Paul Revere engraved the masthead... Battle of Alamance...

Item # 718665

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January 23, 1772

THE MASSACHUSETTS SPY, Boston, Jan. 23, 1772

* Paul Revere masthead engraving
* Pre American Revolutionary War
* Battle of Alamance - North Carolina

This newspaper published by the famed Isaiah Thomas is undoubtedly one of the more significant & notable titles of the Revolutionary War era. An ardent patriot, Thomas was a constant target of the Royalist government. He began his newspaper in Boston but upon British occupation of the city in 1775, rather than cease publication he moved his press further west and continued printing in Worcester. Also, the handsomely engraved masthead was created by none other than Paul Revere, who did masthead engravings for but a few New England newspapers of the 18th century, this arguably being his most famous.
Nearly a full column on the front page & half a column on pg. 2 is a letter concerning the oppression of the Americans by the British, a few bits including: "...to specify what rights & liberties the Americans are deprived of...acknowledges that if our property lays at the mercy of despotic rulers, or task-masters, we are in a state of tyranny. If the following position be true, that agreeable to the British constitution of government, the property of British subjects cannot be taken from them without their consent; and it can be made to appear that the property of the Americans is ever hour taken from them without their consent..." with much more on this.
The back page has a very lengthy letter which relates to the Regulators of North Carolina, beginning: "The voice of blood penetrates the skies and wantonly shed, awakens the feelings of all human creatures...". Also fine reporting on the Battle of Alamance which was the final battle of the Regulator Movement.
Four pages, never bound nor trimmed with uncommonly wide margins, some period notations in the bottom margin, a few professional archival repairs, nice condition.

AI notes: The Massachusetts Spy, founded in 1770 by Isaiah Thomas in Boston, was a prominent Patriot newspaper in the years leading up to the American Revolution, known for its political commentary and support of colonial resistance to British policies. Its 1772 issues featured a distinctive masthead engraved by Paul Revere, a renowned silversmith and patriot, whose work added both artistic and symbolic weight to the publication; the engraving often included allegorical imagery such as the “Join or Die” snake motif in later issues, emphasizing colonial unity against British rule. The newspaper’s full title at the time read The Massachusetts Spy, or Thomas’s Boston Journal, and Revere’s masthead contributed to its visual identity, making the issues highly collectible today. Issues from this period, such as those from January 1772, were printed on single sheets with wide margins, often containing essays, news items, and political commentary, reflecting both the intellectual ferment of Boston and the growing revolutionary sentiment in the colonies. The combination of Revere’s craftsmanship, Thomas’s editorial voice, and the Spy’s role as a Patriot organ make these newspapers significant historical artifacts of early American journalism.