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She prepared for the end…
February 21, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Some news reports we discover in our newspapers are so beautifully written that they beg to be share with more than just the collector who buys the issue. This is one. Not only is the report of Martha Washington’s death eloquently presented, it is interesting how she knew her time was coming to an end and was prepared for it.
This report appeared in the “Farmer’s Museum or Literary Gazette” from Walpole, New Hampshire, June 8, 1802:
Entry point to the Rare Newspapers Collectible… 18th Century…
February 3, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Over the past month the History’s Newsstand Blog has explored the lower-end entry points into the hobby of collecting rare and early newspapers. This next installment takes us back to the 18th century. The further we move back in time the higher (price-wise) is the entry point. One of the common ways to keep your early (into the hobby) 18th century collecting budget under control is to start by collecting newspapers/magazines from England. Typically, reports on American affairs found within British publications cost as little as 1/10 (and sometimes even less percentage-wise) than the corresponding reports in American issues. With this in mind…
The following selection provides a glimpse of the wide variety of 18th century issues available valued at $25* and under. Many more exist on the Rare Newspapers’ website, but others can be found throughout the collectible community as well. The item numbers for each are linked to corresponding images.
The oldest newspaper in the world…
120436 THE LONDON GAZETTE, England, dates ranging from 1726 to 1730 – This is the oldest continually published newspaper in the world, having begun in 1665 and is still being published today. Reporting is almost entirely concerned with Parliamentary items and European news with some advertisements near the back of the issue. $18.00*
From Pre-Revolutionary War England…
121059 THE ST. JAMES CHRONICLE; OR, THE BRITISH EVENING POST, London, England, 1767. Nice engraving in the masthead makes this a displayable issue. Various news of the day and a wealth of ads, from not long before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. $18.00*
From Post-Revolutionary War England…
208968 THE GENERAL EVENING POST, London, 1792 A nice “typical” folio-size newspaper of 4 pages from the 18th century. There is a wealth of news of the day on the front page and inside pages with some ads scattered throughout as well. $18.00*
By the town critic…
121100 THE CONNOISSEUR, London, 1755. See the photo below for an example of this title from our archives. An uncommon and early title “By Mr. Town, Critic & Censor General” as noted in the masthead. Done in editorial format. $20.00*
From 18th century Scotland…
208447 THE EDINBURGH EVENING COURANT, Scotland, 1785. A nice 18th century Scottish newspaper with the entire front page taken up with ads, with various news of the day on the inside pages. Some of the ads have illustrations as well. Complete in 4 pages, partial red-inked tax stamp on the front page, folio size, some light browning or dirtiness, but in generally nice condition. $20.00*
Additional issues priced at $25* and under may be viewed at: Entry Level Newspapers
* All prices shown were valid as of the release date of this post.
View the following to explore the History’s Newsstand Blog’s featured posts on the upper end of the collectible: “Prices Realized” and “Most Collectible Issues“.
First newspapers in New Jersey…
January 31, 2011 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
Given that New Jersey is geographically wedged between the the large colonial cities of New York and Philadelphia, there seemed to be little interest in creating a New Jersey newspaper until relatively late in the 18th century. Although New York & Pennsylvania had newspapers in the 1720’s, New Jersey’s first title, “The New Jersey Gazette“, did not appear until 1777.
But printing was being done in the colony as early as 1723, and it even had its first magazine, “The New American Magazine“, done by James Parker at Woodbridge in 1758. But it was Isaac Collins who on Dec. 5, 1777 started in Burlington the province’s first newspaper, “The New Jersey Gazette”, which would be removed to Trenton just three months later where it continued until 1786.
Technically there is another contender for the the title of New Jersey’s first newspaper, as Hugh Gaine removed his “New York Gazette & Weekly Mercury” to Newark, New Jersey, just prior to the British occupation of that city. His first Newark edition was on Sept. 21, 1776 and he only printed seven issues through Nov. 2, 1776 before returning to New York a few days later.
First newspapers in New Hampshire…
January 24, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Although New Hampshire was settled as early as 1623 no printing was done in the colony until 1756 as Boston got all the printing work. Daniel Fowles arrived in New Hampshire in 1756 to become the first printer in the colony, and on October 7, 1756, in Portsmouth, he issued the first number of the “New Hampshire Gazette“, the first newspaper in the colony. The only other printed item he did before this newspaper was an almanac for the year 1757.
The second newspaper in the colony was the “Mercury & Weekly Advertiser“, also done in Portsmouth by an employee of Fowle who was urged to created a competing newspaper by those who thought Fowle “…too timid in the cause of liberty, or their press too much under the influence of the officers of the crown…”. Fowle’s political leanings against independence would cause troubles for himself and his printing business in the years to come.
A brief mourning period…
January 22, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This item appears on the front page of “The London Chronicle” from England, February 23, 1765:
First use of the term “Columbia”…
December 6, 2010 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
Finding “first” mentions of significant, people, places and terms is always a delight for the rare newspaper collector, and with the internet–and the time required–many fascinating items can be found.
The term “Columbia” as a reference to America, very commonly used through the 19th century in both print & image, was first used in the London publication “Gentleman’s Magazine” in 1738. Because the printing of Parliamentary debates was illegal in England, they appeared under the thinly veiled heading of “Debates in the Senate of Lilliput” or similar heading, with names & places often fictitious or taken from Johnathan Swift’s famous work, which was the literary sensation at that time. The term Columbia was coined by the famed Samuel Johnson, a regular contributor to the “parliamentary” reports found in “The Gentleman’s Magazine“.
In the June issue of 1738, the debates from Parliament note: “…It is observable that their conquests and acquisitions in Columbia (which is the Lilliputian name for the country that answers our America,) have very little contributed to the power of those nations…”.
A significant “first use” of a very popular poetic name for the United States of America.
A ghost robs a bank…
October 30, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
And just in time for Halloween, a report from “The Observer” of London, January 1, 1797:
Beware what you “conjure”…
October 2, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The “Massachusetts Centinel” newspaper from Boston printed this interesting item headed “Astrology” in its May 12, 1790 edition:
Thoughts on titles in America…
September 18, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The date was July 8, 1789, and the government of the “United States of America” was but a few months old when the “Massachusetts Centinel” printed this article: “Thoughts Upon Titles”. Given the only experience at the time was the European model when it came to titles for those in leadership positions, it would not have been unusual for the topic to be raised as to what titles should be used for America’s governmental officials. This piece offers some interesting insight into the thoughts of the day:
A real gem…
September 16, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
In the past we’ve taken several looks at one of the inherent pleasures of the rare newspaper collecting hobby – that of finding hidden (unexpected) gems within issues. While unearthing such gems is nearly a daily occurrence for our staff, it is especially rewarding when we discover content of the significance as what we’ve shown below. The December, 1787 issue of The American Museum contains, in addition to the printing of four Federalist Papers and the ratification of the Constitution by Pennsylvania and Delaware, the full text of Benjamin Franklin’s final speech before the assembly on the last day of the Constitutional Convention. Thanks to one of our members, this treasure is no longer “lost”. As for the content… it speaks for itself. Please enjoy the wisdom of Dr. Franklin: 