THE FLAG OF OUR UNION, Boston, Jan. 3, 1857  This was a weekly story paper that enjoyed a 25 year run in the middle of the 19th century. In addition to news, it featured works of fiction and poetry including contributions from notable writers such as Louisa May Alcott and Edgar Allan Poe. It became very popular, & by some accounts it had the largest circulation of any newspaper in the United States around 1851.
Eight pages, never bound nor trimmed so it folds out to one large sheet, some wear at the margins & fold, some minor margin tears, some foxing near margins & the fold.

Background: The Flag of Our Union (Boston, January 3, 1857) represents a pivotal moment in the 19th-century American media revolution, serving as a prime example of the wildly popular eight-page weekly "story papers" that paved the way for modern mass-market entertainment. Historically significant for achieving the largest circulation in the United States around 1851 by decoupling itself from partisan politics and religious sectarianism, the publication democratized literature by bringing both high-profile and sensationalist creative writing to an unprecedented nationwide audience. Its enduring cultural importance lies in its unique relationship with legendary authors: it provided a crucial, reliable financial lifeline to a cash-strapped Edgar Allan Poe at the end of his life, while simultaneously offering a liberating, anonymous playground for Louisa May Alcott, who used the paper to publish her gripping "blood and thunder" thrillers under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard long before Little Women brought her mainstream fame. Ultimately, the immense commercial success of this specific publication transformed authorship into a viable profession and generated the immense capital required to fund America's very first illustrated weekly newspapers, forever altering the landscape of American visual journalism.