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Extremely rare 1665 Oxford Gazette...



Item # 615070

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January 11, 1665

THE OXFORD GAZETTE, England, January 11, 1665 (1666 by today's calendar).  

* Earliest & Rarest of newspapers to be had
* The black plague


This is an extremely famous--and rare--title, being the predecessor of the famous "London Gazette", the oldest continually published English language newspaper in the world. Because of the Plague at this time, the Royal Court had removed itself from London to Oxford when this newspaper began, so issues #1 thru #23 were published in Oxford (actually published simultaneously in London & Oxford), and when the contagion had subsided & the Court returned to London this newspaper went with it and renamed itself "The London Gazette" with issue #24, and the rest is history. This is issue number 17.
The issue is filled with news reports from throughout Europe, mostly with a military theme. Of significance is the note at the bottom of the back page which gives the week's tally of deaths. Keeping in mind that the Great Plague was ravaging England at this time, this is a contemporary report of such deaths, reading: "The Account of the Weekly Bill at London runs thus, Total 265. Plague 89. Increas'd 12." It is always great to have period mention of the Great Plague.
This issue measures about 7 by 11 1/4 inches, and is in uncommonly very nice, clean condition. There is ample margin in most of the issue with a few very tiny worm holes near the bottom.
An exceedingly scarce newspaper and a cornerstone issue for any early newspaper collection, being among the first few issues of the world's oldest continually published newspaper--and from the very brief period when it published in Oxford.

Category: The 1600's and 1700's