to the special release catalog, “Newspapers that changed the world”.
View: “Newspapers that changed the world…“
“The United States of America”… humble beginnings?
September 14, 2012 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
One of our rare newspaper friends recently discovered an interesting news item regarding the (potential) first use of “The United States of America” as referring to the American colonies. If true, the first use appeared in a newspaper – a Revolutionary War Era issue of The Virginia Gazette. To add to the intrigue, the origin of the phrase still retains an element of mystery as the article in which it appears was merely signed, A Planter. Thanks to the Byron DeLear of The Christian Science Monitor, and to NBCNEWS.com for bringing this to light. To view the entire article, please see: Who coined ‘United States of America’? New twist to mystery…
When did the “Gentleman’s Magazine” print the Declaration of Independence?
November 14, 2011 by TimHughes · 5 Comments
Fellow collector Michael Gulvin asks a question which many other collectors may have wondered: “On what day of the month did the Gentleman’s Magazine for August, 1776 become available? We have a time-line for the American newspapers, and we know that the London Chronicle printed the Declaration in its August 17th issue, but do we know the actual date the Gentleman’s Magazine printed the Declaration of Independence for its August issue?”
Magazines typically published very late in the month shown on the title/contents page. With the “London Chronicle” publishing the Declaration of Independence in its August 17, 1776 issue, and presuming they had interest in publishing such a significant document as early as possible, it is presumed the Declaration was received in London very close to that date. Their previous issue was dated Aug. 15, so August 15-17 would be the presumed period when the document arrived in London. It is curious to note that the “London Gazette” never printed the Declaration of Independence.
Monthly publications are more difficult to pin down in terms of publication dates, however datelines of news reports found within offer great clues. The Historical Chronicle near the back of the August issue of the “Gentleman’s Magazine” has datelines beginning July 10 and the latest date mentioned is August 31, the very last day of the month. Obviously the magazine could not have printed prior to August 31, so the first day or two of September would be the presumed printing dates.
The same was true with American magazines as I recall the June, 1776 issue of “The Pennsylvania Magazine” had the very significant announcement that Congress had voted to approve the Declaration of Independence, with a dateline of July 2, 1776. Obviously that June issue was printed early the following month.
Colonial newspaper founded by a woman… A rare find…
October 31, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
A recent collection which came into our inventory included a rare title which didn’t strike me until I looked more closely.
“Salem Gazette” is a somewhat common from the 18th century so I wasn’t surprised to see the title when quickly examining the collection. But then I noticed the date from the Revolutionary War, which I thought odd. Upon investigation I found there were actually four different newspapers titled “Salem Gazette“, one from 1774-1775, one from 1781-85, and one from 1790 thru the 19th century. These latter two are were quite familiar to me, but our issue was yet a fourth title, one which I had never encountered in 35 years, and this one lasted but 36 issues during the year 1781. But of greater significance was that the masthead noted it was published by a woman, Mary Crouch. See the hyperlink for much more on her fascinating life, but suffice it to say she was no stranger to publishing a newspaper as she had much experience in South Carolina.
The hyperlinked article mentions she took over the publication of her husband’s (Charles) “South Carolina Gazette” after he died in 1772. She then began her own newspaper, the “Charlestown Gazette“, in August of 1778. When the British occupied her town in 1780, being a staunch patriot, she moved north to Salem, Massachusetts, where she began publishing this “Salem Gazette” in 1781. The number we have is dated February 6, 1781 and is issue number 6 of the 36 published (see the hyperlink). Relatively few institutions hold any issues of this title, and only four issues of this date are held by institutions.
There were a number of women who published newspapers in the 18th century & virtually all that I could discover did so by continuing a printing business upon the demise of their respective husbands. One exception was Mary Goddard who published the “Maryland Journal” during her brother’s absence from 1774-1783. But Anne Catherine Green took over her late husband’s “Maryland Gazette” upon his death in 1767; Hannah Watson took over her husband’s (Ebenezer) “Connecticut Courant” upon his death in 1777; Margaret Draper took over the “Massachusetts Gazette” upon the death of her husband Richard in 1774; Clementine Rind took over “The Virginia Gazette” in 1773 when her husband William died; and Ann Franklin published the “Newport Mercury” upon the death of her son James in 1762. I am sure there are others as well.
From what I could determine Mary Crouch may well be the first American woman to create a newspaper, and she did so twice. Her first being the “Charlestown Gazette” and her second the “Salem Gazette“. Any research to the contrary would be gratefully received and shared with our fellow collectors.
Rare Newspapers found on The Freedom Trail…
April 30, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
As of April 15, 2011, the historic Freedom Trail welcomed Boston area’s 1st authentic colonial era print shop, The Printing Office of Edes & Gill. While visiting, patrons will have the opportunity to engage living historians working their printers trade in pre-revolutionary Boston. These same printers were at the vanguard of citizen angst over British governmental policies that Bostonians felt violated their rights as Englishmen. They offer unique personal encounters with history and colonial printing. If you have the opportunity to visit Boston, make sure to pay a visit to this great new addition, located along the Freedom Trail at the historic Clough House, which is owned by and conveniently located adjacent to Old North Church. While there, look for a few Rare & Early Newspapers from our archives. In the meantime, enjoy their new website: The Printing Office of Edes & Gill
Prices realized… 18th century…
September 13, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
We continue with our series on “Prices Realized”. Below are a examples of actual prices paid 
for a few scattered issues from the 18th century. While not the highest valued from the period, they certainly are “premium” issues. Our hope is to provide a more-comprehensive listing in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, for what it is worth…
The Constitution of the United States… CONNECTICUT COURANT, Hartford, Oct. 1, 1787 ($17,500, 2007)
The Boston Massacre… THE ESSEX GAZETTE, Salem, Massachusetts, March 20, 1770 ($9,250, 2006)
The following is a link to our previous post in this series:
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
Ben Franklin displays his wit…
August 14, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The December 11, 1775 issue of the “Hampshire Chronicle” from Southampton, England, includes a witty note from Ben Franklin to a friend in London, which appeared in several newspapers of the day. By his mind, the Revolutionary War was not going to be won by England through attrition.
Featured websites – TeachHistory.com
March 18, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Teachers with a love of history, listen up! The following resource can improve your curriculum and make you a stronger educator. Students of history will enjoy the breadth and depth of the historical journey as well.
TeachHistory is a fantastic website (blog), developed and maintained by Ben Edwards, which provides engaging information & a plethora of useful educational resources related to history. It describes itself as:
“a blog dedicated to social studies and history teachers across the United States who use Colonial American history, imagination and multisensory teaching methods to inspire their students. Our goal is to provide a resource where teachers like you can access information about colonial history plus technologies, methods and products that are making a difference in education today.”
While Ben’s experience with teachers and students is varied, perhaps the most useful channel for keeping him in touch with the pulse of teacher/student interests and needs occur via the many intimate conversations had while engaging teachers and students through his Walking Tours of Historic Boston. Combine this with both his (historic) heritage and his natural love of history, and you have the making of a blog which is sure to stay relevant over time. Some of the recent posts include:
Colonel Shaw, Sergeant Carney and the 54th Massachusetts
Remembering Alex Haley and Roots
Black History Month: A Tribute to Phillis Wheatley
Young Ben Franklin and the Silence Dogood Letters
Teachers: Are You Engaging AND Empowering Your Students?
Many of the posts include detailed images and reference accounts of actual Rare & Early Newspapers – most of which come from his personal collection. Ben fully grasps a foundational truth regarding primary sources: “History is never more fascinating than when it is read from the day it was first reported.” Thanks Ben, for your contributions to both the Rare Newspapers and Educational communities.
18th century & pre-18th century newspapers… revisited…
December 17, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over the past two weeks Timothy Hughes has explored his thoughts on what he believes to be the top ten pre-18th century and the top ten 18th century newspapers (see below). Some of these thoughts were captured in the following video:
Collecting authentic rare and historic newspapers from the 1500’s – 1700’s can be exciting, rewarding and surprisingly affordable. British titles such as the London Gazette, London Chronicle, Gentleman’s Magazine and more, are all available for much less than you would expect, as are their American counterparts, the Columbian Centinel, Dunlap’s Daily American Advertiser, Concord Herald, and more.
Whether your interest is in the Colonial Era or the Revolutionary War Era, or extends to the 1500’s and/or 1600’s, original newspapers provide an excellent view of history in context. History is never more fascinating than when when it’s read from the day it was first reported. If you love history… you deserve to have it in your hands. Rare and early historic newspapers make this possible. Please enjoy the hobby!
Top ten newspapers: 16th and 17th centuries…
Top ten newspapers: 18th century…
The “top ten”: 18th century…
December 14, 2009 by TimHughes · 9 Comments
Continuing with our “top ten events to be found in newspapers” for various periods of time, today we consider the 18th century.
What an event-filled one hundred years it was. As you can tell by the list my focal point is on the American Revolution, but there are other events or specific newspapers which made it into my top ten.
Again I offer apologies to our non-American friends as this list has a decidedly American bias, primarily because the vast majority of those who purchase from us are American.
Here we go, starting with number ten:
10) Death of George Washington, 1799 (Front page, preferably in a Virginia Gazette)
9) Hanging of Captain Kidd, 1701 (Just can’t resist a great pirate hanging, he being perhaps the most famous of all time)
8.) Any newspaper with the first installment of Paine’s “The Crisis” (“These are the times that try men’s souls…” has to be one of the more famous beginnings of all time)
7) Full text of the Stamp Act (Certainly a trigger event that would lead to the Revolution)
6) Boston Tea Party (In a Boston newspaper. An event every school kid knows about)
5) The Pennsylvania Journal, Nov. 1, 1765 “skull & crossbones” engraving (Replaced its normal masthead on this date: seen in most history books)
4) Battle of Lexington & Concord with mention of Paul Revere’s ride (The beginning of the Revolutionary War. I had one once with mention of Revere–exceedingly rare–great to have in a Boston area newspaper)
3) The Boston News-Letter, 1704 (Great to have issue #1 of America’s first successful newspaper, but any issue from 1704 would do)
2) The Pennsylvania Packet, Sept. 19, 1787 (First newspaper to print the Constitution, & done in broadside format. Need I say more?)
1) The Declaration of Independence, 1776 (Ideally the Pennsylvania Evening Post, July 6, 1776, but the Packet of July 8 would work too as it contains the Declaration entirely on the front page: better for display).