Inspiration from Days Gone by…

April 5, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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I heard an interesting quote the other day: “Long after the medals go into a box and the trophies have a layer of dust on them, will your speech still be having an impact on the audience you gave it to?” (Heather Neumann) Ironically, Heather’s statement had the impact it appears she wanted. As I contemplated her statement as I wrote this post, I was curious about who had made a lasting impact on this day throughout the ages, hoping to glean a bit of inspiration for myself. Here are a few that caught my eye.
Having been raised by a mother who took our health seriously, I was encouraged from a very young age to” take Vitamin C at the 1st sign of a cold”. Who do I have to thank for this bit of wisdom besides my mother? On 4/5/1932, the New York Times covered research done by Charles Glen King. Prof. King isolated the compound for Vitamin C for the 1st time… over 30 years before my mother began her diligent training. Charles’ work continued in the nutritional field to help any with open ears to a step into a healthier life… continuing to positively impact the bodies of mankind.
On April 5, 1990, the LA Times covered the death of legendary jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughn. The University of Central Florida’s website asserts … music impacts the brain by “reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis”. Perhaps the phrase, “music calms the savage beast” is not just an old wives saying enabling Sarah’s music to bring a sense of peace and wellbeing to the many who continue to listen to her, bringing far more lasting impact than her 4 Grammy’s and lifetime achievement award… continuing to positively impact the minds of mankind.
In April of 1985, USA Today covered Michael Jordon’s work with Special Olympics. Most of us can only imagine how hard it must be for someone famous and in the perpetual limelight to tear the focus off of themselves and place it on others. Often times we judge the motives of these people even when they are trying to do a good thing. Perhaps we should take their good deeds at face value and appreciate the fact that when we do good for others, both the giver and receiver are uplifted. In this case, Michael’s efforts to reach out to others has a lasting impact on the his life, the lives he touched and all of us watching if we can put our skepticism aside… continuing to positively impact the souls of mankind.
While I am sure I will never sing like Sarah Vaughn or discover a great scientific breakthrough, I do have daily opportunities to bless others. I am sure these will never make it into USA Today or the LA Times and that is okay however, if by chance they would, sometimes those trophies in a box can inspire the next person.

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Filed under: Death Reports, Food for Thought, The 20th & 21st Centuries, The Collectible Community
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Nothing Says Spring Like…

March 29, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Nothing says Spring like Crocus peeking through the snow or Dogwood trees on full display or that subtle change in the air, bringing a sense of hope or horse-racing!!! What!?! The beginning of May brings more flowers and The Kentucky Derby which happens to be the beginning of the run for the Triple Crown. As of this day at the end of March, 2021, this year’s favorites are as follows: Greatest Honour, Helium, Weyburn, Risk Taking, Highly Motivated and Brooklyn Strong who is back and healthy however, untested to this date. These prize 3 year olds are hoping to step into the hoof prints of past greats like Secretariat (1973 Triple Crown winner) and Whirlaway (1941 Triple Crown winner). Who knows what memorable moments this year’s Triple Crown season may have for all horse-racing fans out there. Spring is, after all, a time of hope so bring on Spring, bring on May 1, 2021 and bring on the Kentucky Derby !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul … But not for Adolph Hitler

March 25, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Sometimes it is the little things that catch your eye and not the major content of a newspaper.  Two weeks ago, as I was photographing an issue for our most recent catalog, a tiny article at the bottom of the front page gave me pause and has been on my mind ever since. What began as a write up for an adorable vintage Disney ad turned dark.  The Eyes are the Window to the Soul … or so they say.  During the end of July, 1939, 3 English girls traveled to Germany to perform a tap dance for Adolf Hitler.  Upon their return, they reported how delightful he was and that they liked his eyes.  This reporting took place one month before Hitler invaded Poland beginning WWII and only one year before the Nazis took their fight to the 3 girl’s homeland.  Perhaps the eyes are the window to the soul however, the ability to read them is also necessary.  Reports such as these may not be the reason we purchase an issue but, they do give us an unprecedented window into a culture and are often the more valuable treasure.

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Filed under: Food for Thought, The 20th & 21st Centuries
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“A Picture Paints a Thousand Words” rings true in the world of newspaper collecting…

March 22, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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When discussing advertising in 1921, Fred R. Barnard coined the phrase: “A picture paints a 1000 words” (often modified to read: “A picture is worth a 1000 words”. Perhaps he copied a bit from the Chinese Proverb: “Hearing something a hundred times isn’t better than seeing it once” however, it is no less true concerning the written word as it is true of the spoken word. The images our brains receive immediately elicit an emotional response which can range from horror, to delight, from sadness to warmth and security.

This truth is no more prevalent than in the world of newspapers. Daily, here at the RareNewspapers office, our work is arrested for moments as we pause to appreciate those pictures that speak the loudest. Here is a link to our website that will take you to issues we define as “displayable”. Some of these are beautiful color images that bring a deep sense of nostalgia, some are a simple masthead that will amaze you with it’s intricacies. Some images are snapshots of a tragic time when people were called upon to rise up and show the best side of humanity. If you choose to spend a few moments walking this path of images, I think you will appreciate their power in our lives to shape both a nation and each individual.

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Filed under: Great Headlines, Noteworthy Issues, The Collectible Community
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Sedentary? Perhaps all you need is a little Jolt to get you going…

March 15, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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When we think of life in the 19th century (and prior), many adjectives come to mind but “sedentary” isn’t one of them. However, couch potatoes (minus the couch since few could afford them) must have been somewhat prevalent as to inspire an entrepreneur to come up with a solution: The JOLT! Whereas advertisements for such “inventions” were quite common in Scientific American, we recently discovered this one on the back page of a May 9, 1885 Harper’s Weekly. Although the contraption may not have been much of a financial (or health-generating) success, the mantra, “if at first you don’t succeed…”, merged with humanity’s proclivity for rest and relaxation, has served manufacturers and designers of exercise equipment for quite some time.

It’s interesting to note this ad occurred in May – long past the expiration date of most New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps making and then breaking annual promises to one-self is more of a recent pastime.

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Filed under: Post Civil War, The Collectible Community, Unusual, Fun & Bizarre
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A Fly on the Wall at Lincoln’s Cooper Union Speech…

March 11, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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How often have we all said, “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall.”? This week, as I helped a customer with an order, I was struck again with how often that statement is uttered here in our RareNewspapers office. This gentleman was beside himself over an issue we had obtained covering Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Speech (see image below). Hearing him excitedly describe the content soon grabbed my imagination as well. As I finished his order and set the phone back into the cradle, I dug in to find any additional issues we may might still have highlighting this historic speech. Reading aloud (yet quietly to myself), I was transported to the scene. Follow me for a few moments to this history defining moment in time, picking up at the end of William Cullen Bryant’s (American poet & editor of the NEW YORK EVENING POST) introduction of this great American Hero…

“‘I have only to pronounce his name to secure your profoundest attention’ [Prolonged applause, and cheers for Lincoln]. Mr. Lincoln advanced to the desk, and smiling graciously upon his audience, complacently awaited the termination of the cheering and then proceeded with his address as follows…”. What followed was the speech that triggered Lincoln’s famous quote: “Another Republican Orator on the Stump.”

So many current phrases could be used to describe this moment in time: “A Star is Born”, “For Such a Time as This”… but for me, all I could think of was, “I wish I could have been a fly on the wall”, and I’m so grateful to the THE NEW YORK TIMES reporter who helped me to be one on February 28, 1860.

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Lincoln & Whitman … it’s all in the perspective…

March 8, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times”… The concept of polar opposites has always been fascinating to me and as I perused issues we have dated March 8 across the decades, the following two contrasting events caught my eye:

On March 8, 1865, Abraham Lincoln gave his 2nd Inaugural address. The country had spent the last several years in despair as brother killed brother, parents grieved and wives desperately tried to determine how they would survive without their husbands. The Civil War was the darkest period in our young countries history, arguably, even to this day. President Lincoln bore this heavy mantle with grace and dignity when it may have killed a man of lesser conviction.
Simultaneously, Walt Whitman was taking the epic that was the American Story and transforming even it’s dark and ugly pieces into a more palatable and poetic form.

On March 8, 1888 the New York Herald printed another of Whitman’s works titled, My Canary Bird. Publishing his works in the newspaper put Whitman’s perspective of America in the hands of the common man which is exactly where he would have wanted it. Beauty from Ashes, the American Story had a devotee in Walt Whitman. He had a way of making “The worst of times” into “The best of times”.

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Filed under: Post Civil War, Pre Civil War, The Collectible Community
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Recalling Paul Revere’s ‘midnight ride’…

March 4, 2021 by · 2 Comments 
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As newspaper collectors we relish the opportunity to find newspaper accounts of the intriguing moments in American–if not world–history.
But many events simply did not make it to print.
An account of the pealing of the Liberty Bell in 1776, a detailed account of Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, Nathan Hale’s boast ‘I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country’, and Patrick Henry’s bold pronouncement ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ are but a few.
Accounts of Paul Revere’s midnight ride rank among them. In our 45 years in the hobby we can recall only two newspapers having but a very brief reference to the ride. It was not until Longfellow’s poem ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’, written in 1860, did the world become familiar with the daring and patriotic mission.
We recently discovered a fascinating nugget on Revere’s ride.
A 1795 issue of the Boston newspaper Columbian Centinel (December 5, 1795) has a supportive letter from when Paul Revere was running for the vacated post of Town Treasurer. The writer makes rather derailed reference to the event in 1775, far more detailed than any account previously found despite being 20 years after it happened. See the photo for the full report.
Such little gems, typically buried inconspicuously among the political reports, advertisements, and varied notices of the day, are what thrill those in the search of notable events in history.

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Announcing: Catalog #304 (for March, 2021) is now available…

March 1, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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http://images.rarenewspapers.com.s3.amazonaws.com/ebayimgs/Webs/Catalog-Rare-Newspapers.jpg

Catalog 304 (for March) is now available. This latest offering of authentic newspapers is comprised of more than 300 new items, a selection which includes: a Masthead engraving by Paul Revere, ‘The Maryland Gazette’ from the French & Indian War, a 1775 ‘Virginia Gazette’ from Williamsburg, the most famous of all Lincoln assassination newspapers, the Articles of Confederation are now in force (1781), the Boston Red Sox purchase Babe Ruth, 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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William Cowper speaks out against slavery (1791)… They put it in print…

February 25, 2021 by · Leave a Comment 
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Thank goodness “cancel culture” did not exist (at least in [Wilbur]force) back in 18th century.

Flashback to the late 17oo’s… Although slavery had been part and parcel of many cultures for thousands of years, and was certainly woven throughout all aspects of life and commerce in Great Britain, some were staunchly against the practice and had the courage to fight for those whose skin color did not match their own. One such person who was particularly outspoken in this regard was the popular and well-respected poet/hymnologist William Cowper. Although taking such a stand was both an affront and a danger to the political and social mores of the day, he (and others with similar convictions) were permitted to speak, and in the long-run, the world’s view was eventually transformed. How do we know? They (actually) put it in print!

The following excerpt from one of his anti-slavery poems was printed in the Columbian Centinel dated June 16, 1791:

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Filed under: Food for Thought, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, The 1700's
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