Historic Newspapers: Search Results

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT & WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, Hartford, May 15, 1781 

* Rare American Revolutionary War publication

The front page has a brief item: "The American spy, mentioned a few days since, is taken at Harwich and will be examined before the Privy-Council. Many papers were found upon his person, touching a treasonable correspondence."
The front page also has some items from the war including the mention of  the British capturing a ship off the capes of Virginia, plus quantities…

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT & WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, Hartford, Nov. 13, 1781 

* Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
* American Revolutionary War ending

A terrific issue as not only does it contain a fine account of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, but it consumes the entire front page, carries over to take most of page 2, with additional information on page 3 as well.
The front page begins with a letter from Col. Tilghman, Aid de Camp to General Washington, datelined: "Head Quarters,…

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT, Hartford, October 7, 1783

* Newburgh Conspiracy plan
* General George Washington
* Revolutionary War ending events

 Both the front page and page 2 have nice, lengthy letters concerning the Newburgh Conspiracy of that time.

THE COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE, Philadelphia, September, 1787  

* Philadelphia printing of the Constitution of the United States

This title, along with the "American Museum", has the honor of being the first magazine to print the Constitution of the United States. Both publications were from Philadelphia, the city where the Constitution was created.
Comments from the Library Company of Philadelphia note that it cannot be definitively determined which of these two publications was the first to…

THE ALASKA HERALD, Sitka, Sept. 26, 1892  

* Very rare Alaska Territorial issue

A quite rare newspaper from Alaska which existed for just over two years, from June 27, 1892 thru Sept. 23, 1894. This is the volume 1, number 14 issue.
This is the first of this title we have encountered in our 47+ years.
Four pages, 11 by 16 inches, printed on high-quality newsprint, pages 2 & 3 have several older tape mends causing no loss of readability, some wear at folds and margins, generally in good…

THE PENNSYLVANIA LEDGER OR THE PHILADELPHIA MARKET-DAY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia, January 3, 1778 

* Revolutionary War Tory original
* Rare Pro British issue from America

This was a Tory newspaper published in Philadelphia when the British occupied the city. It began in 1775 and ended when the British evacuated the city in May of 1778. Not surprisingly, the masthead features an engraving of the Royal coat-of-arms.
Page 2 has a very detailed letter concerning a naval battle between…

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT & WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, Hartford, April 3, 1781  

* General Henry Clinton
* Peace with Americans ?
* Revolutionary War

Pages 1 and 2 contain an excellent response to the controversial "Declaration" of General Clinton in which he offers a proposal for peace to the Americans. A few bits include: "The first thing which is offered is a pardon to all the inhabitants of these States who have been so hardy as to oppose a degradation from the rank of freemen to that of…

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL & GENERAL ADVERTISER, Providence, Rhode Island, Sept. 2, 1779 

* Battle of Stono Ferry, Charleston, South Carolina
* Battle of Chemung - New York - John Sullivan

A truly rare title from the Revolutionary War, as it lasted for less than 1 1/2 years from March, 1779 to August, 1781.
Nearly one-third of page 2 is a letter from an officer in the British army from Port Royal with his account of the Battle at Stono Ferry, a failed attempt by the Americans, under General…

THE CONTINENTAL JOURNAL & WEEKLY ADVERTISER, Boston, Sept. 4, 1777 

* Siege of Fort Stanwix - Schuyler
* American Revolutionary War

Page 3 has Revolutionary War content including an item reading: "We hear Sir William Howe has requested his Majesty, for very essential reasons, to allow him to exchange General Lee for some British officers; but that such a measure has been strongly opposed by some persons in high office."
A report from Fishkill tells some of the movements of Gen. St.…

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL & GENERAL ADVERTISER, Providence, Rhode Island, Sept. 9, 1779  

* Very rare American Revolutionary War publication
* Lengthy letter from Benjamin Franklin

A truly rare title from the Revolutionary War, as it lasted for less than 1 1/2 years from March, 1779 to August, 1781.
The entire front page and a bit of the back page are taken up with a very lengthy: "Address To the Inhabitants of Ireland", signed in type at its conclusion: B. Franklin. Versailles, October 4,…

INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE & UNIVERSAL ADVERTISER, Boston, July 9 and 13, 1795  

* John - Jay's Treaty
* George Washington

A very significant pair of issues as they contain, in its entirety, the full text of the Jay Treaty, one of the more significant 18th century documents in American history.
Taking all of the front page and a bit of page 2 in the July 9,
concluding in the issue of the 13th taking all of the front page and a bit of pg. 2 where it is signed in type by Grenville and John…

Dutch newsletter/pamphlet from Amsterdam, August, 1632  

* Very rare 17th century publication
* Siege - capture of Maastricht
* Dutch journalist & printer Broer Jansz

A very rare news pamphlet by the famed early Broer Jansz, one of the most prolific newsmen of the 17th century. Included with this item is an extensive biography of him and his work.
Included also is a translation of this 4 page pamphlet, headed: "Triumphante Tijdinghe" [Triumphant News] with the translation continuing:…

THE MASSACHUSETTS MAGAZINE, Boston, March, 1791

* First Bank of the United States creation

The issue begins with textual: "Sketches of the President Of the United States" which is nearly a 4 1/2 page biography of George Washington (the plate called for is lacking). Also inside is the conclusion of: "Description of Cape Cod & the County of Barnstable" which takes 2 1/2 pages; "The Remarkable Duel" "Female Patriotism & Fortitude" "The Origin of Tobacco, by the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin" &…

COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, Dec. 19, 1795  

* President George Washington
* State of the Union Address

Over half of the front page is taken up with the "President's Address" being George Washington's annual state-of-the-union address for the year 1795, a tradition he started in his first administration and which continues to this day.
The "Speech" as it is headed, is prefaced with: "This day, precisely at 12 o'clock, The President of the United States met both Houses of Congress in the…

THE OXFORD GAZETTE, London, January 18, 1665 (1666 by today's calendar)  

* One of the earliest & rarest of newspapers to be had

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…

THE PENNSYLVANIA LEDGER OR THE WEEKLY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia, Jan. 28, 1778  

* Revolutionary War Tory original
* Rare Pro British issue from America

This was a Tory newspaper published in Philadelphia when the British occupied the city. It began in 1775 and ended when the British evacuated the city in May of 1778. Not surprisingly, the masthead features an engraving of the Royal coat-of-arms.
Only to be found in a Loyalist newspaper, the entire front page is taken up with text and…

SOUTHERN ILLUSTRATED NEWS, Richmond, June 7, 1863

* General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
* Very rare Confederate publication

 A very rare publication from the Confederacy which seldom comes to the collector market. Although much of the content was literary in nature, there are news reports and a few illustrations.
The front page is entirely taken up with a nice illustration of: "General Lawrence O'Brien Branch" beneath which is noted: "Killed at the Battle of Sharpsburg", with a biography…

ALBANY ARMY LETTER, New York, April 10-25, 1863  

* Extremely rare publication
* American Civil War era

This was the volume 1 number 1 issue of an exceedingly rare title which lasted for just 3 issues, the others dated May 15 and May 28.
Content includes various local news, information on the progress of war, engagements of various regiments, a report of the presentation of battle flags at the Capitol, etc.
Complete in four pages, 7 1/2 by 10 3/4 inches, very nice condition.

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER--EXTRA, May 7, 1937  

* Hindenburg airship disaster
* Lakehurst NJ New Jersey
* Great headline for display

One of the very best, dramatic banner headlines we have offered on this historic catastrophe: "DIRIGIBLE HINDENBURG EXPLODES, 90 KILLED". A large front page photo shows the Hindenburg over the New York skyline, headed: "Giant Airliner That Fell in Flames", with the subhead noting: Airship Falls At Lakehurst".
This is one of the more displayable issues on…

HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, July 25, 1863 

* Battle of Gettysburg conflict scenes
* General Ulysses S. Grant vs. Robert E. Lee

The full front page is a nice portrait of: "Major-General Ulysses S. Grant ("Unconditional Surrender" Grant)". Inside has a full page: "The Siege of Vicksburg--View Upon the Extreme Right, Showing the Mississippi River Above and Below Vicksburg"; a full page with 4 prints: "The Siege of Vicksburg--Blowing Up the Rebel Fort Hill", "The City of Vicksburg Before the…

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT & WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, Hartford, April 9, 1782  

* American Revolutionary War
* America sympathizers jailed
* Independence ?

Page 2 includes: "The enemy in New York are busy in prosecuting their canal...They are also erecting a line of works on Long Island...His Excellency GENERAL WASHINGTON and his Lady arrived last Monday at Head Quarters, New-Burg, in good health."
Page 3 has a report of a London printer going to jail for his criticism of the war in…

THE TOMBSTONE EPITAPH, Tombstone, Arizona, Cochise County, January 6, 1882  

* Best Old West title to be had
* Post Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Few could argue for a more recognizable title from the Old West, nor could any town be more linked to the romance of the West than this one. Tombstone is steeped in Western lore, and the several movies concerning the gunfight at the O.K. Corral have kept this town in popular culture.
This issue was published less than three months after the…

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, Boston, Feb. 7, 1935

* Very 1st use of the term "Ivy League"
* Collegiate athletic conference
* Harvard, Yale, Brown, Princeton, etc.
* One of a kind item here ?

Page 6 contains a rather mundane, one-column article headed: "Brown Seems to Have Been Taken Into 'Ivy League' " but it is significant for being the very first use of the term "Ivy League" to appear anywhere.
Wikipedia notes in part: "The first known instance of the term Ivy League being used…

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, a trio of issues for May 16, July 17 and 18, 1941 

* Joe DiMaggio's famous hitting streak
* It begins - breaks record - and ending
* New York Yankees - MLB baseball
* 3 issue lot from his hometown publication

The sports page of May 16 has a report on the game with the Chicago White Sox, noting a 13-1 defeat, but also including the box score which shows Joe DiMaggio had a hit. Also a neat subhead noting: "Joe Singles", likely because Joe is from San Francisco.
…

DAILY RICHMOND EXAMINER, Virginia, July 11, 1863  

* Battle of Gettysburg
* Rebel account

The front page includes: "Charleston" "Yankee Agents In England" "The Courts" "City Intelligence" "Prisoners" "Sale of Negroes in Georgia" with a list of names, ages and prices--fascinating; "Another Attack On Charleston" "Our Army in the North" and other items.
But the prime content on the front page would be two reports, one headed: "From General Lee's Army" which has reports on his army's…

THE ALASKAN, Sitka, Alaska Territory, June 4, 1887 

* Very rare Alaska Territorial issue

Rarely are newspapers from Alaska found from before the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 when interest grew dramatically. This newspaper pre-dates the gold rush by ten years.
The format of the newspaper is much like other newspapers of the day, being four pages of small folio size (measures 13 by 20 in.).
The front page has an interesting article about the Eskimos, titled: "From Kodiak" which begins:…

CHICAGO EVENING POST--EXTRA, Oct. 10, 1871  

* Great Chicago fire disaster
* From the same city (very rare)

This is perhaps the very best Chicago Fire issue we have offered. Not only is it from Chicago, but it is a day earlier than any other report we have offered from Chicago.
Most of the first column is taken up with heads including; "CHICAGO IN FLAMES" "An All-Night Carnival of the Fire Fiend!" "The Most Extensive & Devastating Conflagration of the 19th Century!" "A Fire Originates…

THE POLYNESIAN, Honolulu, (Hawaii), Feb. 5, 1859 

* Very rare 19th century Hawaiian publication

A quite rare newspaper from such an early date, in fact outside of "The Friend" which was more of a missionary newspaper, this is the second oldest Hawaii newspaper we have offered.
It is formatted much like other newspapers of the day with the front page containing both ads & news items, page 2 containing mostly news, and pages 3 & 4 a combination of both, but mostly ads.
Four pages, never…

THE CONNECTICUT COURANT & WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, Hartford, March 26, 1782 

* Reaction to Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown
* American Revolutionary War ending

Page 2 has some nice reporting on the military events further to the west, from a letter from Kentucky dated Dec. 6. It reports on the work of General Clarke near Fort Pitt, Colonel Loughrie, and some events near Detroit. An item mentions: "...that the enemy had evacuated John's Island about six miles from Charlestown & still…

HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, August 22, 1874  Certainly the most notable print in this issue is the very nice full page by Winslow Homer titled: "Waiting for a Bite." It is in great condition.
Other prints in this issue are a full ftpg. illus. "The Little Vagrant." Inside is a 1/2 pg. map of "The Gold Regions of the Black Hills, Explored by General Custer's Expedition."; a halfpg. of "Hunting Grounds of the King of Italy."; a halfpg. of:  "A Paris Sketch - Scene in the champs Elysees."; a full…

THE LONDON GAZETTE, England, September 17, 1666

* Among the earliest of newspapers to be had
* The Great London Fire disaster
* Charles II of England creates safety codes

 Certainly one of the more notable events in London history was the Great Fire which began on September 2. Very shortly thereafter, in an effort to rebuild London in a safe manner, the King issued various directives as to how the city would be rebuilt.
This text takes nearly half of the back page with a few portions…

VILLAGE VOICE, Greenwich Village, New York City, July 3, 1969  

* Stonewall riots - uprising - rebellion
* LGBT - gay community protests
* Birth of the gay pride civil rights movement
* The best issue to be had (very rare)

The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, began in the early hours of June 28, 1969 when New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City.
The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and…

GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, London, January, 1778  

* Rare Revolutionary War New York map
* Benjamin Franklin letter - Ethan Allen

Of great significance is the very nice foldout map headed: "Map of Hudson's River with the Adjacent Country", which shows from Crown Point & Ticonderoga, south to Philadelphia, & also from Long Island to Lake Ontario with considerable detail.
This map measures 9 1/4 by 12 1/2 inches, nice condition. A small bit was cut from lower left margin so it could be folded…

HARPER'S WEEKLY, New York, January 1, 1881 

* Best of all Thomas Nast illustrations - prints
* Christmas - Santa Claus - Kris Kringle - Saint Nick

The full front page is a Thomas Nast illustration: "The Dear Little Boy That Thought Christmas Came Oftener." This print is somewhat compromised by the browning and mild margin wear, including the darker strip at the left side.
But certainly the most notable print is the terrific doublepage centerfold by Thomas Nast: "MERRY OLD SANTA…

THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, June 22, 1773

* Phillis Wheatley's London arrival
* Famous Woman servant turned poet

Certainly the most notable report is found on the back page, which contains: "Last Thursday the celebrated negro girl Phillis, the Poet, whose extraordinary talents have lately been taken notice of in the News Papers, arrived in London from Boston in New England. She had a letter of recommendation from a merchant at Boston to a bookseller in London, and is shortly to be…

THE GLOBE Semi-Weekly edition, Washington, D.C., April 5, 1841 

* President William Henry Harrison
* Washington, D.C. death - 1st report

The upper right corner of the front page has what appears to be almost a news bulletin headed: "Death Of The President", datelined "April 4, two o'clock, A.M." and beginning: "It is with deep regret we announce that WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON is no more. He died at thirty minutes before one o'clock this morning..." with further particulars.
Much…

GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES, New York, August 29, 1789 

* U.S. Congress version of the "Bill of Rights"
* United States Constitution - Amendments
* Presidents George Washington & John Adams

This is a very significant issue, as page 2 contains an early version of the historic Bill of Rights.
As a brief history, the Constitution was signed in September 1787 and sent to the Congress. Eleven days later, it was submitted to the states for ratification. But as the people began to examine…

THE PENNSYLVANIA PACKET & DAILY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia, October 6, 1789  

* Ratification of the "Bill of Rights" - Congress
* United States Constitution - Amendments

Arguably the most significant documents of late 18th century in American history would be the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This issue contains the latter, printed in its entirety as submitted to the states for ratification.
In September of 1789 the U.S. Congress passed and sent…

BLACK HILLS DAILY PIONEER, Deadwood City, Black Hills, Nov. 24, 1878  

* Rare publication
* Famous wild West town
* "Wild Bill" Hickok fame

This city would arguably be--along with Tombstone & Dodge City--one of the more famous of all the towns from the rough & tumble days of the Old West, and only rarely do such issues come to light.
This issue is from the "heyday" of the Wild West. Some of the most celebrated names of the Old West passed through Deadwood, not the least of whom was…

COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, Boston, March 5, 1806 

* Thomas Jefferson message to U.S. Congress
* First published information on Lewis and Clark

The front page has a nice "Message" to the Congress signed in type by the President: Th. Jefferson, with much concerning the Lewis & Clark Expedition, including: "...Capt. Meriwether Lewis...was appointed, with a party of men, to explore the river Missouri from its mouth to its source, and crossing the highlands by the shortest portage to seek the best…

THE DAILY CONFEDERATE, Raleigh, North Carolina, June 1, 1864  

* Very rare rebel publication

It is always desirable to find a newspaper having the word "Confederate" in the title. Here is one.
There is a wealth of war reporting, some articles including: "An Appeal to the People of the Confederate States" "Treason" "From the Enemy's Lines--Grant's Unprecedented Losses" "The War" "General Bragg & the Evacuation of Petersburg" and more.
Complete as a single sheet issue, there are various…

THE BATTERY, Washington, July 13, 1848  

* President Zachary Taylor
* Rare campaign publication
* Nice masthead for display

This was a campaign newspaper supporting Zachary Taylor for President and Millard Fillmore for Vice President. And it is the volume 1, number 2 issue.
In the era before radio, television, and the internet it was not uncommon for political parties to create short-lived newspapers to support their candidate and publicize their political platform. Such newspapers…

THE BATTERY, Washington, Aug. 10 1848  

* Great political themed masthead engraving
* Supporting Zachery Taylor for president

This was a campaign newspaper supporting Zachary Taylor for President and Millard Fillmore for Vice President.
In the era before radio, television, and the internet it was not uncommon for political parties to create short-lived newspapers to support their candidate and publicize their political platform. Such newspapers were short-lived; once the election was…

HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE, (New York), February, 1867 

* Wild Bill Hickok
* Folklore hero of Old West
* Gunfighter & scout

Featured on the front page is a great full-figure print of "Wild Bill" Hickok, one of the most notable names from the Old West who was very much a legend in his own time.
Such a print of him is rarely found in newspapers or magazines, and in fact this was the very first published image of Wild Bill Hickok. Nine years later he would die as famously as he lived,…

NEW YORK SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, Feb. 28, 1860 

* Historic Abraham Lincoln address
* Cooper Institute Union speech
* Launched into national prominence 

The front page has over five columns devoted to coverage of this famous speech which is headed: "NATIONAL POLITICS" "A Speech Delivered at the Cooper Institute Last Evening, by Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois".
At this point Lincoln had not declared himself a presidential candidate, and this was his first opportunity to establish his platform before an…

THE ROYAL AMERICAN GAZETTE, New York, February 23, 1779  

* American Revolutionary War
* Extremely rare publication
* Loyalist - support to the British cause

This is an exceedingly rare title, in fact the very first we have offered. It was published by Alexander and James Robertson, beginning in January, 1777 and existed until some tim in 1783.
Brigham's "History & Bibliography of American Newspapers" notes that just two institutions have this date.
The rarity of the title exceeds…

THE OXFORD GAZETTE, England, Dec. 7, 1665 

* Earliest & Rarest of newspapers to be had
* Great Plague of London - epidemic deaths

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. Plus this is the #7 issue.
Because of the Plague and an attempt to avoid the contagion, the Royal Court removed itself from London to Oxford when this newspaper began, so issues #1 thru…

THE LONDON CHRONICLE, England, Nov. 27, 1781  

* Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
* Revolutionary War ending
* Historic item - 1st report

This is one of the more noteworthy issues of the Chronicle for the entire Revolutionary War, as it is the first issue in this title to announce the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, essentially ending the Revolutionary War.
Although the formal letter from Cornwallis announcing the surrender would appear in the next issue, that issue dated…