THE AMERICAN RECORDER, AND CHARLESTOWN ADVERTISER, Charlestown, Mass., Jan. 26, 1787

• Rare 18th century "USA" publication
• Year of U.S. Constitution creation

A very uncommon title published only from December, 1785 thru May, 1787. Of particular interest is the masthead which has ornate lettering: "U S A".
Most of the content is concerning Massachusetts, however the front is mostly taken up: "History of the Late War, from the British Annual Register for 1780". This issue is from our private collection.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed, some light foxing, good condition.

Background: This rare four-page issue of The American Recorder, and Charlestown Advertiser from January 26, 1787—a short-lived title published for only eighteen months by Allen & Cushing—is an exceptional artifact of Confederation-era journalism, distinguished by its stylized "U S A" masthead, which boldly asserted a cohesive national identity months before the framing of the U.S. Constitution. Its front page features serialized period reporting of the Revolutionary War pulled directly from the British Annual Register for 1780, giving contemporary post-war readers a compelling look at how their recent struggle was documented through the lens of their former sovereign. Beyond its front-page historical retrospective, the issue’s timing renders its local Massachusetts reporting extraordinarily significant, as it went to press the very day after the historic January 25 confrontation at the Springfield Armory—the climax of Shays' Rebellion—capturing the immediate friction, civil unrest, and political volatility of a nascent republic grappling with its early governance.