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A truth… a story… a myth… a discovery – What to do with a 1666 London Gazette?
September 28, 2026 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Collectors seek out “rare & early” newspapers for a host of reasons. Some use them as primary source material for research. Others collect them to grasp the contemporary response to an historical event, while others use them to chronical a non-revisionist view of an era. Framing them for display is quite common – whether it be to set a mood, or, as is quite common with museums, to aid in telling the story regarding a display of unique items. Yet another group loves to obtain them to enhance their primary collectible (ex. those who collect early sewing machines finding newspapers with matching advertisements, patents, or early commentary on various stages of development). The possibilities are almost endless.
The topic at hand was recently revived when a collector, who had just purchased a London Gazette dated August 9, 1666 containing a brief report on the week’s mortality bill from the Great Plague (shown below), informed us of his purpose in collecting the newspaper – which we found fascinating… and which eventually led to a discovery.
A Purpose – He purchased to use as inspiration for an event-tethered short story (historical fiction?). If you have a little time, I’m sure he would not mind if you took a gander: THE KING’S BAKER
A Discovery – After reading his story I decided to dig a little deeper into the 1665-6 London Plague and was drawn in by an article posted by the London Museum titled: THREE MYTHS ABOUT THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON
A MYTH – I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice to say, I need to go back to a lot of people and correct what I once thought was true. Yikes!
A Truth – For those who like to pine for the past, during the week prior to the above newspaper’s distribution in 1666, 42 people in London alone were known to have died from the bubonic plague. Life was not easy; but death often was.
“Printing In The Americas” – A reference book for your shelves…
March 2, 2026 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
There are very few reference books which are exclusive to newspapers, so some of the better ones are about printing in general, peppered with historical accounts of newspaper publishing as well.
One of my favorites is such a book, titled “Printing In The Americas” by John Clyde Oswald. Done by the Gregg Publishing Company in 1937 it unfortunately is out of print, however copies can be found on book dealer shelves across the country. With the broad scope of internet sites abebooks.com and alibris.com I suspect it would not be difficult to find a copy.
There are 91 chapters totaling over 560 pages but it can essentially be considered to have three parts. first: a general history of printing in colonial America which includes much on early newspapers; second: a state by state review of the their first printing efforts, most of which were newspapers rather than books or pamphlets; and third: printing history in other countries of the Western hemisphere including Canada, Central America, South America and the West Indies, typically not dealt with in most printing history efforts.
I find the Midwest and Western states to have the most intriguing histories, filled with stories of tragedy & hardship in trying to operate a printing establishment in the wilds of America. There were far more failures than successes. Early printers must certainly have come from hearty and optimistic stock.
While we do not have one to offer, this is a title I would suggest you pursue. Given its format it doesn’t have to be read cover to cover, but rather chapters of interest stand alone as little histories in just a few pages.
The Kennedy name frequented newspaper headlines…
August 25, 2023 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
A debate during dinner among friends regarding the most notable moments in 20th century American history may cause a few disagreements, however, none would argue with including the assassination of JFK as a noteworthy addition to the list. After all, the Kennedy dynasty ruled politics for decades, and John sat as king until his tragic death in 1963… with Bobby’s and Teddy’s passing larging serving as the final curtain on the Kennedy’s perennial command of newspaper headlines… or so we thought. Just as the name was beginning to be relegated to the dusty chronicles of the past, it has resurfaced on the political stage once again for this up-and-coming presidential election. Whether or not you were or are a fan of the Kennedy’s, major headlines featuring the Kennedy name are likely to soon be found in newsstands throughout America. It is not a stretch to speculate that Robert F Kennedy Jr. (Bobby’s son) is hoping to erase the sad
memories stirred when viewing the front page of THE DAILY MAIL, November 22, 1963 and/or the HERALD-EXAMINER–EXTRA, June 6, 1968, by something a little more positive and forward thinking: “A KENNEDY WINS AGAIN!” Of course such a headline would produce varying reactions based on one’s political bent – but regardless, the dynasty would have new life.
Today’s month and day through the eyes of Rare & Early Newspapers… 9/26 edition…
September 26, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Today I came across a previous post in which we showed the readers of the History’s Newsstand Blog how to use the Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers advanced search interface to explore available newspapers for any given day and month, which made me wonder which day on a calendar has had the most interesting news reports over time. Of course the answer would be quite subjective, but it did motivate me to run a search for today’s date:
The results were more varied (and interesting) than I was expecting. Feel free to try a date which has special meaning to you to see what you might find. If you are not sure how to do this, go to: Exploring “This Day in History” through Rare & Early Newspapers
If you discover a date which you find to be pregnant with interesting news, feel free to let me know at guy@rarenewspapers.com. Thanks.
Newspaper Curiosities in 1867 from the Harper’s New Monthly Magazine…
February 28, 2022 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
In a strange twist within this unique collecting niche, I came across a nine-page essay within the Harper’s Monthly of September 1867. Imagine my interest in uncovering the following opening:
The history of newspapers has been frequently, but perhaps never yet fully, written. However, that may be, the history of the press of this country is very far from being complete. Many important facts are wrapped in obscurity, requiring incredible industry to bring them to light; and he would be a benefactor to literature who should reveal them in naked simplicity.
The author (whose name I cannot discern recorded within the volume) begins with the first press, “established in Cambridge, Massachusetts, eighteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims, where it was operated for forty years without a rival in America.” He goes on to say that 1644 marked the appointment of “censors of the press”, and that Boston saw its first press thirty years later, and that the Boston News-Letter reported the news from Europe — thirteen months after the fact. There are many interesting details quoted concerning the earliest days of colonization, followed by the appearance of the New England Courant, the American Weekly Mercury, the Pennsylvania Gazette, the Boston Evening Post and the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser, all of which preceded the dailies begun with the Pennsylvania Packet in 1794.
One appealing aspect of this article, beyond the timeline which includes excerpts from most of the earliest papers, is the outside perspective. The writer acknowledges that all we can know is limited to the information reported, subject to a selection process influenced by the motivation/perspective/experience of the editor. Thus it has always been, and likely will always be.
My collecting story… B. C. in Trion, Georgia..
October 5, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Below we continue our series in which we post the “stories” graciously submitted by our collecting friends during the pandemic of 2020.
I am the published author of over a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction. A few years ago, my publisher suggested that I write a book about Kathryn Kelly, the wife of “Machine Gun” Kelly and also the “brains” behind the crimes they committed over several years. What little I could find about K
athryn was interesting, but since no other books had ever been written about her, research was difficult. I turned to the FBI Vault of historical documents and personally interviewed people who lived during the Great Depression and the “Gangsta” Era. And then I came across “Timothy Hughes: Rare & Early Newspapers.” It was like finding a gold mine. I was able to access the newspapers from that time period that followed the crimes and eventual arrest of Kathryn Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly. With this information, along with the other research I had gathered, I wrote the book, Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly. It was recently optioned for a major film. The newspaper I have saved for my collection is “The Bethlehem Globe-Times” – Tuesday, September 26, 1933. On the front page is the headline: “Machine Gun” George Kelly Is Captured. The sub-headline reads: Desperado Surrenders Without Resistance – Wife Is Also Taken Into Custody.
As additional “stories” are posted they will be available at: MY COLLECTING STORY. We did this many years ago as well – and their posts are also included.
The magic of old newspapers, in 1844…
May 24, 2018 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
An 1844 issue of the “Adams Sentinel” (Oct. 14th) from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has an interesting front page item concerning the fascination of reading old newspapers, noting in part: “…few preserve them…brings up the very age, with all its bustle…marks its genius & its spirit more than the most labored description of the historical…” with more (see). An interesting perspective on the value of collecting old newspapers, written 174 years ago.
Imagine a world without phones or the internet…
March 17, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Television, radio, the internet, texting, Facebook, e-mail… The tools we currently have available for communication are almost endless. However, there was a time not too long ago when newspapers were the primary means for disseminating information. Whereas it would be difficult for us to imagine a world without phones or the internet, the Hartford Courant explores this same concept for those living in the 1870’s through an article in their November 18, 1871 issue: “The World Without Newspapers”. The link above will take you to the entire text of the article.
Newspaper Museums abound… Looking for input…
January 28, 2016 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Newspapers have been one of the main means of community communication for several centuries. While many newspaper publishers have closed their doors as on-line access has increased, one would still be hard-pressed to find a city without its own printed newspaper. However, as the number of newspaper publishers gradually decrease, the number of newspaper museums appear to be on the rise. Current news may be best viewed within a moment of its occurrence via the internet, news of the past (history) seems to be best viewed first-hand – either by reading a historic newspaper first-hand, or by visiting one of the hundreds of newspaper and print-shop museums. Collecting rare newspapers satisfies the first, but what about the second? The Newseum and the American Antiquarian Society (think Isaiah Thomas) are great place to start, but what about museums with a more local or historical bent? A favorite for some is the relatively new Edes & Gill Print Shop attached to The Old North Church in Boston, but what about others? If you have visited a newspaper museum and/or historic print shop which you found interesting, please share by commenting with the name, location, and a brief mention of what you enjoyed.
Old Newspapers… New Value…
September 10, 2015 by GuyHeilenman · 6 Comments
We just became aware of a post featured on The Atlantic in regards to a large collection of newspapers from New Orleans that is quite interesting. Please enjoy: