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Announcing: Catalog #322 for September, 2022 – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
September 2, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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September’s catalog (#322) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
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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.]
If Only They Could Have Known… France Tackles the Panama Canal…
August 22, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
Today I happened upon a Frank Leslie’s Illustrated newspaper from February 14, 1880. On the front cover was a riveting image of Ferdinand Marie, Comte de Lesseps with his engineers in Panama right before the hard work to build the canal was to begin (see below). As I scanned the faces of the 23 men who joined him, I saw serious contemplation, enthusiasm, apprehension and perhaps a bit of excitement. What I didn’t see was horror, which is what seems to me was in the very near future. Even glancing through this quick summary from Wiki …
” After two years of surveys, work on the canal began in 1882. However, the technical difficulties of operating in the wet tropics dogged the project. Particularly disastrous were recurrent landslides into the excavations from the bordering water-saturated hills, and the death toll from malaria and yellow fever. In the end, insufficient financial capital and financial corruption ended the project. The Panama Canal Company declared itself bankrupt in December 1888 and entered liquidation in February 1889.”
… I walked away shuddering at the thought of what must have been a fearsome scene. It seems fitting that these brave men are enshrined on the cover of a Leslie’s. Hopefully, I won’t be the only one who pauses to take notice…andexplore.
Frederick Douglass – A true American hero…
August 15, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
I’m currently reading “The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass”, and I must say, although I have always appreciated his accomplishments and admired him for his perseverance and tenacity as he moved from slavery to freedom, and then on to being a passionate herald for the freedom and equal right of others, over the past few weeks my eyes have been opened to his astounding skills as both a writer and orator. The fact that his cause resonates deep within me makes this revelation even more satisfying.
The quote shown above is from the introduction penned by George L. Ruffin. I couldn’t help but smile upon reading his statement about the value of historic newspapers as primary source material. While I personally prefer the label “contextual-source material”, he certainly seems to grasp the point – and the fact that Douglass himself was a long-time publisher of what we now refer to as rare & early newspapers only adds to the statement’s relevance.
Considering much was also written about (and by) Frederick Douglass in the newspapers of his day, please forgive me if I indulge readers of this blog with related posts over the next few months. At my age, placing the quest to explore more about his life on the backburner would likely be tantamount to tossing it into the recycling bin. Therefore, there is no time like the present. Thanks in advance for your understanding. If anyone would like to contribute a post regarding his life and can tether it to a newspaper (or newspapers) from the past, please be in touch (guy@rarenewspapers.com).
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” – Historic Baseball Coverage…
August 12, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
One of the popular subsets of the Rare & Early Newspapers hobby is the collecting of historic baseball reports (as well as detailed coverage of favorite teams and players from the past). As of the writing of this post, more than 1,000 such issues were available for browsing and/or collecting at:
Baseball Reports and Headlines
One of our staff recently gathered a few issues together and created a one-minute video which we hope you will enjoy:
Snapshot 1822 – Before the last Mohican tugged at our heartstrings…
August 4, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
When one thinks of James Fenimore Cooper they no doubt think of his classic novel, “The Last of the Mohicans” – an extraordinarily compelling account (albeit fictional) of the attack on Fort William Henry during the French and Indian War. However, somewhat lost over time is his highly respected work from 5 years prior which brought him national attention and respect as an American novelist: “The Spy” (another work of historical fiction but set during the American Revolution). While still early in his career, the Feb. 2, 1922 Columbian Centinel had a nice report announcing its release and included a mention of “coming attractions”. It also made reference to his deceased father, a former New York State Judge and Senator. Although not mentioned in the article, the reading of it inspired me to do a little digging at which point I discovered his boyhood home was in the village of Cooperstown, New York, which had been named after his family.
Announcing: Catalog #321 (for August, 2022) – Rare & Early Newspapers for collectors…
July 29, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
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August’s catalog (#321) is now available. Also shown below are links to a video featuring highlights from the catalog, our currently discounted newspapers, and recent posts to the History’s Newsstand Blog. Please enjoy.
|
[The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days
upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.]
Mike Drop from 1886… Frederick Douglass Leaves Us All Stunned…
July 25, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
The phrase “mike drop” is a trendy phrase in 2022, however, none could hold a candle to Frederick Douglass‘ address to Congress in 1886/1887. The Atlantic Monthly from December 1886 & January 1887 carried his plea, and while I would like to have something to add to his words, I believe I’ll let a portion of his address speak for itself:
“The Principle of slavery, which [The Founding Fathers] tolerated under the erroneous impression that [slavery] would soon die out, became at last the dominant principle and power at the South. It early mastered the Constitution, became superior to the Union, and enthroned itself above the law. Freedom of speech and of the press it slowly but successfully banished from the South, dictated its own code of honor and manners to the nation, brandished the bludgeon and the bowie knife over Congressional debate, sapped the foundations of loyalty, dried up the springs of patriotism, blotted out the testimonies of the fathers against oppression, padlocked the pulpit, expelled liberty from its literature, invented nonsensical theories about master-races and slave-races of men, and in due season, produced a Rebellion fierce, foul, and bloody. This evil principle again seeks admission into our body politic. It comes now in shape of a denial of political rights to four million loyal colored people. The South does not now ask for slavery. It only asks for a large degraded caste, which shall have no political rights. This ends the case. Statesmen, beware what you do. The destiny of unborn and unnumbered generations is in your hands. Will you repeat the mistake of your fathers, who sinned ignorantly?”
Some may want to join me in picking our jaws up off of the floor as we stand in awe of a man who, as a former slave, (self) educated himself to such heights, ironically, using The Columbian Orator which was also used as a textbook by other familiar names: Ralph Waldo Emerson (philosopher/poet), Harriet Beecher Stowe (author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin), and Horace Greely (editor/publisher of the New York Tribune) to name a few.
A Fly on the Wall… The Birth of a State….
July 22, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
This is the second in the series… “A Fly on the Wall”.
It recently occurred to me that those of us at Rare & Early Newspapers have the unique opportunity to view the passage of time through the abundance of historical reports found within our extensive inventory. One case in point: In 1876 Colorado achieved Statehood, and like all of America’s states, its citizens had done much work, achieved lofty goals, and covered extensive ground before their adoption into the United States of America. The following issue of THE WEEKLY ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, Denver, Colorado, Nov. 15, 1865, is a sneak peek into Colorado Territory years before its big day of adoption. It would have been fun to be a fly on the wall during the proceedings which marked its statehood birth.
While the newspaper shown below is the earliest Colorado newspaper we currently have on hand, each issue covering a territory’s journey to statehood gives a fascinating look into the hearts and minds of those who formed the backbone of this great country.
Collateral Damage – Yosemite Valley’s Little Sister…
July 8, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
One of the many joys inspired by collecting (and reading) old/historic newspapers is the knowledge gained by investigating/exploring decades and even centuries old articles about things which were noteworthy in their day but are unbeknownst to the average reader of today. Such is the case with an article I recently found within the November 25, 1882 issue of The Washington World (D.C.).
The worst non-weather-related tragedy in the history of the United States remains the San Fransico Earthquake/Fire of 1906. The devastation was unimaginable – over 3,000 people perished and greater than 80% of San Fransico was destroyed. The direct and collateral impact are still felt to this day. One such case of the latter is the ongoing battle over Yosemite Valley’s little sister.
Positioned slightly to the north of Yosemite National Park is the Hetch Hetchy Valley. While not as expansive, and with somewhat less than Ansel-Adams-esque views, its beauty was breathtaking – the operating word being “was”. If one were to view the valley today, heartbreaking would be the more accurate description. Instead of the serene beauty that touched the souls of John Muir, Willaim Keith, Albert Bierstadt, and a host of others, today one would see a nearly empty mud-hole resulting from a nearly dry reservoir. Yuck!
But why a reservoir? In response to the 1906 earthquake and resulting fire, the need for a better water-source for the San Fransico Bay region was obvious. After years of battling with the Sierra Club and likeminded naturalists, in 1913 a Congress passed legislation naming the Tuolumne River as “the solution” and authorized a dam to be built in order to create a reservoir for the needed water-supply. In 1923 the O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed and the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was born. While there continue to be calls to remove the dam, the collateral damage has been done, and reclaiming that which has long-since been washed away by decades of emersion seems highly unlikely if not impossible.
Happy Independence Day – Contrasting Celebrations…
July 4, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The July 11, 1868 issue of Harper’s Weekly contained prints by two notable illustrators – intentionally included to contrast typical 4th of July celebrations in the rural south (Thomas Worth) with those held in northern cities (Winslow Homer). Their diversity reminded me that we can have profound differences while maintaining our bonds of common citizenry. The Revolutionary War was fought for freedom. Today we fight to maintain that freedom. While our diversity in many ways has widened over the past few decades, this new battle is no less noble – and one which calls for unity of purpose. Hopefully we will heed the call. Happy 4th!
