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The reason I collected it: with an eye-witness account of the invasion…
September 23, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
In some situations, the person from whom a newspaper is purchased adds a bit of flavor to the issue. Such is the case with the LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE newspaper of Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic), dated Aug. 21, 1968.
This issue is from this historic day of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Warsaw Pact member countries, except Romania and Albania, were led by the Soviet Union to repress the reforms being pressed by the Czech people through the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the capital, Prague, on August 21. The invasion, chiefly by infantry and tanks, effectively suppressed any further attempts at reform. The military occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Red Army would not end until 1991.
The banner headline (translated) pleads: “To All The People of Czechoslovakia! Keep Calm and Balanced !“
But it’s the accompanying typewritten letter from the collector-friend that enhances the value. A few portions of his letter include: “I lived this momentous event as I heard the Russian planes on the night of August 20, 1968 as I couldn’t sleep due to the heat… drove to the city center to the radio building…There I saw dozens of Soviet tanks and masses of soldiers and people. No Czech soldiers or police! I snatched up some of these papers as they were handed out by speedy taxis and autos. Also dropped from windows…it was extremely dangerous…there was much confusion as you can imagine…Luckily, the ‘LIDOVA DEMOKRACIE’ is on the day of the invasion and proclaims the Warsaw Pact nations of the USSR, Hungary, GDR, East Germany, Bulgaria and Poland have invaded Czechoslovakia…”.
We missed it – Nellie Bly edition…
September 20, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
No matter how hard our staff at Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers tries not to, inevitably we occasionally miss gems buried within the collectible newspapers we offer. Dozens of issues of the New York Tribune left our premises with undiscovered (unsigned) articles by Karl Marx. A real heartbreak was missing one of the first (1st?) published articles by a journalist with the initials S.C. Unfortunately, we were unable to get in touch with the recipient of the newspaper, but we sure hope they discovered this precious, early work from Mark Twain. Today we are aware that many of the issues of The Village Voice which pass through our hands have a good chance of containing an ad for one of the very first appearances of an iconic musician or band. As they say, “it is what it is”. What is it? One of special pleasures of the hobby: discovering unidentified treasures within the pages of old, rare, and historic newspapers.
We’ve mentioned this before, so why bring it up now? IT HAPPENED AGAIN!
Not too long ago a collector-friend mentioned they had an issue of The World (Pulitzer’s paper from New York) which contained a puzzle-game based on journalist Nellie Bly’s “Round the World” trip. The (New York) World followed her travels during her glorious excursion and printed the full-page puzzle soon after she returned home. The collector told us the date, and we immediately checked our database to see if we had a monthly volume of The World which spanned the date of the issue. We did. Next, we checked to see if our records revealed a previous sale for the issue? No! So, armed with great enthusiasm we headed off to the archives with anticipation. The volume was about 18 feet off the ground and buried under 5 other volumes (which is always a bit tricky when our feet are not firmly planted on the ground). Still within about 15 minutes from start to finish we were confronted by our worst-case scenario. The volume was present, but the issue was gone. It had very likely sold as a “birthday newspaper” (issues sold primarily to be used to give as gifts to recipients which highlight they day they were born). Bummer.
One may wonder how we could we have missed something so large… and so precious. Actually, it was as easy as 1, 2, 3 (or if you prefer, a, b, c):
- (a) We had no idea such an item existed, so we weren’t looking for it.
- (b) The sale probably took place prior to the ramp-up of the internet, so we didn’t have the capacity to make even a generalized search for content.
- (c) We would have been reluctant to page through the issue looking for special items since many newspapers from this era are rather brittle – and the puzzle-game was on an inside page.
Does this upset us? Not really. This aspect is one of the traits which make this collectible so rewarding.
Note: You can read more about Nellie Bly here and find a free downloadable high-resolution digital print of the puzzle here. 
Leading up to the Political Season… Late 1800’s Edition…
August 26, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Here it comes – at about this same time on a 4-year rotating basis… the autumn media ramp-up to our presidential election. Although it can seem a bit overwhelming at times – like a tsunami of ads and interviews, I thought it might be fun to look to the past at a more humorous version of political culture and embrace the comedy and satire that accompanied the mid-to-late 1800’s press. So, feel free to join me as I peruse Puck and Judge Magazines – not to mention the endless stream of Harper’s Weekly Nast Cartoons. We could all use a chuckle right about now.
The reason I collected it: Ai Anglo Sacsun…
August 19, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes stepping outside the normal categories of historic, rare, or early when it comes to collecting newspapers can turn up some intriguing items. The odd, strange, unusual, and outright bizarre can be attractive additions as well.
The Ai Anglo Sacsun fits that bill.
This newspaper attempted to exploit a movement to spell words phonetically, just as they sounded. So their motto in the dateline is: “Devoted Tu Ai Difyushun ov Nolej and Nuz, Tru Ai Medium of Fonotipi, or the Tru System ov Spelin Wurdz As Iz, Just Az ae are Pronnst.” (difficult to translate as they use some characters not in the traditional alphabet. Their alphabet is found on page 3).
The entire issue has various articles spelled phonetically, making it difficult to read. Otherwise the layout is much like other newspapers of the era, with a very decorative masthead.
Obviously a movement that never caught on. Yet it produced a fascinating newspaper worthy of collecting.
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words… The Beginning of a Series…
August 12, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
On March 22, 2021, I created a post titled, “A Picture paints a Thousand Words”. Using that post as a jumping off point, today begins a series of the same name. Of course, by calling this a “series”, the pressure is on to (somewhat) regularly find front pages worthy of this age-old adage. However, here I go…
There are issues we come across in the Rare Newspapers Archives in which the image on the front page stops us dead in our tracks. The event may be new to us or a historical event of which we’re familiar. However, regardless of the category the images fall into, their impact gives us cause us to stop and contemplate what is before us. Sometimes the pause brings a smile… sometimes it brings a chill. Either way, these newspapers (often front pages) were able to capture the entirety of the impact the journalist and publishers hoped for with just an illustration or photo.
My 1st choice to kick off this series is a bit of an obvious one. As a hint, this event brought forth the dramatic statement of, “Oh, the humanity!” and was captured in THE EVENING BULLETIN, May 7, 1937.
The reason I collected it: The Spirit of ’76…
July 29, 2024 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I have always been intrigued by newspapers with unusual, huge, patriotic, or simply beautiful mastheads. They always make for very displayable items.
This issue from New York, dated September 3, 1835, certainly fits the patriotic category and was added to the private collection for that reason. It features a heraldic eagle with a 7 1/2 inch wingspan, a scroll reading “The Spirit of ’76” in its beak, the US. flag in its talons, and a small portrait of George Washington.
A quite rare title as this is the only issue we have located in our approx. half-century of collecting. It appears to have lasted for just one year, this being the volume 1, number 113 issue. I only wish we had hundreds more!
Since History Often Repeats Itself, the Past Can be an Excellent Teacher…
July 22, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Why does the saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, ring true? Perhaps it’s because of another saying, “History repeats itself”. We see this tandem of truths play out over-and-over again as we look through historic newspapers and see the headlines of today emblazed on the old worn pages of yesteryear. Below is a vivid example of this truth as shown in a FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED, New York, Oct. 10, 1885. When compared side by side with a BBC article from 130+ years later, we can see the waves of history crash on the beach of time in the same way and with a similar impact on humanity. If we hope to see the storms of the future coming in time to make ready, perhaps we should study the past a bit more closely.
The July (2024) Newsletter from Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers…
July 19, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Don’t try this at home. . . or ANYWHERE for that matter!
July 15, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
We have all heard various versions of, “Kids, Don’t try this at home!”, including in 1966 when Batman and Robin (Adam West and Burt Ward) told us, “Remember kids, Batman can’t fly.”
Perhaps Ben Franklin should have penned “Don’t try this at home. . . or anywhere” shortly after he successfully completed his famous lightning/kite experiment. If he had thought this through, we may never have had his follow-up letter describing copycat deaths printed in…
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OR UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE, September 1790.
Thankfully he survived his own efforts in 1752.
So, just in case you missed the memo, remember kids, Batman can’t fly… or catch lightning, and neither can you!
Sometimes you just know what it means – The Spirit of ’76…
July 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · 2 Comments
Sometimes you hear a word or a phrase and even though you can’t clearly give a written definition, you just have a gut feeling of what it means. Earlier today, when I was looking at a Picture and Magazine section from a Chicago Sunday Tribune, July 4, 1926, I breezed by the caption of the front-page image… The Spirit of ’76. After a moment, I found my mind wasn’t so much thinking of what that phrase meant, but instead, I was struck by the emotions which had been stirred… pride (in a good way as my mother would say), determination & a deep sense of purpose. Wanting to see if the phrase, “The Spirit of ’76” had a clear definition, I went to Wikipedia and found the following…
“The Spirit of ’76 is a sentiment explored by Thomas Jefferson. According to the text published at Monticello, “The principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence promised to lead America—and other nations on the globe—into a new era of freedom. The revolution begun by Americans on July 4, 1776, would never end. It would inspire all peoples living under the burden of oppression and ignorance to open their eyes to the rights of mankind, to overturn the power of tyrants, and to declare the triumph of equality over inequality.”
Thomas Jewett wrote that at the time of the American Revolution, there was “an intangible something that is known as the ‘Spirit of ’76.’ This spirit was personified by the beliefs and actions of that almost mythical group known as the Founding Fathers and is perhaps best exemplified by Thomas Jefferson.”
Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress believed the Spirit of ’76 “included the ‘self-evident’ truths of being ‘created equal’ and being ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ including ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'” ~ Wiki
Hmmmm… “an intangible something”. I would agree this spirit is hard to completely capture with words, but it can certainly be understood with a feeling, a picture, or a flag, and it is certainly a “spirit” we need in abundance today.