THE CHRISTIAN HISTORY, Boston, May 5, 1744  

* Rare colonial periodical 

This was the first successful magazine in America although formatted unlike typical magazines. It was exclusively a chronicle of the Great Awakening in America, exclusively of secular news reports. It was preceded by just a few magazines which lasted but a couple of issues--one of which was by Ben Franklin. Even this title lasted but a few short years.
As the subtitle reads: "Containing Accounts of the Propagation & Revival of Religion in Great Britain & America", this 8 page magazine is almost entirely taken up with religious content from the "Great Awakening" period in American history.
Eight pages, 4 3/4 by 8 inches, good condition.
A rare opportunity for an American periodical from such an early year. Included is a photocopy of the volume's title page which contains the Boston imprint. 

Background: The publication of The Christian History during the First Great Awakening represents a watershed moment in American media, marking the birth of specialized, niche journalism in the colonies and proving that a shared ideological passion could sustain a periodical where general-interest formats failed. By creating a unified, intercolonial network of religious communication, the magazine effectively linked disparate communities through shared revivalist narratives, which helped forge a collective American identity and a proto-national consciousness years before the Revolution. Furthermore, its success demonstrated the formidable power of the press to mobilize the public and shape social movements, establishing a precedent for how print media could be weaponized or wielded for specific cultural, political, and social campaigns in early America.