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Highlights from Catalog 331 (June, 2023)…
June 2, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
At the start of each month we (RareNewspapers.com) release a catalog of newly discovered rare & early collectible newspapers. Whenever possible, along with the announcement of the catalog’s availability, we also like to include a brief video highlighting a selection of the key issues along with a few examples of interesting newspapers for those on a tight budget. This month’s video is shown below. We hope you enjoy.
Happy “Victoria Day” (Canada)…
May 22, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Shown below is a Canadian-themed, woodcut illustration from a sketch by Frederic Remington as printed in the Harper’s Weekly dated March 22, 1890.
To our friends up north…
Happy Victoria Day!
(original available at RareNewspapers.com – digital available at History’s Newsstand @ Etsy)
Hidden Gems within Rare & Early Newspapers/Magazines… 1792 edition…
May 12, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We recently listed a Massachusetts Magazine from 1792 with the following description:
Benjamin Franklin’s Will…
The bulk of the issue is taken up with a wide range of eclectic articles as noted on the full title/contents page.
The issue begins with: “Extracts from Dr. Franklin’s Will” which takes over a full page and provides many details on various beneficiaries.
Also within: “Thoughts on Dueling” “The Child Trained up for the Gallows” “A Description of the Dismal Swamp in Virginia” “The Distresses of a Frontier Inhabitant” “Fourteen Causes which Enrich a Country” “On the Climate of South Carolina” and much more.
Near the back is a: “Collection of Publick Acts Papers, etc.” including 3 Acts of Congress, each noted as: “Approved by the President…”, and also: “Abstract of the Proceedings of Congress” taking several pages. Then: “Domestick Chronicle” with news of the day, state-by-state and which includes much on Indian troubles.
Based on only the abbreviated list of articles we included within this issue’s listing, if you could only read one article, which one most attracts your attention? For me it would be Ben Franklin’s will, with “The Child Trained up for the Gallows” and “Thoughts on Dueling” a distant second and third choice. But what if I was from Ohio… perhaps even a region steeped in history related to westward expansion and the Northwest Territory? Well, one such collector fits this description, and without providing the title of the article, perhaps you can guess which captured his interest.
One never knows what one may find within the pages of Rare & Early Newspapers.
PS Food for thought: Viewing the past through a romanticized lens may not always provide the most accurate view.
Highlights from Catalog 330 (May, 2023)…
May 8, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
At the start of each month we (RareNewspapers.com) release a catalog of newly discovered rare & early collectible newspapers. Whenever possible, along with the announcement of the catalog’s availability, we also like to include a brief video highlighting a selection of the key issues along with a few examples of interesting newspapers for those on a tight budget. This month’s video is shown below. We hope you enjoy.
The Birth of a Holiday… Mother’s Day Becomes Official!
May 5, 2023 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
As I was researching a collector’s Mother’s Day themed request this past week I happened upon a striking Rotogravure Section with a front page image of a mother and her 2 children. The image, titled “MATERNAL LOVE”, by Hughes Merle, perfectly captured the warmth, innocence and depth of a mother’s love for her children and her children’s trust of and love for her. Completely taken with the image, I checked to see if there was any correlation with Mother’s Day. This Rotogravure was not only published on Mother’s Day but more specifically, the 1st official Mother’s Day.
History.com notes the following:
“The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis. Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children.
After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia.
Following the success of her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood.
By 1912 many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.”
On April 15, 1914, the New York Times had a small article stating… “The Federal Government is lending its assistance to the movement, and on that day the clergy of the whole country will be asked to preach sermons regarding the general welfare of the home and so help to make Mother’s Day of practical value. The celebration of this day is in no way connected with woman suffrage, although the association is friendly to the suffrage movement wherever it may benefit the home.”
While the above statement may not hold the warmth and tenderness often associated with Mother’s Day, it is nice to see formal recognition of the truth often summed up as, “the Mother is the heart of a family and home.”
With Mother’s Day merely a week away…
In addition to the various Mother’s Day themed original newspapers we have posted at RareNewspapers.com, our staff also created a Mother’s Day related video to go along with our sister-store on Etsy. Enjoy.
The reason I collected it: Freeman’s Journal & Philadelphia Mercantile Advertiser, Oct. 21, 1812…
May 1, 2023 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Some 47 years ago when I (Tim Hughes) started collecting and selling early newspapers, the collector part of me want to keep any issues I found intriguing, unusual, and historic. I really just wanted the “business” side of the hobby to support my “collector” side.
Once a month I will highlight one of the saved issues and will explain why. Not all will be rare, not all will be valuable, and some will be simply bizarre. But they intrigued me, and so I share with all of you.
An eagle motif in mastheads is rather common, most rather small & proportional to the type used for the title. But the Freeman’s Journal & Philadelphia Mercantile Advertiser (the Oct. 21, 1812 issue is shown below) has perhaps the largest eagle I have found, with a wingspread of nearly 7 inches. I’m glad I saved one many years ago as I haven’t seen this title in quite some time.
They Put It In Print – Everyone Aboard The Titanic Survived!!?
April 19, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Eternally filed the bin labelled “Don’t Believe Everything You Read” is the report found in the Oakland Tribune, April 15, 1912, that all of the passengers aboard the Titanic survived. Yet another example of newspaper publishers pushing too hard to scoop all others. I wonder if they bothered posting a retraction in the following day’s issue.
Snapshot 1665 – The Oldest Continuously Published Newspaper is Born…
April 3, 2023 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The London Gazette (eventually shortened to merely The Gazette) is the oldest newspaper in current publication, and reaches back into the mid 1600’s. Although the first issue under this name was published on February 5, 1666 (dated 1665 using the Julian/Old Style Calander), the first 23 issues were titled The Oxford Gazette, dating the onset of this renowned publication (i.e., issue 1, vol. 1) November 16, 1665. An image of this very first issue is shown below. You can read more about The London Gazette on their currently running website, and can view details of this initial printing at RareNewspapers.com.
Dramatic Headlines Speak for Themselves… The Assassination of JFK…
March 27, 2023 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
The best headlines need no commentary. Such is the case with THE DALLAS TIMES HERALD, Texas, November 22, 1963, reporting on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy:
“PRESIDENT DEAD“
Finding little gems within volumes of old newspapers…
March 24, 2023 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
We (at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers) often hear the following on the other end of our phone line: “I was going through my mother’s things and found these old newspapers…”. We have similar “discoveries” as well, but occasionally they are not what one might expect. While searching through volumes of newspapers for noteworthy articles, we often come across interesting news items we never knew existed but from time-to-time we also unearth fascinating “non-newspaper” items as well: an old handwritten letter from decades or centuries ago… a child’s artwork… a pressed leaf… When found, many of these historical trinkets are quickly displayed above our desks, creating a nostalgic space. However, sometimes they find their way onto our website. Such is the case with this Lottery Ticket from 1779. So, the next time you are perusing our catalogue, keep your eyes open for some of these exotic odds and ends.