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Collection Spotlight: One man’s passion for pulp… From Antique Trader…
April 16, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Joe Rainone, a member of the Rare & Early Newspapers Community, recently had a featured article in a post at AntiqueTrader.com. His passion is focused primary on pulp magazines, with some cross-over to collectible newspapers. The article begins:
“My passion for collecting started in the mid 1980s although I did enjoy collecting stamps, coins and reading comics as a child. I started to collect comic books again with my 9-year-old son who loved Spider-Man. This was my introduction to popular fiction.
I became intrigued with pulp magazines. In time, I became more interested, not only in the artwork, but also the history of how and where it all began…”
To read more, go to http://www.antiquetrader.com/article/One_mans_passion_for_pulp. Great job Joe!
The rare newspaper community is pregnant with scores of members with their own collectible passion. One of the beauties of the hobby is the endless varieties of directions one’s collection can go. If you’d like to share about your collectible area of interest, please do.
Collectible Magazines… Rich West… Periodyssey – Part II
April 13, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
Tammy Kahn Fennell at Collectibles Corner TV recently completed part II of her interview with Rich West of Periodyssey fame. Part II of the interview begins at the 3:32 mark; however, if you have the time, the entire episode is worth watching. Thanks Tammy… and Rich.
Episode #10 – Depression Glass, Colophon, Rich West of Periodyssey part 2, Get Me Video
Note from the previous post re: the interview with Rich:
Although Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers’ archives contain nearly every issue of Gentleman’s Magazine, Harper’s Weekly (actually an illustrated newspaper), Harper’s Monthly, The Sporting News, and a selection of others (Liberty Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, Scribner’s, etc.), including many of these and others beyond what is posted on the Rare & Early Newspapers website, the Timothy Hughes of magazine collecting is Rich West of Periodyssey. He operates with integrity, has an incredible inventory of magazines to offer, and is the most knowledgeable resource in the field of magazine collectibles.
Editorial policy (?) and the potential impact upon an issue’s collectibility…
April 11, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The following are a few thoughts by Morris Brill (guest contributor) concerning slight differences in the printing of the Declaration of Independence within the London Chronicle (dated August 17, 1776) vs. the printing within the Gentleman’s Magazine (dated August, 1776):
Recently on Ebay two different sellers offered a printing of the Declaration of Independence in the Gentleman’s Magazine. I also noted your offering of the Declaration within the London Chronicle.
I (Morris) noted, while reading the text of Gentleman’s Magazine, as photographed on Ebay, a particular sentence in which two words were missing and substituted with a line, i.e. ___________
The sentence is as follows:
“A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
In the Gentleman’s Magazine the words ” prince” and “tyrant” are deleted.
I find it interesting that although the Gentleman’s Magazine and the the London Chronicle are both British that one paper printed the words prince and tyrant, yet the other did not.
To me, the deletion of the two words certainly diminishes the historic value of the printing as it appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine, although I would not pass up the opportunity to own this paper. Perhaps it has to do with an opposing editorial policy, or the political persuasion of the two publishers.
Morris
Note: If anyone is aware of the formal policy which led to the deletion of certain words within the Gentleman’s Magazine, please share your insight with the rare newspaper community.
Numbering an issue….how was it done?
April 6, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The numbers noted at the top of the front page of a newspaper, typically at the far left and right of the dateline, may seem a bit confusing so I’ll try to explain what they mean.
Most newspapers had two sets of numbers: 1) the issue & volume numbers, and 2) the whole number.
The issue & volume number often appear such as “Vol. 5 num. 237” which means this is the 237th issue from the fifth year of the newspapers existence. Newspapers would assign a volume number to their publication which would increase by one on the anniversary of its beginning, so if a newspapers published it’s first issue on March 5, 1837, volume two would begin with the first publication after March 5, 1838. The issue number notes the issue from within that volume, meaning that issue “Vol. 5 num. 313” might be followed by issue “Vol. 6 num. 1” if the newspaper published 6 days a week (365 days less 52 Sundays = 313 published issues in the year).
But to many the more mysterious number is the “whole number”. Essentially it indicates how many issues have been published since the founding of the paper, and can be a very large number if the paper has been in publication for many years.
Using the above example of “vol. 5 num. 313” the “whole number” of this issue would likely be 1565 (313 issues per year x 5 years = 1565). And the very next issue, noted as “vol. 6 num 1” would be whole number 1566.
The tricky thing is that when some newspapers were sold, reorganized, changed their name, or merged with another they might begin a “new series” and the volume/issue numbers would begin afresh, and the whole number may or may not start over with number 1, depending on the whim of the publisher. So these numbers cannot be depended upon to give an accurate reflection of how old the newspaper is, nor the number of issues that were printed since its inception. Niles’ National Register did this at least twice in its 40 years’ existence.
Meet the staff: Guy Heilenman, our President…
March 9, 2009 by TimHughes · 4 Comments
After many years of teaching in the Lancaster, Penna. area, Guy was in search of a new professional challenge. Timing was great for both Guy and “Hughes Rare Newspapers” as he found his way to Williamsport and his challenge was found.
Guy is the President of our 33 year-old rare newspaper company and has brought with him an enthusiastic attitude and many fresh and exciting ideas to carry our business into the 21st century.
Any who have spoken with him cannot help but impressed with his polite, caring personality. Cultivating customer loyalty and maintaining the integrity of the business are foremost among his duties, while developing additional channels for selling and marketing newspapers challenge his creative side. Guy is a great fit for our unique business and the many progressive changes initiated in recent years are due to his efforts.
It was six years ago that Guy moved his family to Williamsport. Along with his wife Laura, they have six children—Eve, Joshua, Rebekah, Sarah, Hannah & Rachel–aged 7 thru 18, so to call him a family man is an understatement. Despite the workload and extra hours the business requires it is rare that Guy does not have his family off on a weekend adventure in this scenic part of Pennsylvania. During the summer months camping is a favorite activity, but we who stay home cringe when he schedules an outings because we know it will be rainy, windy, or cold—or likely all three.
Several of his older children are part-time employees of our newspaper business, handling much of the background and photography work which is so important to our success. They are always a pleasure to have among us.
While not attending to business and family priorities Guy is very much involved in his church community. His faith is a central focus of not only his life but that of his entire extended family. It is with this foundation that his personality of caring and concern permeates all that he does and, most certainly, is evident to our customers who have dealt with him.
Guy and his family are a pleasure to have with us. Be sure to say “hello” to Guy the next time you give us a call. Both you and he will be glad you did.
The first newspaper printed in Hawaii…
March 5, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
As was typical with the first newspaper publishing efforts in states and territories, the very first newspaper in Hawaii didn’t have great success. The SANDWICH ISLAND GAZETTE, published its first issue on July 30, 1836 and only lasted until 1839. Shortly after its demise came the SANDWICH ISLAND MIRROR & COMMERCIAL GAZETTE which lasted for less than a year. Although bearing a different name and issued monthly instead of weekly, it was essentially a continuation of the GAZETTE.
Early printing in the Hawaiian Islands were by missionaries, and the SANDWICH ISLAND GAZETTE was no exception. Some of the content has religious overtones, however there is much secular reporting and advertisements as well.
We are pleased to share with out collectors our July 8, 1837 issue of the SANDWICH ISLAND GAZETTE, the volume 1, number 50 issue. Newspapers from Hawaii in the 1830’s are virtually unheard of in the collector market today.
Enjoy.
From the private collection: a title to share…
January 26, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I have always be intrigued by unusually titled newspapers, and there are many from the past two to three hundred years.
One from our private collection which is rather bizarre not just for its name but for its theme—analyzing the records of childhood deaths from the previous 100 years—is: “THE HISTORY OF CRADLE-CONVULSIONS” with an extended title including: “Vulgarly called Black and White Fits: Monthly Observations on the Weekly Bills of Mortality…” and even more (see photos).
The publisher uses the entirety of this single sheet newspaper to discussion the deaths of children, although modern translations are lacking as to what is meant by “cradle convulsions”, “black & white fits”, “gripes in the guts” or “convulsions of the bowels”, although one could guess. The text of the entire newspaper is shown here for your reading enjoyment.
Not surprisingly, a newspaper with such a morbid theme did not last long. In fact this issue “numb. 1” was the first and the last despite mention by the publisher of future monthly issues. According to Crane & Kaye this title is not held by any library in the United States.
Campaign newspapers: a hobby within a hobby…
January 19, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Before the days of television, radio and certainly the internet, how did Presidential candidates get their platforms across the the electorate? Daily newspapers could not be counted upon as most were politically aligned with one of the parties so reporting had an obvious bias.
“Campaign newspapers” were one vehicle for candidates. Rather than rely on the ethics of the local publisher, parties produced their own newspapers during the campaign with the emphasis on the platform of the candidate. Logically such newspapers were short-lived and are relatively rare today as a result.
William Miles did a book titled: “The People’s Voice: An Annotated Bibliography of American Presidential Campaign Newspapers, 1828-1984” which lists chronologically and by party over 700 titles. The following is excerpted from his Preface:
“Every four years since at least 1828 the campaign newspaper, like the campaign biography, song, poster, and similar election paraphernalia, has reappeared as a familiar part of the American presidential electoral process. Unlike the general party or partisan newspaper, these sheets were published specifically to support the cause of an aspiring candidate or an officially nominated ticket. Usually issued only during the period of the campaign itself, they were the campaign documents that emphasized the strengths and the importance of political organization at all levels; and to attack, generally in vitriolic language, the opposition. No matter if established and issued by party committees or by committed private individuals, or as “extras” and subsidized papers by already established partisan journals, the purpose was the same: organize the party faithful to work on behalf or electing the national, and by extension, the state and local tickets.”
Such elusive titles do provide an interesting array of titles including “Hickory Sprout” “Coon Hunter” “Harry Of The West” “Rebel Youth” “Hickory Tree” “On Our Way” “Rail Splitter” “Sober Second Thought” “Soup-Spiller” “Magician” “Grape Shot” “Rough & Ready” “Barnburner” “Dirty Shirt” “Kickapoo” and “Straight-Out Harrisonian” to name but a few.
Collecting campaign newspapers can be a fascinating hobby within a hobby, if only for the variety of titles available. Do you have any great-named campaign newspapers in your collection? Feel free to share.
An institutional need…
January 19, 2009 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
One of our fellow collectors recently made the following inquiry seeking missing issues of an African-American newspaper from North Carolina. Not having any magical answers for him, I offer his request to all our customers in hopes someone might have a lead or suggestion. Feel free to respond through this blog.
African-American Newspaper–Durham, North Carolina
I’ve been casually interested in old newspapers and magazines for a number of years, and have regularly used them in my university classes (I recently retired as a professor of environmental policy at Duke, and often used them to document early conservation struggles.)
A few weeks ago, I got involved in a volunteer project at the historical collection of the Durham, NC county library, indexing microfilmed copies of a weekly African-American newspaper called the Carolina Times, published between 1927 and the present.
The content, especially in the 1930s and 1940s, is amazing. I had known a fair amount of Durham history, but was taken aback by the many specific injustices documented even here (supposedly one of the South’s most progressive cities) in the Jim Crow era. There is much original research still to be done, and the newspaper provides a vivid counterpoint to the local white media, which are also available.
Unfortunately, our microfilm lacks all issues between 1927 to 1937 and 1944-48. Also missing is the early version of the paper, the Durham Standard Advertiser, 1919-1927. Extensive searching reveals that no other library in the country has these issues, in any format (everyone has the same, incomplete, microfilm). I’ve used all my research skills to try to track them down, without success.
It would be a real contribution to both Durham history and African-American history to make this missing material available to scholars and others. Might you have any ideas? Private collectors? Archives that would not show up in the usual searches of libraries or internet troves. Peak circulation was 20,000 (in the 1940s) so it is not a completely obscure title. The paper’s offices burned in 1975, so the original archive was lost.
I can really recommend this kind of material to anyone interested in modern history. Any help with my own quest would be appreciated.
Rare Newspaper Collections Within Collections…
January 14, 2009 by GuyHeilenman · 3 Comments
From our guest contributor, *Morris Brill:
A significant segment of my newspaper collection is American and International Politics. This segment focuses on Presidents, World Leaders, Wars, Treaties, and Legislation.
Recently, while reviewing my collection of historic newspapers, covering the span of the past two centuries, I noticed I owned numerous newspapers referencing one world leader whose exploits spanned twenty-two years and whose name is one of the most recognizable in world history.
His fame is owed not only to his charismatic leadership but to the specific historic events with which he is associated.
Few world leaders can lay claim to a greater body of history than this leader, and collecting newspapers about this one man, alone, could occupy a collector’s time and interest for many years.
The story of this leader starts in 1789 with events leading up to his assumption of power on November 9, 1799 and continuing thereafter until his death in 1821.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE stands monumental in history and the events he is associated with are among the most famous in military conflict.
My collection starts in 1791 when King Louis XV1, and his Queen Marie Antoinette, attempted to flee Paris dressed as servants to free themselves from captivity during the French Revolution. (The Mail; or, Claypoole’s Daily Advertiser – August 24, 1791)
This event is followed by the beheading of King Louis XV1, as reported in the Gazette of the United States of March 10, 1793.
The following year Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded as reported in the Courier of New Hampshire of March 6, 1794. This newspaper contains one of the most tender reports I have had the pleasure of reading in any newspaper of any event, and I attach it here for your reading pleasure.
http://www.newspapercollections.com/marieantoinettedeath.htm
The Boston Gazette of December 26, 1805 reports on the Battle of Trafalgar fought between the naval forces of England against the combined naval forces of France and Spain. It was during this battle that Horatio Nelson, England’s most revered naval commander, lost is life and left to posterity his famous words, “England expects that every man will do his duty.”
On March 9, 1813, as reported in the Salem Gazette, we read of Napoleon’s Retreat from Russia representing one of the most lethal military operations in world history. “Its sustained role in Russian culture may be seen in Tolstoy’s War and Peace and the Soviet identification of it with the German invasion of 1941-1945.”
The Weekly Messenger of June 6, 1814 tells the story of Napoleon’s Exile to Elba. This is followed by Napoleon’s Return From Elba as recorded in the Daily National Intelligencer of May 2, 1815.
On August 25, 1815 the Weekly Messenger reported on what has become synonymous to a ‘final undoing’ The Battle of Waterloo. The Duke of Wellington, in reference to Napoleon, is quoted as saying: “I consider Napoleon’s presence in the field equal to forty thousand men in the balance.”
The Vermont Intelligencer of August 27, 1821 tells the final chapter with its report on The Death of Napoleon Bonaparte.
My collection of Napoleon Bonaparte related newspapers is certainly not comprehensive. I have used this example to illustrate that within a collection the collector can find eras that are worthy of a collection of their own.
Perhaps you have a collection of George Washington, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Robert E. Lee or any of numerous other leaders whose names have been recorded in the annuals of history.
Please share with us your special interest and collection.
Morris Brill
* Background:
Morris Brill has been collecting newspapers for 45+ years with an emphasis on Political History, Air and Space, Famous and Infamous People, and Americana.
Morris possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and History.
During an interview conducted by his hometown newspaper Morris was asked “What have you learned by collecting newspapers.”
Morris replied with the following:
“In essence I have learned that joy and sorrow walk hand in hand and that which we celebrate today may be the cause of our tears tomorrow, and yet, while we weep, the future is ready to bring us further elation.”
Thank you Morris. Your insight and contributions to the hobby are greatly appreciated.