“The Semi-Weekly Argus” of Port Townsend, Washington Territory, July 7, 1873, might seem like an ordinary issue with typical content of the day. However the most intriguing aspect of the edition is not the data nor its content; it’s the paper upon which it is printed. It is yellow. On rare occasions, newspaper publishers had to deviate from the traditional newsprint with which we are familiar, when necessity required an alternative. In such situations “necessity paper” was used, the term for whenever an issue was printed on anything non-traditional. Given Port Townsend’s relative remoteness in the Northwest, I would suspect supply routes were often questionable a best, particularly with this date being 16 years before statehood. We have encountered newspapers printed on paper with a wide assortment of colors, as well as wrapping paper, cornhusk paper, wallpaper, lined notebook paper. tissue paper, etc. Such editions were typically very short-lived, perhaps a few days at best, until supply chains could be re-established. Here is a great example of the use of “necessity paper” and a visually prominent addition to any collection.
The July catalog (#332) 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.
CATALOG #332 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Washington is elected President, eye-witness accounts of Lexington & Concord, Washington elected President of the Constitutional Convention, Phillis Wheatley poem and biography, rare newsbook from 1660, John Wilkes Booth performs at Ford’s Theater, and more.
The June catalog (#331) 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.
CATALOG #331 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: a ‘Constitutional Gazette’ (the most rare Revolutionary War title we’ve offered), a ‘Frederick Douglass’ Paper’ (previously titled ‘The North Star’), Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown (two accounts), Battle of Gettysburg (in a Richmond newspaper), a London newsbook dated 1648, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and more.
The May catalog (#330) 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.
CATALOG #330 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: a German newsbook dated 1566, “Causes & Necessity Of Taking Up Arms”, “The Royal Gazette” from New York (1783), a great display issue on Lincoln’s assassination, “The Tombstone Epitaph” from the Wild West, Washington crosses the Delaware (in his own words), Monitor vs. Merrimac in a South Carolina newspaper, an extremely rare title from Dakota Territory, 868 mention of a baseball game with female players, a rare mention of the “Mormon Battalion”, and more.
The April catalog (#329) 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.
CATALOG #329 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: John Peter Zenger’s ‘New York Weekly Journal’, a report on Billy the Kid’s death, a Newsbook printed in 1643, an ‘Oxford Gazette’ from 1665, Lincoln’s famous Cooper Union speech, creating the modern Marine Corps, the historic Funding Act of 1790, America’s first war (i.e., ‘King Philip’s War’), Washington’s 1790 state-of-the-union address, exploiting the Titanic disaster, the atomic bomb wipes our Hiroshima, and more.
Did you know, starting with George Washington and lasting through much of the 20th century, most newspapers printed the entire text of each President’s Annual Message (State of the Union Address)? Although in some cases only excerpts were given, including the full text was the common practice, and would often take a page or more to print. One of the benefits of this practice was that it enabled newspaper recipients to read the President’s message in-line with a bit of editorial commentary, and then see how people reacted by reading related reports and letters to the editor over the course of the next several days (or more).
Although these issues are very popular with collectors, we (RareNewspapers.com) are always on the hunt for more to offer. Our current inventory may be viewed at:
The addresses have been arranged in chronological order so even if you do not wish or are unable to add any to your collection, you can still enjoy reading portions through the images and descriptions to capture the progression of Presidential thought through time.
*The link contains newspapers with both S.O.U.’s and follow-up reporting.
A parade, a fire, a discovery, a flood, a celebration, and more… St. Patrick’s Day since the mid-1800’s has certainly been newsworthy. Feel free to browse the link below to view more than a dozen issues with St. Patrick’s Day themed reports. Enjoy!
The March catalog (#328) 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.
CATALOG #328 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: Babe Ruth’s famous ‘called shot’ home run, the ‘Boston Newsletter’ from 1740, a displayable issue on Lincoln’s assassination, a 1775 ‘Virginia Gazette’ from Williamsburg, Washington proclaims an end to hostilities in the Revolutionary War, 1776 document signed by future Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, the Hindenburg explosion, Abraham Lincoln’s last public speech & last proclamation, perhaps the earliest baseball song every written (1856), and more.
February’s catalog (#327) 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.
CATALOG #327 – This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes the following noteworthy issues: the desired segmented snake masthead (1774), the Gettysburg Address (on the front page), the best of the Pearl Harbor newspapers, extremely graphic newspaper on Lincoln’s funeral, a ‘Newsbook’ from the English Civil War (1643), perhaps the best baseball print in any periodical, and more.
The July catalog (#332) 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.
Did you know, starting with George Washington and lasting through much of the 20th century, most newspapers printed the entire text of each President’s Annual Message (State of the Union Address)? Although in some cases only excerpts were given, including the full text was the common practice, and would often take a page or more to print. One of the benefits of this practice was that it enabled newspaper recipients to read the President’s message in-line with a bit of editorial commentary, and then see how people reacted by reading related reports and letters to the editor over the course of the next several days (or more).
The March catalog (#328) 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.
February’s catalog (#327) 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.