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Celebrating 150 years since Arizona’s first newspaper…
November 2, 2009 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
The history of Arizona, an Indian word meaning “place of small springs”, goes back some 10,000 years B.C. with the arrival of the first Native Americans, while its history as recorded by Europeans dates to 1539 when the first white an, Marcus de Niza, a Franciscan friar arrived. It was organized as a territory in 1863 and admitted as a state in 1912, the last of the 49 contiguous states to join the Union.
Arizona’s first newspaper was the “Arizonian”, started at Tubac in March, 1859. Tubac lies about midway between Tucson and the Mexican border. For the following we credit Megan Thomas and the Chronkite News Service:
“For visitors at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, (volunteer James) Pagels rolls ink and presses paper to metal to demonstrate a Washington Hand Press that was used to print the state’s first newspaper, “The Weekly Arizonian”. It still provides visitors with replicas of the paper.
“It’s living history,” Pagels said.
Arizona State Parks is preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the press in Arizona. Brought by ox cart from the Mexican port of Guaymas for William Wrightson of the Santa Rita Mining Co., the press turned out the first copy of the Arizonian on March 3, 1859, promoting the mining company and its agenda.
The “Arizonian” published out of Tubac for several months before moving to Tucson. According to an account by the late Douglas C. McMurtrie, a historian of printing in the U.S., the newspaper apparently ceased publication in the summer of 1860, resumed briefly in 1861 and resumed once again in 1867 – both times under different ownership – before finally folding for good in 1871. The press wound up in Tombstone, printing the Nugget newspaper for a time, and, according to McMurtrie, passed to the Arizona Historical Society in 1913.
Back home in Tubac and on permanent loan to Arizona State Parks, the press is a point of pride, said Joe Martinez, manager of the park.
“I think it’s amazing that the press came here in 1859 can still function today and we can show it to people and give them copies of the first edition,” Martinez said.
That edition describes attacks by Native Americans and crimes including horse thefts. It notes that stagecoaches were charging 40 cents to $1 per pound for extra baggage on runs between El Paso and San Diego. A section is devoted to the obituary of James Gadsden, who brokered the purchase from Mexico of nearly 30,000 square miles that are now part of southern Arizona and New Mexico.”
Related collectibles… carrier & newsie memorabilia…
October 8, 2009 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
The world of rare newspaper collecting need not be limited to just newspapers. I’ve ventured into peripheral collectibles which I find interesting, and I’m wondering if any of you have as well.
I’ve picked up several “paper bags” as we used to call them, and which are rarely seen today. They are the cloth “slings” newspaper carriers wore over the shoulder in which newspapers we held when being delivered (does anyone remember them?).
I’ve also purchased two of the newspaper wagons used in the earlier part of the 20th century in which carriers pulled the day’s edition as he made his deliver rounds. They make decorative pieces today and look much like other early children’s wagons but often had higher side rails. And they were distinguished by the newspaper name & logo painted on the sides.
I’ve also collecting little nick-knack figurines which include a newspaper in some way, and my, have I been amazed how many exist! There is at least one Hummel piece, a few Precious Moments, and a number of more “generic” brand figurines which feature a newspaper in a variety of ways. And those who collect Christmas pieces will encounter numerous miniature print shops and newsstands if they browse in any mall gift or specialty shop. I’ve also found a few framed prints which show someone reading a newspaper, or perhaps a newspaper print shop, a news carrier, etc.
What related newspaper collectibles do you pursue? Feel free to respond and share with others.
The Next Must-Read Book for Newspaper Collectors
September 14, 2009 by admin · 9 Comments
Mott, Emery, Thomas, Tebbel and Brigham are household authors on the bookshelves of most newspaper collectors, but another name needs to be added to the list. Eric Burns.
Burns is the author of Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism.
Most of us have read — on more than one occasion — about the history of Public Occurrences, The Boston News-Letter, Zenger’s New York Weekly Journal and Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette. But how often do we get to read these stories and many distinct others from a book published in the 21st century?
Perhaps what thrilled me the most about this book was its style. To me, Burns was masterful at marrying the story-telling flair of David McCullough with the newspaper history acumen of Mott, Emery and others. More so, I enjoyed learning several fun facts and exciting stories about many of the newspaper titles I see for sale at rarenewspapers.com or even hold in my own collection.
The Boston Gazette, according to Burns’ C-SPAN presentation on his book, is the most influential newspaper this country has ever known. He says the Gazette got us into the Revolutionary War, sped up the course of the war and may have even determined the outcome of the war. A good chunk of Infamous Scribblers is dedicated to supporting this thesis.
“Almost certainly the war would not have ended with an American victory in a period of seven years — from first shot to signed treaty — had not the newspapers constantly reminded the colonists of the cause they shared, thereby inspiring the valor of soldiers, and the patience and support of civilians,” Burns said.
He points out that newspapers were the only form of media at the time and served as the great unifier of our nation during a time when America “needed unity as much as we needed ammunition.”
Here are a few fascinating excerpts from Infamous Scribblers:
On a printer’s disincentive to publish a newspaper: “Despite a New World population of more than 300,000 by 1700, there were not enough customers of newspapers — too few English speakers in America, too few towns and villages that were too widely scattered to allow for news to be gathered efficiently and a paper to be distributed economically.”
On a newspaper’s role in the Revolutionary War: “It was Franklin, though, who most succinctly and accurately assessed the role of the media in the days leading up to the war. It was he, astute as ever, who pointed out that the press not only can ‘strike while the iron is hot,’ but it can ‘heat it by continually striking.'”
On Sam Adams: “The least ethical newsman of the entire colonial era, if not the entire history of American journalism.”
On 18th century journalism: “As a rule, newspaper publishers of the time did not chase after interviews or hustle to the scenes of events with their juices flowing and pen fingers twitching. For the most part, they were denizens of the print shop, preferring that the news be spoken in their ears or slipped under their doors — that it be delivered to them, in other words, as spices were delivered to the grocer or bolts of clothes to the tailor.”
On reporting and publishing during the Revolutionary War: “The Revolutionary War was not an easy one to cover. For one thing, once the fighting started there was more news than ever but no more shipments of ink or type or spare parts for the presses coming into American ports. There were no more shipments of paper either, and, as for the quantities still available or smuggled into the colonies from a friend in the motherland or a trader in another European nation, there were higher priorities for it than journalism.”
On an unlikely spy embedded as a printer: “Jemmy Rivington’s Tory newspaper, the Royal Gazette, was extremely critical of George Washington. However, Rivington was also a spy who passed along secrets of the British navy to colonial leaders. On one occasion, Rivington helped break a British code that almost surely saved American lives during one of the war’s earlier battles.”
On printing business diversification: “Colonial printers did not just publish newspapers… they continued to publish documents for agencies of government and various other materials such as sermons, speeches, and contracts, for private clients… they turned out pamphlets, Sunday supplements of a sort, commentaries on the news of the day…”
On the importance of 18th century newspapers: “Perhaps the importance of the press to the outcome of the war can be exaggerated, but not easily and not by much. It was newspapers that kept the colonies informed of the progress of the fighting in a way that letters and patterers could not have done, and in the process united the colonies in a way that was beyond the ability of the jerry-built wartime government.”
This post was authored by Todd Andrlik, a collector of rare and historic newspapers that you can follow at toddand.com and raglinen.com. Todd recently launched the Historic Newspapers Network for the newspaper collecting community.
My Collecting Story… Robert (Bob) Cassidy…
September 3, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A few years ago, I bought a newspaper. I had a collection that I had started saving as a youngster, as events happened, but ordering one [again, as an adult] opened up a whole new world. Now I have the Hughes’ papers in cases, and earlier collection in storage. While I have never met Guy nor Doreen, I feel that they are friends, who have been with me during some pretty tough times. What is the most exciting thing that has happened during the collection process? For a couple of generations my family had thought that my great great grandfather had been buried in a mass grave at the site of the Battle of Fairoaks in Virginia during the Civil War. Last year Doreen found a newspaper that indicated that he, William White, had survived the battle and had been transported with other wounded to the D.C. area. What could be more exciting than that?
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Thanks for sharing your story Dave. If you would like to share your story of how you became interested in collecting rare and/or historic newspapers, e-mail it to guy@rarenewspapers.com and place “My Story” in the subject field. Although not necessary, feel free to include an image. Please do not include your e-mail address or a personal website as part of the text of your story. We will post collector stories every few weeks and will send you a notice when your story appears. Thank you for your contribution to the community.
My Collecting Story… David Cunningham…
August 20, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
I started collecting newspapers about 2-3 years ago. Originally I collected US coins and baseball cards but transitioned to picture postcards from the early 1900’s. I wanted to go back further in time so I started to collect letters/stampless letters from the 1800’s including a few neat letters from the Civil War. In my quest to find earlier documents I stumbled upon your rarenewspaper website. I was amazed that newspapers could be had from the 1600/1700’s. Too bad I didn’t find out sooner.
My favorite era is newspapers from the Revolutionary War and the early formation of the United States government. Friends and relatives are amazed when I show them a newspaper with George Washington’s name in it. A few of the papers have names of officers who were engaged in the Revolutionary war. To me that makes it very historical since I know an active participant actually read that paper.
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Thanks for sharing your story Dave. If you would like to share your story of how you became interested in collecting rare and/or historic newspapers, e-mail it to guy@rarenewspapers.com and place “My Story” in the subject field. Although not necessary, feel free to include an image. Please do not include your e-mail address or a personal website as part of the text of your story. We will post collector stories every few weeks and will send you a notice when your story appears. Thank you for your contribution to the community.
My Collecting Story… Paul Sarna…
August 6, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 3 Comments
The first newspaper I believe I ever collected was for the 1968 Kentucky Derby followed later that month by the ’68 Indianapolis 500 (timely to write this since it’s the month of May [when Paul wrote this] and I’m going to the Indy 500 once again this year). I was only 6 years old at the time, but proud years later, that I started collecting newsworthy newspapers at such an early age. 1968, needless to say, was quite a year and I’m glad to this day that I never sold any of the newspapers I collected when I first started (though I admit I did not keep them in the best shape I could have….I didn’t realize 41 years later that I’d still be collecting newspapers!!!). I think the first newspaper that I ever bought multiple copies of was for the first Ali-Frazier fight in 1971, but I am not sure.
Some of the best surprises I have had in collecting?….well 2 come to mind. One was purchasing, at a flea market in New York City, a Daily Morning Chronicle (Washington D.C.) of April 15, 1865 for about $20 in the late 80’s (I’m still kicking myself for even THINKING about selling that gem). Another purchase came at my table as a street vendor from a person I had never met, but came to my table to sell me this oversized box of newspapers. I initially did not want to purchase them because I used a handcart to bring my table and inventory home and the box was big, but luckily I didn’t delay the purchase and bought them [for $35] by just glancing over the top half of the stack. When I got home I saw a New York Herald Titanic first report with some wear at the fold. The newspaper seemed to have multiple section so I initially let it go and continued looking through the stack. At some point it then dawn on me that these might not merely be sections of the same newspaper and when I looked again, neatly tucked in were Titanic first reports in the New York Times and the New York World in great condition!
The most rewarding part of my experience with newspapers was the street vending of old newspapers (and magazines) I did in New York City from 1988 until 2004. Even though I did not have many repeat customers (or not as many as I would have liked), it was rewarding. Not just for merely “making a living”, but for the people that had that certain look on their faces when they saw something that caught them by surprise or for when tourists from all over the country and world would take a photo of my stand as a memory of their visit.
Newspapers collecting is something I will ALWAYS do, and now is a good time to thank Tim, Guy, Doreen, Marc and everybody in the Rare Newspapers staff for helping me pursue my endless goal of collecting newspapers.
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Thanks for sharing your story Paul. If you would like to share your story of how you became interested in collecting rare and/or historic newspapers, e-mail it to guy@rarenewspapers.com and place “My Story” in the subject field. Although not necessary, feel free to include an image. Please do not include your e-mail address or a personal website as part of the text of your story. We will post collector stories every few weeks and will send you a notice when your story appears. Thank you for your contribution to the community.
Rare newspaper prices from 60 years ago…
July 30, 2009 by TimHughes · 2 Comments
While cleaning out some files at home I came across a little catalog of “American Newspapers 1732 – 1890” offered for sale by Stephen Nagy of Philadelphia. The back page has various items noting the date of the catalog as 1948.
The photos show some interesting prices. Some may not be shown in the photos but I noticed a Confederate issue of the “Norfolk Bulletin” of 1864 for $1.25; the “Daily Hawaiian Herald” of 1866 for $3; a colonial issue of the “Pennsylvania Chronicle” of Phila., 1768 for $7.50; a ‘Phila. Inquirer” with a first report of Lincoln’s assassination for $3; the very desirable “Inquirer” of April 25, 1865 with the full pg. illustration of Lincoln’s remains in Independence Hall for $4; and a wide selection of “Dunlap’s American Daily Advertiser“, Phila., from 1796 and 1797 for $1 each.
We’ve never promoted the investment potential of rare newspapers but rather encourage the collecting of historic issues for enjoyment & personal pleasure, but this catalog from the past does give evidence of the considerable variance in prices from 61 years ago. Additional images of this early newspapers catalog may be found at: American Newspapers (1732-1890) Catalog – 1948.
Quotes defining history…
July 13, 2009 by Morris Brill · 2 Comments
When I was fourteen years old (ah, so many years ago) I acquired an interest in quotations. By the time I was twenty-one I had read the entire collection of Bartlett’s Famous Quotations and recorded each of the quotes that had significance for me. I have since added to my list of favorites.
Coincidentally, when I was twenty-one, I also bought my first collectable newspaper; The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Many years ago I concluded that often a quote, paired with a specific headline, added profound meaning to the headline. The right quotation enhanced the moral or social significance of the headline. Often, the right quote was able to capture the ‘essence’ of the headline.
Quotes, like newspapers, unite us with the past. They provide us with the thoughts of those who came before us. Additionally, within a newspaper, you may find text that contains a statement that later becomes a famous quote.
For instance: the Boston Gazette of December 26, 1805 contains a report on the Battle of Trafalgar. The article quotes British Admiral Horatio Nelson as saying, “England expects that every man will do his duty.” And we all know of President Franklin Roosevelt’s quote in his inaugural acceptance speech in 1933, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself,” which can be found on the front page of many newspapers of the time.
Of course, each individual would select different quotes to pair with a headline. I believe that the quotes a person prefers are a reflection of that person’s personal social background, religious background, education, and political persuasion.
With that said, and with your indulgence, I would like to share with you a very small sample of my pairings.
“It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is true of men as of dogs.” – Eric Hoffer
Headline: Treaty of Peace – Pennsylvania Packet – 11/08/1783
Quote: “What a free society offers to the individual is much more than what he would be able to do if only he were free.” – F.S. Hayek
Headline: Death of Benjamin Franklin – The Gentleman’s Magazine – 06/01/1790
Quote: “It is sweet to serve one’s country by deeds, and it is not absurd to serve her by words” – Sallust
Headline: Death of President Washington – The True American – 01/01/1800
Quote: “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government” – Edward Abbey
Headline: Queen Victoria Coronation – Main Farmer/Journal of Useful Arts – 08/07/1838
Quote: “Uneasy is the head that wears a crown” – William Shakespeare
Headline: This “Flying Machine” Flies – Philadelphia Press – 12/19/1903
Quote: “I think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right” – Albert Einstein
Headline: Life Terms in Prison for Leopold and Lobe – Los Angeles Evening Herald – 02/04/1924
Quote: “Being brilliant is no great feat if you respect nothing” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Headline: Death Takes Stalin’s Reign – Syracuse Herald-Journal – 06/06/1954
Quote: “O, it is excellent to have a giant’s strength! But it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.” – William Shakespeare
Headline: Eichmann Convicted – Los Angeles Mirror – 12/11/1961
Quote: “The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.” – Joseph Conrad
Headline: A Lonely Life Ends on Elvis Presley Boulevard – Memphis Press Scimtar – 08/17/1977
Quote: “It is loneliness that makes the loudest noise. This is true of men as of dogs.” – Eric Hoffer
Thank you for attention and interest.
Morris Brill
The time lag in news reporting, 1776…
June 18, 2009 by TimHughes · 6 Comments
Communication throughout the colonies in the 18th century was a slow process, particularly in winter. It took postriders a week to journey from New York to Boston, at least two days from Philadelphia to New York, and two weeks or more to the Southern states.
A good example of the slowness of mail delivery is revealed by an analysis of the printing of the Declaration of Independence in the various colonial newspapers. The first printing was in the Pennsylvania Evening Post of July 6. Three days later it appeared in Baltimore, and four days later in New York.
The list below gives some indication of the time lag distances required, but it should be remembered that the printing often had to await the proper day of the newspaper’s publications as many were just weekly while others were bi-weekly or tri-weekly, although a few of the papers published “extraordinary” issues.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE NEWSPAPER PRINTINGS
July 6 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Evening Post
July 8 Philadelphia, Dunlap’s Pennsylvania Packet
July 9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote
July 9 Baltimore, Dunlap’s Maryland Gazette
July 10 Baltimore, Maryland Journal
July 10 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Gazette
July 10 New York, Constitutional Gazette
July 11 New York Packet
July 11 New York Journal
July 11 Annap0lis, Maryland Gazette
July 12 New London, Connecticut Gazette
July 13 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ledger
July 13 Providence Gazette
July 15 New York Gazette
July 15 Hartford, Connecticut Courant
July 15 Norwich Packet
July 16 Exeter, New Hampshire Gazette, Extraordinary
July 16 Salem, American Gazette
July 17 Worcester, Massachusetts Spy
July 17 New Haven, Connecticut Journal
July 18 Boston, Continental Journal
July 18 Boston, New England Chronicle
July 18 Newport Mercury, Extraordinary
July 19 Newburyport, Essex Journal
July 19 Williamsburg, Virginia Gazette by Purdie (extract; in full July 26)
July 20 Williamsburg, Virginia Gazette by Dixon & Hunter
July 20 Portsmouth, Freeman’s Journal
July 22 Watertown, Boston Gazette
Aug. 2 Charleston, South Carolina & American General Gazette
Aug. 17 London, The London Chronicle
Videos regarding the hobby… Private Collections…
May 30, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Collecting rare and historic newspapers is a hobby with a personal flair. Although an individual may begin collecting random issues covering a wide variety of topics, eventually they typically settle on a specific area of interest. Perhaps it will be one of the war eras, the Old West era, or issues with Presidential signatures, acts, or addresses. One might derive pleasure from collecting Civil War battle prints or issues with decorative mastheads. Others may like to collect issues from each decade of the last few centuries or issues from each President’s administration. Yet another way to collect newspapers is to use them as a companion collectible for another area of collecting interest – images of sewing machines, inventions, railroading, early flight, dentistry, slave ads, from the year of each coin’s release within one’s collection, with a box score for each major baseball card held, etc. We’ve even known a number of collectors who have spent years focusing on a particular era (perhaps Civil War), who then migrate with a focus through time (perhaps moving on to the Revolutionary War and then Colonial eras). The possibilities are endless. In the end, one thing is for certain, like an heirloom violin, no two collections are exactly the same. Feel free to either share your areas of interest by commenting to this post or send us your collecting story (see more details below).
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers continues to maintain and add to their own private/personal collection. The focus has been on one-of-a-kind/rare titles and major historic events. Even what one considers to be historic is somewhat subjective. Below is a video which was done a number of years ago which features Tim showing some of the Private Collection. Please enjoy!
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If you would like to share your story of how you became interested in collecting rare and/or historic newspapers, e-mail it to guy@rarenewspapers.com and place “My Story” in the subject field. Although not necessary, feel free to include an image. Please do not include your e-mail address or a personal website as part of the text of your story. We will post collector stories every few weeks and will send you a notice when your story appears. Thank you for your contribution to the community.