One Hit Wonders Can Still Pack an Emotional Punch…

May 10, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Today I was doing some research  for a customer. This particular customer loves to collect obituaries from music and film stars of a bygone era. As I worked through his want list, I came upon a singer named Bobby Fuller. Unlike other stars on this want list, I had never heard of Bobby… or so I thought. Upon further research I discovered he was a “1 hit wonder” from 1966 and had released the song, “I Fought the Law and the Law Won”. As soon as I saw the title, a big smile formed. I am not sure where I had 1st heard the song…  after all, I would have only been 2 on it’s release date however, somewhere in my earliest memories my parents must have played it  or I heard it on a passing radio station. However it happened, the song left an indelible imprint on my young mind and those happy feelings came flooding back. I grabbed my i-phone and quickly brought up the song on my Spotify account and for a few moments was transformed to a simpler time. I am sure I’m not the only one who spent time growing up listening to music with their parents or watching old movies with their Mam Maw. For those of you who delight in those old memories as much as I do, here is a quick search of some of the issues we have with Stars of Past. Feel free to peruse my list or start a personal favorites search to create your own.

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Filed under: Death Reports, Great Headlines, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Collectible Community
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The Gentleman’s Magazine & Bankruptcy…

May 8, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Under the illustration of St. John’s Gate that introduces each issue of the Gentleman’s Magazine, is the month and year, followed by the table of contents (each issue via the link will show an image of this – typically the last image posted).  For the first time, I noticed the calligraphy that follows “CONTAINING” and precedes the article headings and their corresponding page numbers.  “More in Quantity and greater Variety than any Book of the Kind and Price.”  While I have nothing to compare it to, I can attest that of the thirty-seven distinct articles listed for March of 1782, the subject matter ranges from Parliamentary debates to a Swiss underground road, and includes bull-baiting and the wool trade along the way.  The regular coverage of weather, news from around the world, births and marriages and deaths, trials, and literary reviews is fit in around the special bits.

In particular, my interest was caught by “Usual Causes of Bankruptcy, Caution against — ” and turned to page 138 to read.

In all ages there have been men, who, by sudden losses, by entering into indiscreet obligations, by improvident conduct, or through fraudulent designs, have become, or pretended to become, incompetent to the discharges of their just debts; but the number of bankrupts which now appear in every Gazette is a subject of serious and alarming consideration.

Along with the obvious financial harm that can be caused by frivolous living and participation in gambling, the author addresses the lack of care and foresight that must be viewed as the social responsibility of every gentleman, in order to enable him to properly discharge his debts and contribute to the public funds by means of taxes.  He recommends annual reflection for the purpose of seeing areas of weakness in funding, and to not allow debts to unknowingly pile up beyond the ability to repay.  Then, he maintains, steps toward frugality can be made in enough time to avert distress.  Finally, he offers as example the late Sir Stephen Theodore Janssen who he terms a “virtuous citizen.”  He records the words of Sir Stephen, addressed to the Livery, as he deems them of value to the general population.  The speech concludes in this way:

I do further declare that it is my determined resolution to continue living in the same frugal manner, till the last shilling is discharged; and in case any turn of fortune should happen to me, my whole just debts shall be discharged so much the sooner, as I am determined to persevere in preserving the character of an honest man.

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Filed under: Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Revolutionary War, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1700's
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Many Thanks to Give…

May 3, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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My family often jokes with me (maybe about me ) when they say, “she can use Disney World as an example for anything.”  They aren’t wrong and have accurately pegged me as a bit of a Disney fanatic.  I won’t bore you with all the reasons I have for loving this place but I will tell you how it came to mind today as I was perusing an issue published by Frederick Douglass.  For those of you who have visited Disney World or more specifically Epcot, I hope you have experienced Spaceship Earth.  I never tire of riding this attraction and hearing Dame Judy Dench recount mankind’s history of communication to me as I gaze at the vignettes on each side of  my “time machine”.  At one point, she is describing how, since the invention of papyrus, knowledge is able to be kept and shared more easily and so civilization advances more rapidly until …

“Rome falls, and the great Library of Alexandria in Egypt is burned. Much of our learning is destroyed—lost forever… or so we think. It turns out there are copies of some of these books in the libraries of the Middle East, being watched over by Arab and Jewish scholars. Call it the first backup system. The books are saved, and with them our dreams of the future.”

I get shivers every time I hear those words… so much knowledge… so much history… so many pages.  Just now, as I pause to admire this precious Frederick Douglass paper lying on my desk, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people we, the collectors of historic newspapers, have to thank for watching over the issues that later end up in our hands.  Precious treasures of knowledge and history handed off to us, if even for a moment, to guard for future generations.

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Filed under: Civil War, Food for Thought, The Collectible Community, The Hobby
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Announcing: Catalog #306 (for May, 2021) is now available…

April 30, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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http://images.rarenewspapers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/ebayimgs/Webs/Catalog-Rare-Newspapers.jpg

Catalog 306 (for May) is now available. This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes: the Declaration of Independence (in a newspaper), the Lincoln/Douglas debate (in an Illinois newspaper), the ‘closest’ to the famous Nathan Hale quote to be found, one of the best Lusitania issues we have offered, Washington’s third state-of-the-union address, the first depiction of a baseball game in progress in any periodical, and more.

 

The following links are designed to help you explore this latest edition of our catalog:

 

Don’t forget about this month’s DISCOUNTED ISSUES.

The links above will redirect to the latest catalog in approx. 30 days,

upon which time it will update to the most recent catalog.

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Filed under: Announcements, Catalog Release Announcements, Civil War, Collecting Newspapers, Colonial, Confederate, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Old West Era, Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, Revolutionary War, Sports, The 1500's, The 1500's - 1700's, The 1600's, The 1700's, The 19th Century, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Hobby, The War of 1812, Yankee
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I Would Love to Have Them All…

April 22, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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As you can imagine, working here at the RareNewspapers office can be a bit like a kid working in a candy shop.  Almost daily I push the thought, “Maybe I should buy this one for myself”, to the back of my mind. Sometimes it is because of the historic impact of the content I am seeing and the deep desire to personally protect it for posterity.  Sometimes it is because the issue triggers a fond memory and whisks me away to another day.  Last week this thought would not stay in the back of my mind but continued to crash to the forefront over and over.  Finally, with my many rationalizations in hand, I pulled out my credit card and purchased the issue.  Feelings of nostalgia of a simpler by gone era washed over me as I paged through my new treasure.  This treasure is mine however, if you are ever drawn to that same simpler time, we here at the RareNewspapers office have other options for you to consider.  There is truly something for everyone.  I may have been drawn to the vintage ads, drawings, paper dolls and old stories, but there is so much more.  Take a moment to step back in time.  Sometimes those brief moments are all that are needed to add a bit of perspective to the “thoroughly modern” life we currently live.

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Filed under: The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Collectible Community, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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The April (2021) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…

April 19, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers

Welcome to the September 2020 edition of our monthly newsletter. This month we’d like to bring your attention to the following:

An Expanded Set of Discounted Newspapers – 50% Off

Approximately 150 historic newspapers have been discounted by 50%. The prices shown reflect the discount. Included are:  Thomas Nast Santa illustrations, 19th century western Colorado, assassination of Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, the Rosenbergs found guilty, Babe Ruth’s last homerun as a Yankee, Nadia Comaneci scores a perfect 10, Bing Crosby’s death, and more.

New Items Added to January’s Catalog

Since Catalog 302 went to print we’ve added approximately 50 additional items. Some of the topics/issues include: a mid-1700’s map of Eastern Canada, Convicts shipped off to America and Oglethorpe before the founding Georgia in the same issue, several different rare Confederate newspapers, George Washington rejects an honor and the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in the same American issue, a Philip Burke caricature of Donald Trump, and more.

Catalog 302

Speaking of the catalog, some links which you may find useful include:
Key Issues from Catalog 302
Catalog 302 (in “Quick Scan” format)
Catalog 302 – Priced under $50

 

History’s Newsstand

 

Newly Discovered Items

Items which have been listed on our website within the last 30 days.

 

Thanks for collecting with us.

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team
RareNewspapers.com
570-326-1045
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers . . .
           . . . History’s Newsstand
“…desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.” Hebrews 13:18b
See what’s happening on our social sites
Facebook   Twitter   Pinterest   YouTube  

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Common Questions, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The Hobby, The Rare Newspapers Community
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Snapshot July,1814… The war of 1812 ends nearly a year earlier than we thought…

April 19, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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While for years most of us were taught that The War of 1812  ended in February, 1815, we just unearthed a reliable source which makes it obvious we’ve been sold a bill of goods. How do we know? The highly respected Columbian Centinel, printed in Boston from 1790 through 1840, obtained a Proclamation from President James Madison declaring the war to be over and printed it in their July 2, 1814 newspaper. Furthermore, this announcement was signed in block type by the President himself – confirming its authenticity. Knowing this would be met with a degree of skepticism, we’ve included the evidence for all to see:

However, whenever something doesn’t pass the smell test from a few inches away, it’s often wise to pull back and take a whiff from a greater distance…

Perspective beyond the end of our own noses can change everything!

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The April (2021) Newsletter from Rare & Early Newspapers…

April 16, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Monthly Newsletter ~ Rare & Early Newspapers

Welcome to the April 2021 edition of our monthly newsletter. This month we’d like to bring your attention to the following:

An Expanded Set of Discounted Newspapers – 50% Off

Approximately 200 historic newspapers have been discounted by 50%. The prices shown reflect the discount. Included are: the Dalton Gang is “wiped out”, the death of Martha Washington, a broadsheet-extra re: the attempted assassination of President Garfield, the Supreme Court’s outlawing of prayer in public schools, and more.

New Items Added to April’s Catalog

Since Catalog 305 went to print we’ve added approximately 50 additional items. Some of the topics/issues include: a Frank Leslie’s Illustrated issue on the hanging of the “Lincoln Conspirators”, Babe Ruth as a Baltimore Oriole (quite rare), a hard-to-find 1840 campaign newspaper, the “fixed” boxing match between Jack Johnson and Jess Willard – 26 rounds, a great map of Jamaica in 1762, and more.

Catalog 305

Speaking of the catalog, some links which you may find useful include:

Key Issues from Catalog 305

Catalog 305 (in “Quick Scan” format)

Catalog 305 – Priced under $50

History’s Newsstand

Newly Discovered Items

Items which have been listed on our website within the last 30 days.

 

Thanks for collecting with us.

Sincerely,

Guy Heilenman & The Rare & Early Newspapers Team
RareNewspapers.com
570-326-1045
Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers . . .
           . . . History’s Newsstand
“…desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.” Hebrews 13:18b
See what’s happening on our social sites
Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Common Questions, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The Hobby, The Rare Newspapers Community
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Master Wordsmiths Often 1st Shared Their Treasures in Newspapers…

April 12, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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What do Walt Whitman (poet extraordinaire) … Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus fame) … Charles Dickens (needs no introduction) all have in common? Perhaps my title gave the answer away. These and many other authors often shared their literary master pieces in newspapers before they were printed in book form. Recently, as I was delving into some San Francisco Chronicles, I came upon another addition to this illustrious list. Warm welcomes to Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan. On September 3, 1939, the San Francisco Chronicle, This Week Magazine section began a “thrilling series of short mystery stories” by Agatha Christie. This 1st story in the series “The Labours of Hercules” was titled “Invisible Enemy”. By putting such variety of writing into a public newspaper, the everyday person was often exposed to quality literature giving them the opportunity to increase their education in a casual way. Thanks to these master story tellers for sharing with all of us.

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Filed under: The 20th & 21st Centuries
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Flawed Greatness…

April 9, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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A very, very, very, very… wise Man once said, “Let any one of you who is without sin cast the 1st stone.”  As was often the case, this Sage was addressing the situation at hand as well as the next 2000+ years of human history.  Fast forward to today when we all feel as if we are in a constant state of ducking as stone after stone whizzes past our heads.  Sometimes they are aimed at us… sometimes at the person next to us… sometimes at our favorite podcast host… sometimes at the history pages from 250 years ago.  With this in mind, may I share a few inspirational words from one of those among us who was, like us all, flawed and with sin but, in moments of divine inspiration, lead with greatness as so many of our Founding Fathers did.

On March 4, 1797, John Adams, 2nd president of the United States, took up the mantle of George Washington and penned the words below as part of  his Inaugural Speech.  At such a pivotal moment in our countries history, with the transition from our 1st President to our 2nd, everything was on the line … freedom, democracy and our nation’s ability to continue grow and throw off any national “sins that so easily entangle”.   What began with our Constitution would make a giant leap forward 100 years later and continue to progress for the 100 years after that.  Listen to John Adams as he shares the passion of his heart for this country.

“… Employed in the service of my country abroad during the whole course of these transactions, I first saw the Constitution of the United States in a foreign country. Irritated by no literary altercation, animated by no public debate, heated by no party animosity, I read it with great satisfaction, as the result of good heads prompted by good hearts, as an experiment better adapted to the genius, character, situation, and relations of this nation and country than any which had ever been proposed or suggested. In its general principles and great outlines it was conformable to such a system of government as I had ever most esteemed, and in some States, my own native State in particular, had contributed to establish.

…With this great example before me, with the sense and spirit, the faith and honor, the duty and interest, of the same American people pledged to support the Constitution of the United States, I entertain no doubt of its continuance in all its energy, and my mind is prepared without hesitation to lay myself under the most solemn obligations to support it to the utmost of my power.

And may that Being who is supreme over all, the Patron of Order, the Fountain of Justice, and the Protector in all ages of the world of virtuous liberty, continue His blessing upon this nation and its Government and give it all possible success and duration consistent with the ends of His providence.”

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