The Continuation of a Genre… The American West Still Keeps Giving…
April 28, 2025 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Yesterday, I heard a podcast discussing the growth-arc a genre typically takes over the course of time. In this podcaster’s opinion, when a movie/TV genre begins to produce shows which are a parody of their kind, the sunset for this genre has arrived. As an example, the speaker discussed superhero movies, and although some might argue with their analysis, there seems to be a decline in quality and enthusiasm for these sorts of movies. Later in the day, as I was looking through our archives, my attention was caught by an issue of THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH from Arizona, October 31, 1880, and my mind quickly went to thoughts of the many great Westerns I’ve viewed over the decades including the 1993 blockbuster: TOMBSTONE, which told of the well-storied shoot-out at the OK Corral. In fact, from John Wayne in True Grit… Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday… to today’s hit show Yellowstone and its endless spinoff’s, unlike superhero movies, the western is still alive and well and nowhere near its final curtain-call no matter how many cowboys and their trusty steads slowly ride into the sunset.

Announcing: Catalog #353 for April, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
March 28, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Announcing: Catalog #352 for March 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
February 28, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
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Snapshot 1871 – Yosemite Edition…
February 10, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Snapshot 1871…
Well, perhaps technically not a snapshot, but certainly an 1870’s version of such – an amazing woodcut illustration of one of my wife’s and my favorite places to visit:

Sandwiched at the midpoint of the timeline between the Mariposa War and when Yosemite National Park was established, this 1871 print of the Yosemite Valley captures the essence of its unspoiled grandeur. To read the corresponding article written by one who had just recently explored the region, go to:
“The Cub”, November, 1871
This publication describes itself as: “An Amateur Journal devoted to the interests of Boys and Girls”. As I tried to place myself in the shoes of a 19th century boy reading the article after viewing the illustration, I was reminded of the 1st time my wife and I beheld the valley for the 1st time. Standing from a perch atop Glacier Point – a location which enables one to drink in much of the Yosemite Valley in one visual snapshot, my childlike wonder came bursting forth from some long-buried place within, and my spirit cried out in praise to the One who created such things merely for our pleasure. What a memory!
Announcing: Catalog #351 for February 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
January 31, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
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Announcing: Catalog #350 for January, 2025 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
January 3, 2025 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
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Announcing: Catalog #349 for December, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
November 29, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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Announcing: Catalog #348 for November, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
November 1, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The November catalog (#348) is now available. Shown below are links to various segments of the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
1) Catalog #348 (for November): This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of over 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Lincoln’s famous ‘House Divided’ speech, a significant ‘pillar cartoon’: the Constitution is in effect, the death of Benjamin Franklin, a rare political cartoon on the Boston Port Bill, the King declares Americans free & independent, and more.
The following links are designed to help you explore all available items from this latest edition of our catalog:
- The Complete November Catalog (includes wholesale lots and ongoing listings)
1500-1799 (full view OR quick-scan/compact view)
1800-1899 (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
1900-Present (full view OR quick-scan/compact” view)
- Combined Catalogs (November’s, w/ remnants of the previous)
- PDF Version of the November Catalog
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DISCOUNTED ISSUES – What remains of last month’s discounted issues may be viewed at: Discount (select items at 50% off)
HISTORY’S NEWSSTAND – Recent Posts on the History’s Newsstand Blog may be accessed at: History’s Newsstand
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Announcing: Catalog #347 for October, 2024 – Rare & Early Newspapers…
September 27, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
“Just a Moment Before”… The Wild West is Romanticized…
September 2, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment

Our lives are filled with “Just a Moment Before” instances – the brief seconds, minutes, or day right before we hear either good or bad news which changes our lives forever. From dramatic events to small, nuanced changes, our life’s path is littered with turning points. On July 26, 1881, a newspaper editor set about his daily work of printing the day’s news in THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH, without any inkling of what he would be printing exactly 3 months later.
“Few could argue for a more recognizable title from the Old West, nor could any town be more linked to the romance of the West than this one. Tombstone is steeped in Western lore, and the several movies done concerning the gunfight at the O.K. Corral have kept this town in popular culture.” ~ Tim Hughes
But on this July day, the editor only gave brief mention to the Earp brothers, with a page 3 legal notice for a mining claim beginning: “United States Land Office…Notice is hereby given that Robert J. Winders for himself and his co-claimants, Virgil W. Earp, Wyatt [misspelled at Eyatt] S. Earp, and James C. Earp, whose post office address is Tombstone, Cochise county…”
Little did he know that just 3 short months later he would be printing a defining moment in the epic drama of the United States’ Wild West era.





January’s