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One newspaper, nine cities…
December 27, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Memphis Daily Appeal” newspaper was one with a fascinating history during the years of the Civil War. Memphis was a Confederate stronghold up through the Battle of Memphis on June 6, 1862, at which time the Yankees moved in and it became a Yankee city. The “Appeal“, very much dedicated to the Southern cause rallying both civilians & soldiers, was the most important newspaper of the region & was soon famously known as the “Moving Appeal.”
On June 6, 1862, the presses and plates were loaded into a boxcar and moved to Grenada, Mississippi, where it stayed for a few months until approaching Federal troops threatened again, forcing a move in November 1862 to Jackson, Mississippi, where it published until May 1863, when Federal troops again arrived. By this time, the “Appeal” had gained notoriety among Union forces as a rebel sympathizer while it remained on the run. The next stop was Meridian, Mississippi, from where, one issue and two days later, the wandering journalists moved on to Mobile, Alabama, then to Montgomery, and ultimately to Atlanta, the economic heart of the Confederacy. Publication from Atlanta began in June 1863 and continued through July 1864, when it returned to Montgomery, where it published from September 1864 to April 1865. Its final move was to Columbus, Georgia, where Federal forces finally caught up with it. It resumed publication following the war in Memphis on November 5, 1865. During just a four year period this newspaper published in nine different cities. (credit: Tennessee State Library & Archives)
What could have been…
December 13, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
One might wonder how some significant events in history might have been responded to had reaction been different from what the history books note. During the Civil war the “Albany Atlas” decided to fool with history a bit following the Emancipation Proclamation, and supposed a “Counter Proclamation” by the Confederate President, Jeff Davis. The article shown–which appeared in the Confederate newspaper “Memphis Daily Appeal” of January 23, 1863 (while printing in Jackson, Mississippi at the time)–makes for some interesting reading on what could have happened in history (see below).
What could happen to a rumor…
December 9, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
“The Daily Journal” newspaper of August 20, 1861 from Wilmington, North Carolina, a Confederate publication, printed an interesting series of dispatches of a fictitious assassination attempt upon President Lincoln (see below). They provide an interesting perspective on how a dramatic event could be much less so once more trustworthy news reports found their way to the press.
The reliability of news reports was a big problem in the 18th & 19th centuries during the pre-telegraph, pre-wire service days when word of mouth was often the source of what made it into the newspaper. This somewhat comical piece illustrates a quandary likely dealt with by most newspaper publishers of the day.
General Butler… “The Beast”…
December 2, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Editorials in Confederate newspapers are always interesting reading–as are many of those from the North–as there is much bias skewed in favor of those reading the newspaper. The Jan. 12, 1865 issue of the “Richmond Examiner” contains a rabidly anti-Butler editorial, even managing to interject his nickname in the South: “The Beast”. This one is worth sharing for all to read:
Minister needed to be clever to say only nice things…
November 6, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This interesting report In the “Richmond Examiner” issue of August 27, 1864 shows some creativity by the preacher:
Prices realized… 19th century…
September 20, 2010 by GuyHeilenman · 5 Comments
This post is the 3rd installment of a series dedicated to exploring actual sale prices of historic newspapers from various periods of time. Below please find a few selections from the 19th century.
Note: If you have an issue of your own you’re trying to price, one trick/strategy is to go to the “advanced” search engine at www.rarenewspapers.com (see top left of window), enter a 2 week range of dates (one week prior to your issue’s date to one week after), and view the results. This will give you comparable issues (if available) to help you in establishing a reasonable price for your issue. Make certain to take into consideration your issues title, city of location, proximity to the location where the event (key content) occurred, condition, displayability, proximity of issue’s date to the date the key event occurred, etc.
19th century selections:
The best Lincoln Assassination issue to be had… THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 15, 1865 ($2,800, 2009)
Wallpaper issue! THE OPELOUSAS COURIER, Louisiana., Apr. 4, 1863 ($2,650, 2006)
The previous posts in this series are:
Prices realized… 16th & 17th centuries…
Prices realized… 18th century…
Non-compassionate approach to advertising…
July 24, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This ad is from the “Daily Delta” of New Orleans, March 29, 1861. The advertiser chose a hard-line approach to selling his product, claiming one is: “…laying the foundation stone for an early grave by your obstinacy and stupidity.”
Yes, he’s dead again (but not really)…
March 13, 2010 by TimHughes · 1 Comment
Given that newspaper reporting from the 18th and 19th centuries was as much hearsay as factual, it was not uncommon for many reports to be refuted in the same newspaper a few days later. This included deaths as well. I suspect all of us collectors have found false reports deaths of someone notable.
The “New York Tribune” was not immune to this problem, and even seemed to make light of it in their front page headlines when they reported the Battle of Antietam in their Sept. 20, 1862 issue. Among the heads is “Stonewall Jackson Dead Again” (see photo). But they only rubbed salt in their own wound—he (Stonewall Jackson) actually didn’t die until seven months later, the result of being shot at the battle of Chancellorsville (by one of his own soldiers).
A related collectible…
January 14, 2010 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Newspapers were subscribed to for almost as long as they existed, and if subscriptions existed so did subscription receipts and notices. But rarely did they survive the years as they were truly ephemeral–never meant to be kept beyond the length of the subscription.
Typically they were just small slips of paper, usually part-printed & part manuscript, with the subscriber’s name & length of subscription penned in. The subscription notice in the photo for the “Charleston Mercury” is larger and more detailed than most (thanks to collector Doug Owen for providing).
Such items are an interesting related collectible, particularly if one can find a newspaper to match a receipt.
19th century newspapers… revisited…
December 26, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
Over the past three weeks Timothy Hughes has explored his thoughts concerning what he believes to be the top ten newspapers from each of the pre-18th, 18th, and 19 centuries (see below), the most recent being the latter. Some of his thoughts concerning the 1800’s historic newspapers were captured in the following video:
Collecting authentic rare and historic newspapers from the 1800’s can be exciting, rewarding and surprisingly affordable. Daily newspaper reports of America’s tumultuous 19th Century included first hand accounts of historic turning-points like….. the Louisiana Purchase…the Civil War…and Spanish-American conflict. As cries of “manifest destiny” signaled America’s unbridled expansion west, newspapers became a crucial link for a people suddenly united in a common quest that would set their young nation on a course of unprecedented and historic prosperity.
There are many sought after “holy grails” from the 19th century, including: o President Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination o Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address o Battle of the Alamo o Deaths of Jessie James and Billy the Kid o Issue from Tombstone Arizona (Tombstone Epitaph) o Winslow Homer’s “Snap the Whip”
Of course, select accounts of the most historic & desired events of 19th century America are available for premium prices.
However, a wealth of fascinating original newspapers from the vast inventory of Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers are available for much less…often as little as $30 – $50. These include first-hand news from the War of 1812, Yankee & Confederate Civil War battle reports, slave ads from the South, the California Gold Rush with outlaw & Indian battle accounts, the Mormon migration to Utah and fascinating reports of when baseball was in its infancy.
The “Old West” and America’s westward expansion are represented in genuine newspapers from California, Utah, Nevada, Montana, and Arizona. You’ll also find affordable issues from the illustrated press which graphically documented every aspect of 19th century America in the pages of Harper’s Weekly, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated, Gleason’s, Ballou’s, and The London Illustrated News.
Whether your interest is in the War of 1812, westward expansion and the gold rush, the Civil War, and/or the Wild West, 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 newspapers make this possible. Please enjoy the hobby.
Top ten newspapers: 16th and 17th centuries…
Top ten newspapers: 18th century…
Top ten newspapers: 19th century…