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One of the great rarities in American magazines...
One of the great rarities in American magazines...
Item # 702283
May 01, 1745
THE AMERICAN MAGAZINE, Boston, May, 1745
* Very rare & early colonial magazine
* Great Boston masthead engraving
This is a very rare title, actually the first successful magazine in American history done in the traditional magazine format (Christian History preceded this by several years but was exclusively a chronicle of the Great Awakening).
This magazine existed for about 3 years. Two previous attempts at a magazine in the colonies only lasted a few issues, one published by Ben Franklin.
Several pages are taken up with reports of the: "Proceedings of the Political Club". Then also: "Proceedings of the College of Physicians in London" "Observations on Love & Marriage" "On Self-Love" "An Account of the British Navy" and more.
Near the back is the "Historical Chronicle" with latest news reports from Rhode Island & Boston, the latter with lengthy details of a military enounter.
Of great significance is the presence of the full title/contents page with the Boston imprint. We have had a few issues of this title in recent years but all were lacking the engraved title page and the advertising leaf.
The engraving on the title page features two Indians with the skyline of Boston in the background, plus Boston harbor conning several ships.
Complete in 52 pages, 5 1/4 by 8 inches, printed on high-quality newsprint, a bit of light foxing, very nice condition.
background: This issue of The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle from May 1745 represents a landmark in colonial print culture, as it was the first publication in the British American colonies to successfully mirror the sophisticated "gentleman's magazine" format of London. While earlier attempts by luminaries like Benjamin Franklin had folded within months, this Boston-based venture, printed by Rogers and Fowle, achieved a rare longevity by blending high-minded intellectual essays—such as the "Proceedings of the Political Club" and "Observations on Love & Marriage"—with urgent, localized reporting in its "Historical Chronicle." The presence of the complete title page is of exceptional consequence for collectors; it features a celebrated copperplate engraving by James Turner that illustrates the 18th-century colonial worldview, juxtaposing indigenous figures with a burgeoning, ship-filled Boston harbor. Furthermore, the May 1745 date places this issue at the height of the Siege of Louisbourg, making its news reports essential primary source material for the most significant military event in New England’s pre-Revolutionary history.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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$4,895.00
