General Americana Catalog

Presented for sale by Phil Barber, Cambridge, Mass. 02139 Telephone (617) 492-4653
www.historicpages.com

About This Era and its Newspapers

The inhabitants of the United States have, then, at present, no national literature. The only authors who I acknowledge as American are the journalists. They are indeed not great writers, but they speak the language of their countrymen, and make themselves heard by them. -Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1831.
In this category we list newspapers from the time of the "Penny Press" revolution of the 1830's up to about the turn of the century. In the Jacksonian populist Thirties, advances in printing and papermaking technology led to an explosion of newspaper growth. The "Penny Press" was so named because it was now possible for the first time to produce a daily newspaper that could be sold for just a cent a copy. Previously, newspapers were the province of the wealthy, literate minority. The price of a year's subscription, usually over a full week's pay for a laborer, had to be paid in full and "invariably in advance." This sudden availability of cheap, interesting reading material was a significant stimulus to the achievement of the nearly universal literacy now taken for granted in America.

The industrial revolution, as it transformed all aspects of American life and society, dramatically affected newspapers. Both the numbers of papers and their paid circulations rose dramatically. The 1850 U.S. census catalogued 2,526 titles of periodicals in print. In the 1850's powerful, giant presses appeared, able to print ten thousand complete papers per hour. At this time the first "pictorial" weekly newspapers emerged; they featured for the first time extensive illustrations of events in the news, as woodcut engravings made from correspondents' sketches or taken from that new invention, the photograph.

There are published in the United States alone as many periodicals and papers as are produced in the whole of Europe. It is no matter of surprise then that America should be centuries ahead of the Old World in point of intelligence and general diffusion of knowledge. -Walt Whitman, editorial in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 23, 1846

Newspaper growth continued unabated in the years following the War for the Union. An astounding 11,314 different papers were recorded in the 1880 census. By the 1890's the first circulation figures of a million copies per issue were recorded (ironically, these newspapers are now quite rare due to the atrocious quality of cheap paper then in use, and to great losses in World War II era paper drives) At this period appeared the features of the modern newspaper, bold "banner" headlines, extensive use of illustrations, "funny pages," plus expanded coverage of organized sporting events. The rise of "yellow journalism" also marks this era. In our time, radio and television have replaced newspapers as the nation's primary information sources, so it may be difficult for the modern journalism hobbyist initially to fully appreciate the pivotal role that newspapers have played in our history.

Papers and magazines from many different states and territories appear in these Nineteenth Century offerings. All shades of opinion are to be found in the editorials of these periodicals, along with full local, national and world news reporting. The differences in the earliest issues and the latest in this period are quite startling. The true modern newspaper slowly takes shape, decade by decade, in response to improvements in reporting techniques, printing and paper making technology, and to changing social values and interests.

In this period America left behind its roots as a small agrarian republic to assume its worldwide role as an imperial power, fueled by an industrial growth unprecedented in history. Physically the nation grew from a small area of the eastern seaboard to dominate the continent. From a policy of maintaining no standing army, a huge military establishment blossomed. From the Founders' ideal of a limited government grew a gigantic Federal bureaucracy. From a nation of small farming towns, America became a land of sprawling cities and heavy industry. There were of course conflicting opinions over the course the nation was taking, some of which exploded into violent confrontation and the most bitter political acrimony. To read about them now as they were reported at the time can furnish the modern collector with most interesting insights of how dramatic our history has been, and how rapid, almost overwhelming change has been the norm, rather than the exception, for some two hundred years now.

About The Catalog Listings

All items in this catalog are unconditionally guaranteed to be genuine and accurately described. Any item may be returned within seven days of receipt for a full refund. No reason for return is ever required.They are in fine used condition and are complete with all pages as issued. All papers are free of damage or objectionable defects. We are sure you will be delighted with their exceptional state of preservation. We purchase only the finest condition newspapers that can be found to offer to our valued friends and customers.

These are the finest quality original antique newspapers and magazines, that you might find elsewhere priced at much greater cost. It has always been my policy to present my catalog items at "wholesale to the public" prices. Therefore all catalog items and quoted prices are net, and are not subject to further discount, either for dealers or in consideration of quantity orders. It is our policy to price our items based on what we believe to be their fair market value. I do not set prices at absurdly inflated levels to take advantage of novices or "investors"; nor do employ the common ploy of starting with an unrealistically high price in order to "negotiate" a phony discount later. As over a third of our catalog orders are from dealers buying for resale, at our stated prices, we have every confidence that this policy maintains an ethical standard of integrity and fairness to all.

Newspapers are full folio size unless described as quarto (abbreviated 4to) or octavo (8vo), which are respectively smaller in format. Most newspapers have been removed from bound volumes and may exhibit characteristic minor spine weakness or separation without significant paper loss. Most small format octavo magazines of 40 or more pages are disbound from annual volumes and lack wraps unless otherwise stated, as these were very rarely preserved in the bound runs. Illustration plates are lacking unless described as present in the description, as most were framed by the original subscribers. Illustrations are provided of a number of items (more will be added), depicting as much of them as can be shown with my 8 1/2" x 11" scanner. To access the pictures, click on the highlighted link that follows the catalog listing. When done viewing, select the "Back" button in your browser to return to this page.

Each catalog entry is briefly described for its general appearance, historical significance, and content. Every one contains hours of additional historic reading and insights into the world preserved on its pages, much more than I could find the space to describe here.

I pride myself on the quality and accuracy of my catalog descriptions, and strive to provide all the information needed to enable you to make an informed selection. Please consult my collector information pages and glossary of terms page linked below, if you are not sure what the descriptions mean. Your comments are always welcome, as are your inquiries, if you have questions about these historic collectibles. We value our customers, and appreciate the confidence you place in us when ordering from our on line catalogs. We strive to merit your patronage and to enrich your collecting experience through accurate, knowledgeable descriptions, honest pricing, courteous service, and timely order filling. Enjoy your browsing!

Pictures of Cataloged Items
Scans or digital photos are available of many items in this catalog. To view them, click the "VIEW SCAN" button in the listing. You can return to the catalog by using your browser's "BACK" command. Illustrations are of the exact item being offered for sale and depict a full page or a detail close-up of a page of the issue. All papers are complete and undamaged as noted. Photos of newspapers described as "Atmosphere Issues" are of typical issues in stock and are provided to give an idea of the papers' general appearance. I hope to be able to provide pictures of all the items, as time allows and as I become more proficient with the scanner and digital camera. Please note that the camera flash tends to exaggerate the color brown, so foxing and/or spotting, where present, is not as dramatic as the photos would seem it to be.

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How to Order from This Catalog

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A Superb Illustrated Broadside of Significance in American Journalism
G1-001. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE NEW YORK EVENING POST, July 01, 1875. [Complete original issue, 4 pages, elephant folio size, published at New York by William Cullen Bryant & Company]
With this day's issue comes a singlesheet "Supplement" celebrating the removal of the paper to its elegant new offices and printing plant on Broadway and Fulton (often called "the busiest corner in America") Measuring fully 19" x 24" this beautiful poster depicts the new building, which is fully described there. The occasion is also close to the paper's 75th anniversary, so the first issue's "Prospectus" is printed here to remind the reader of the paper's ideal, to help the citizens stay informed so they can be responsible participants in democracy. Excellent item of great historical import.
Condition of this issue is of the broadside is quite choice very fine, with clear archival tape reinforcement on verso at fold line; the regular issue is a bit chipped at the edge and shows remnants of a paper binding strip at spine . . . 75.00

Letter from Henry Clay in a Presidential Association Newspaper
G1-021. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE DAILY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, October 29, 1851. [Complete issue of 4 pages, oversize folio size, published at Washington, D.C., by Gales & Seaton]
Front-page "THE COMPROMISE MEASURES", "Correspondence with Hon. Henry Clay" is a 2 1/2 column long letter signed in type H CLAY in which he explains at length his strong pro-slaveholding sentiments and his concerns over hotheads in both regions, saying if such a suicidal error as voluntary secession were legally allowed by the Constitution, then "we must cease to boast of the wisdom of our forefathers who founded it.." Inside is a lengthy editorial on "The Great Issue in South Carolina" resulting in the rout of the influential but not yet all-powerful secessionist radicals. Also news from Gold Rush California, from where a ship bearing over five tons of gold has just docked at New York, Mexican uprising and more. This paper was originally delivered to future President James Buchanan at his "Wheatland" estate in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His name, written by an Intelligencer subscription clerk appears prominently on Page One in the masthead (nameplate) area. A Letter of authenticity and provenance is included with this issue. The lengthy content on secession is quite relevant, as Presidential Buchanan would find himself unable to provide strong leadership when the conspirators finally put their plan to smash the Union into action in 1860, the last year of his Presidency.
Condition of this issue is quite fine and clean (2.00 postage) . . . 25.00

A Very Rare Early Glimpse of Japan!
G1-031. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE SAILOR'S MAGAZINE, July, 1846. [Complete issue of 32 pages, octavo size, published at Boston, Mass.]
"VISIT TO JAPAN" is a four-page account of the adventure of Captain Cooper, of the "whaleship" "Manhattan" of Sag Harbor. He tells of his reception in Jeddo (Tokyo), the customs and dress of the people, the government and natural features of this mysterious forbidden island kingdom, where most westerners might face death for daring to visit. Great item in this fine magazine devoted to the interests of seamen and their spiritual needs.
Condition of this issue is fine . . . 25.00

First Appearance in Print of Harriet Jacobs - Plus Karl Marx!
G1-037. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE NEW YORK WEEKLY TRIBUNE, June 25, 1853. [Complete issue of 8 pages, folio size, published at New York by Horace Greeley]
Occupying a full Page One column is a gripping "Letter from a Fugitive Slave" in which she recounts her life as a slave, the early and ongoing sexual abuse of herself and her sister at the hands of their "gentleman" master, the sale of her children, aged two and four, and then of her sister because of the mistress' jealousy. She details her flight to freedom, friendless and alone, through the hostile northern states. She concludes with a comment on the newly-published classic, that "in Uncle Tom's Cabin she [Harriet Beecher Stowe] has not told the half" of the true horror of American slavery, particularly how it degrades women, both white and black.
This powerful article was authored by Harriet Jacobs (1813 - 1897) in response to a piece just run in the Tribune by former first Lady Julia Tyler saying how kind slavery was to African people. An ardent Abolitionist speaker and reformer, Jacobs would write the first American autobiography of a black woman, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861. This letter is her first-ever appearance in print, and as such is a choice addition to any collection of Black Americana, and indeed of any collection charting the progress of freedom in the United States.
Also on page one is "GREAT BRITAIN", "Correspondance of the New York Tribune" almost two columns of financial and political news and analysis, signed in type by the paper's London correspondant KARL MARX. He was paid about $4 for each such article, which is said by some to be the only steady income he earned in his lifetime. It begins with a discussion of how the rising interest rate - as Marx predicted - will affect Gladstone's policies, and continues with insightful discussions of current affairs. Marx's analyses of the European economics of his time are unsurpassed. Ever contrary and inflexibly opinionated, Marx delighted in declaring to his youthful admirers "I am not a Marxist!"
Also, news from Gold Rush California, early description of Southern Florida datelined KEY WEST, and more
Condition is choice bright very fine . . . SOLD

Scarce Southern Almanac
G1-041. [PAMPHLET]. THE WARROCK-RICHARDSON MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, and NORTH CAROLINA ALMANACK, FOR, 1897. [Complete issue of 95 pages, octavo size, published at Richmond, Virginia, by James E. Goode]
This fine example of the classic annual contains the calendar pages with phases of the moon and notable holidays, together with an encyclopedic reference section of the state of Virginia, its government, counties, officials, statistics, etc., with similar stats for the federal government and Maryland and N.C.., a lengthy section on the Post Office rates and regulations, and much more. Fine example of the popular genre, Warrock's first appeared in 1815.
Condition is bright clean VF internally, light scuffing to covers, old oil spot on back cover . . . 20.00

First Printing of an Uncommon Edgar Allen Poe Story
G1-225. [SINGLE ISSUE] GRAHAM'S AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE, November, 1845. [Complete issue of 48 pages, octavo size, published at Philadelphia, Penna., by George Graham]
The first article in this issue of the classic American magazine is the first appearance of the story "The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether", written by the great Edgar Allen Poe. This humorous satire of a new system of treating mental patients is strongly influenced by Charles Dickens' recent similar narrative. See the Poe Society Article for further discussion of this remarkable work, written at the crest of Poe's popularity. Much more in the issue, how Indians hunt buffalo and other features. Copper engravings include one of the Georgia Medical College. IN THE ORIGINAL STATE, never bound or trimmed, stitched as issued, with both illustration plates andthe printed light tan covers, extremely uncommon thus. Rare opportunity to obtain an important magazine that is relatively available in bound annual volumes but almost never seen as issued.
Condition of this issue is very good, some normal age wear and spotting to the covers, internally very fine . . . 175.00

Indians!
G1-226. [SINGLE ISSUE]. STREET & SMITH'S NEW YORK WEEKLY, October 20, 1873. [Complete issue of 8 pages, folio size, published at New York by Francis Street and Francis Smith]
A large Page One woodcut depicts Luke "The Forest King" about to knife a tomahawk-wielding Indian, with an installment of his story. More exciting reading within by the sensationalist authors of the era male and female. Articles on "Marrying a Twin", "Strange Case of Insanity" and an editorial against the shocking corruption of the national government by the to-trusting President Grant. Classic example of the genre that invented the enduring "Wild West" myth.
Condition is never bound, generally quite fine, tiny fold intersection wear spot . . . 25.00

First Appearance of Walt Whitman's Most Important Early Published Prose
G1-248. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE NEW WORLD, November 20, 1841. [Complete original issue, 16 pages, quarto size, published at New York, by James Winchester]
Prominently placed on the frontage is the "Original Tale","The Child's Champion, By Walter Whitman." This story cautions against the excessive use of alcohol, and how alcoholism so tragically affects the family life. This humble tale is now recognized to be the most important of Whitman's early works, for in it the great poet establishes the theological foundation for his lifelong theme of the profoundly redemptive power of manly love. Critics herald this story as the origin of the emergent tradition followed by Horatio Alger and Henry James, which so influenced American nineteenth century culture. The young Whitman was employed by New World editor Park Benjamin as a compositor since May, and he must surely have set the type for his own story! Classic literary Americana
Condition of this issue is generally clean very fine, carefully extracted from a bound volume, faintest scattered foxing . . . 295.00

First Printing of Walt Whitman's "Great Army of the Sick"
G1-249. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE NEW YORK TIMES, February 26, 1863. [Complete original issue, 8 pages, folio size, published at New York, by Henry Raymond & Co.]
Printed on page two is the full text of "The Great Army of the Sick", Walt Whitman's remarkable prose account of his experiences as a U.S. army nurse in Washington hospitals, where so many soldiers breathed their last with the great poet at their side. Moving account if the sacrifices of loyal men in the great struggle to preserve the United States, as only this greatest of American poets could write it. It is signed at the end in block capitals simply WHITMAN. The full text of this article is online at the Electric classroom Plus Civil War news and ads and so forth. Superb Americana for the best of collections.
Condition of this issue is choice problem-free very fine . . . 295.00

Thoreau's Newest Book Reviewed on Page One1
G1-270. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE NEW-YORK WEEKLY TRIBUNE, June 16, 1849. [Complete issue of 8 pages, folio size, published at New York by Horace Greeley]
Filling two Page One columns is a very detailed and complimentary review of Henry David Thoreau's " A Week on the Concord and Merrimac Rivers". With lengthy excerpts from the new book, the review begins "Mr. Thoreau's... observations of Nature are as genial as Nature herself, and the tones of his harp have an Aeolian sweetness." Fine literary history, on the prized Front page. Within, two columns of western news include a full column of accounts of the California Gold Rush. Comanches on the warpath in Texas, much more in this great classic of 19th century journalism .
Condition of this issue is fine . . . 55.00

First Glimpse of the Small Cent and the First Harper's Mention of Coin Collecting!
G1-275. [SINGLE ISSUE]. HARPER'S WEEKLY, February 7, 1857. [Complete issue of 16 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by the Harper Brothers]
A life-size illustration of the pattern 1856-dated Flying Eagle Cent graces a good article entitled "Not A Red Cent" on the new copper nickel coin with a nostalgic farewell to the old, smelly, dirty and impractical large cent. It had been nicknamed "red" because its first issue was struck in almost pure copper and was a dazzling red when fresh from the mint. Also in this issue we read an account of early coin collectors; some of these eccentrics are said to be daft enough to give their " weight in gold" for certain old copper cents. Classic numismatica. Also a two-page illustrated visit to China and more in this Vol. I No.7 issue of the great newsweekly. (Extra postage 85¢)
Condition is very fine aged to a fine even light tan, not at all objectionable . . . 35.00

Fine Pictorial Weekly Christian Newspaper
G1-301. [ATMOSPHERE ISSUE] THE ILLUSTRATED CHRISTIAN WEEKLY, 1872. [Complete issue of 12 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by the American Tract Society]
The editor of this short-lived weekly was the respected Congregationalist clergyman Lyman Abbott (1833 - 1922), a major figure in 19th century American religious life. His newspaper contains words and pictures of old-fashioned Christian values in action, together with commentary on the passing scene, humor, home life, and more. Fine sentimental engravings abound of family life and values, in an era when many popular publications were considered inappropriate for family use and traditional values were under attack in the great social upheaval of the post-Civil War years. Not an often encountered title. .
Condition of this issue is very fine . . . 5.95
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A Fine Abolitionist Newspaper With Exceptional Provenance
G1-303. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE EMANCIPATOR AND WEEKLY CHRONICLE, April 2, 1845. [Complete issue of 4 pages, large folio size, published at Boston, Mass., by Leavitt & Alden]
The slaveholders' desire to annex Cuba as a slave sate is denounced on Page One. The tragedy extermination of the native peoples of Hawaii is reported, state of slavery there. Much on the Whig Party and its attitude toward slavery, considerable more news and ads of all sorts.
This issue of the Anti-Slavery Society spokesman was the personal property of James G. Birney; his name, written in by a subscription clerk, appears at the frontpage Masthead. Birney (1792 - 1857 ) was a prominent anti-slavery leader and Presidential candidate on the aggressively antislavery Liberty party ticket in 1840 and in 1844, making a respectable showing in several northern states. His advocacy of abolition by peaceful, constitutional means included attacks on the complacency of Whigs and Democrats alike. Scarcer title, with only a handful of scattered issues in the U.S., according to the Union List of Serials.
Condition is nice very fine, extra postage 1.00. . . . 85.00

Unrecorded Full Year of a Newspaper Containing Mary Baker Eddy's Early Defense of Her Teachings
G1-389. [BOUND VOLUME]. THE LYNN TRANSCRIPT. Volume V, 52 ISSUES + I EXTRA, Jan. 1 to Dec. 28, 1872. [each issue of 4 pages, elephant folio size, published at Lynn, Mass.]
The issues of January 20, January 27, February 3, and February 10 (plus possibly others) contain letters by or about Lynn resident Mary Glover, more famous as Mary Baker Eddy after her 1877marriage to Asa Eddy. She authored "Science and the Scriptures" and was the founder in 1879 of the Christian Science Church. While in Lynn in the 1870's she developed the theories that led to this revelation. In these issues "Moral Science and Mesmerism" are debated, which include one of her earliest statements on her beliefs, in the Jan. 20 letter, with testimonial letters from her early students. A running correspondence with William Wright is quite hostile, calling her "deluded", after he has been bound not to libel her further. Most of Eddy's pre-Christian Scientist writings were published in the rival Lynn Reporter; only in this year and in 1871 did her writings appear in this title.
This volume is ex-Lynn Historical Society and is UNRECORDED in the authoritative Union List of Newspapers (see page 292), where a single 1872 volume is cited, in the great newspaper collection of Duke University in North Carolina; the present example may well be the only one ever available on the private market. No other U.S. libraries appear to have even scattered 1872 issues of the title.
Condition is fine internally, Feb 3. issue with short blind tears easily mendable; publisher's half-leather marbled boards are detached and scuffed, spine perishing. Extra postage 8.50. . . . 1,500.00

The W.C.T.U and the World's Fair
G1-391. [SINGLE ISSUE]. OUR HOME GUARDS, June and July, 1893. [Complete issue of 12pages + wraps, large quarto size, published at Newfane, Vermont]
This special double number of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union monthly, dedicated to the abolition of the trade in spirituous liquors in the U.S., is subtitled the "Colombian Exposition Souvenir Number" and is filled with news and portraits of the society, its leaders, and their doings, as well as impressions of the great Chicago World's fair. Great. detailed history of the famed social movement in its strongest organization. .
Condition is nice VF, never bound, in the original state as issued. . . . 8.50

Early Militant Temperance Organization Newsletter
G1-392. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE VERMONT ISSUE, March, 1905. [Complete issue of 8 pages, large octavo size, published at Essex Junction, Vermont]
Cover proclaims "GREAT VICTORY ... Dry for 1905" as more Vermont towns vote to abolish liquor sales. This monthly of the Vermont Ant-Saloon League contains more news of the organization, its principles, and activities, and extracts from the Annual Report of 1904, in which the group staged no fewer than 251 "agitation meetings" statewide and raised the enormous sum of some six thousand dollars. "Moderate Drinking" piece ends "the only one safe way is taste, touch, and handle not" the deadly drink. Quite uncommon..
Condition is nice VF, never bound original state. . . . 6.00


G1-402. THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN LITERARY MESSENGER AND REVIEW, 1846. [Complete issue of 64 pages, 8vo size, published at Richmond, Virginia] The famed Southern Literary Messenger of Poe and adopted this expanded name for just two of its years of publication. There are feature articles, fiction, reviews and more. Not a common title Generally fine with occasional light foxing or spotting typical of Southern imprints; from a volume, w/o wraps . . . 9.95

Honor the Victims of the "Boston Massacre"? Never!
G1-403. [PAMPHLET]. Goodell, The Boston Massacre, June, 1887. [Complete issue of 8 pages, 8vo size, published at Boston Mass]
In this most interesting private offprint of an article published in the Advertiser, the author raises considerable objections to spending city money for a proposed monument to the victims of the 1770 Boston "Massacre". The noted historian author shows them (quite truthfully, in fact) to have been a violent mob of multiracial street gangs -perhaps not too unlike the trade unionists and anarchists terrorizing their betters in 1887- who attacked the defenders of law and order in Colonial Boston. Provocative content, accurate as far as it goes; the leaders of the American Revolution in Boston sometimes used mob violence perpetrated by the lowest social classes (whom they promptly disenfranchised after the war) to achieve their ends. The monument was built anyway and may be seen today on the Tremont Street side of Boston Common.
Fine example of the classic American art of political pamphleteeringCondition is about as new . . . 8.95

Attractive Early California History
G1-560. [PAMPHLET]. Society of California Pioneers. Ceremonies at the Laying of the Corner Stone of the New Pioneer Hall..., [September] 1862. [Complete issue of 26 + 1 pages, octavo size, published at San Francisco, California, by Charles Calhoun]
This splendid early California imprint contains the full detailed account of the historic cornerstone ceremony, which includes a tantalizing enigmatic reference only to "Coins of the United States" among other items placed there. Also are the speeches and a poem on the event. Also the celebrations of the 12th anniversary of California's admission to the Union delivered by Society President Washburn. The society's membership was restricted to those Californians who had been there before 1849, when the vast wave of gold seekers came. Ending the work are "Resolutions in Regards to John A. Sutter" appointing a committee to present the discoverer of gold in California "a substantial mark of their gratitude for his many good and charitable deeds towards the early settlers of the State...", the sum of $500 already being subscribed for the purpose. Fine old California history
Condition is generally quite fine, in the original printed tan wraps, slight corner creasing last few leaves. . . . 150.00

Magnificent Color Map of New England
G1-586. [MAP] MAP OF NEW ENGLAND, from Walling & Gray's OFFICIAL TOPOGRAPHICAL ATLAS OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1871. [Singlesheet, large folio size, published at Boston, Mass., by Stedman, Brown and Lyon]
HAND-COLORED DOUBLEPAGE MAP, 17" x 30". A choice example of 19th century mapmaker's art, from the noted Mass. Atlas, this perfect display map retains its original brilliant hand-coloring, with each county in the six-state region carefully delineated in a finely engraved plate. Inset of Boston shows a much different topography than today's, before extensive landfilling. Dated in the plate, per photo below.
Condition is bright clean very fine condition, superb item for framed display. The seeming discoloration at the fold line in the photo is just a shadow from the camera flash. All doublepage atlas maps were thus folded originally. This one has been "tipped in" on a page hinge, so there is no binding damage of any kind at the fold line. With a reduced photocopy oif the titelpage of the atlas. . . . 95.00

Early Example of Mass-Marketing Advertising
G2-201. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE TAUNTON DAILY GAZETTE, April, 1867. [Complete issue, 4 pages, folio size, published at Taunton, Mass., by J.W. Hall]
On Page One of this charming daily newspaper is an ad for Poultney College in Vermont, in which the headline within the ad are arranged so as to read to the casual observer "$500 REWARD , A YOUNG MAN FOUND DEAD IN POULTNEY. THE MURDERER AT LARGE." With the reader's attention thus secured (murder was a somewhat rarer crime then than it is to-day) the ad is found to describe th courses, instructors, and tution for the College. Most unusual at this early period, this emerging style of exaggeration in advertising will fuel the mass-market culture of today, which is so different from the ethos of the post-Civil War era. Lots of national and local news, Republican commentary, many ads, and more. THE TITLE IS UNRECORDED in the Union List of Newspapers, (see page 301, where a scattering of Weekly Gazettes is noted.). About a half-dozen issues ran the ad noted above
Condition is fine, library spinecut, very possibly each issue is the only surviving specimen of the date, per issue just . . . 7.50

Finely Engraved Trade Cards
G2-209. Steel Engraved Trade Card, American Woven Leather Belting Company. ND, 1880's LOT OF 5 CARDS
Fine steel engraving distinguishes this interesting 1880's advertising card, which promotes the Springfield, Mass. American Woven Leather Belting Company, with one of its products shown. Recalls the days when that western Massachusetts city was a proud center of American industrial productivity.
Printed on heavy glossy card stock, about 5 1/4" x 3". Condition is a nice clean very fine, virtually no wear. LOT OF FIVE just . . . 12.50  View Scan

Handsome Stephen Foster First Edition
G2-212. [SHEET MUSIC] OH BOYS, CARRY ME 'LONG: A Plantation Melody. Written & Composed by Stephen C. Foster , published in 1851. [Complete original issue, 6 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by Firth, Pond, & Company]
FIRST EDITION of this attractive popular sheet music by the great American composer, whose tragically brief life ended in 1864 at the age of 37. Its subject is the final words of a dying slave, saying good-bye to his loved ones and favorite pastimes, in pseudo-African dialect. Although offensive to modern racial sensibilities, Foster's interpretation of American slave culture was based on a keen ear for the cadence and rhythm of African-based speech. His interpretation of African Americans was the first to present blacks not as absurd caricatures but as human beings, with the same depth of feelings and strength of family ties as white Americans. "In this type of song, universal in the appeal of its naive pathos, he has never had an equal" says biographer H.V. Milligan. Nice item. I see the much more common 20th edition offered at $60 or more online.
Condition of this issue is fine, carefully extracted from a bound volume with no damage, normal minor light foxing . . . 95.00

Scarce African-American History Periodical from early in the Abolitionist struggle
G2-213. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE AFRICAN REPOSITORY, AND COLONIAL JOURNAL, October, 1833. [Complete issue of 32 pages, 8vo magazine size, published at New-York]
This is the monthly of the American Colonization Society, whose goal was the peaceful abolition of slavery by purchasing the unfortunate captives from their masters, and returning them to Africa. To this end the Society founded the nation of Liberia. The progress and hardships of that experiment is chronicled throughout most of the paper, in a number of letters datelined Monrovia, its capital city, including one from a respectable colored man" formerly from Georgetown.. The opposition to the movement is also chronicled, and the opinions of many prominent Americans both pro and con are here printed
Nice clean very fine; last few leaves are somewhat irregular in the blank margins as a consequence of hasty opening nearly two centuries ago, affecting no content . . . 75.00

G2-234. [Waybill]. Boston and Providence Railroad Corporation, 1849. [Prov., R.I.]. A small vignette of a train adorns this attractive railroad bill of lading. Printed form with MS entries describing goods accepted for shipment to Boston, from quite early in the history of American railroading. 8½" x 7"; VF, small inkstain at fold . . . . 4.95
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G2-235. [Steamboats]. Waybill, Clyde's Steamship Lines, 1870's. [Fall River, Mass.] Handsome memento of America's great riverine and coastal steamboat trade, a printed Bill for goods transported, with entries and the name of the steamship filled in by hand. Nice condition, uncommon. 8vo, fine . . . . 4.50
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G2-236. [Gold Rush]. The Steamer Bulletin, September 21, 1860. [San Francisco]. A special newspaper prepared "for the Atlantic States and Europe", being a highly detailed record of the weeks happenings at the mines and in the cities of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Great reading on the genuine "Old West", just packed with information. Steamer vignette in the masthead . 8 pages, folio size; choice VF, spinecut, rare opportunity . . . 120.00  Select here to view a full color detail of the masthead and partial front page of this newspaper.

One of The Earliest U.S. Baseball Matches, Announced in a Very Rare Brooklyn Newspaper
G2-284. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, AND KING'S COUNTY DEMOCRAT, October 21, 1845. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Brooklyn, New York]
Page Two of this very significant newspaper contains a small dispatch headlined A GREAT MATCH AT BASE BALL announcing the game between the "New York Bass [sic] Ball Club" with the Brooklyn club at the famed "Elysian Fields" ball park, to take place at "2 o'clock this afternoon." The editor accurately comments "The great interest attached to this match will attract large numbers from this and the neighboring city".
Alexander Cartwright, bank teller and volunteer fireman, suggested that an informal group of men who had met to play ball since 1842 form a club. Accordingly the Knickerbockers, the first U.S. ball team, was founded, and the "Elysian Fields" park rented for their use. More of a gentleman's club for recreation, the team played by its own rules, with emphasis on proper conduct, with a select membership limited to forty players. The first recorded game was played there by the club on October 6, 1845, with perhaps a dozen more games played by the team until the close of the season on November 18. See Seymour's Baseball, the Golden Years, (Oxford University Press, 1960), for a full discussion of this pioneering club. You can also visit the Baseball History website for more info on the historic early games.
This item is superb American baseball history, in an extremely rare newspaper, from the dawn of the sport. The earliest known newspaper account of a baseball game in a U.S. newspaper appeared in New York on September 11, 1845, making this paper a very noteworthy artifact from the first month of U.S. baseball history. Unlike the common New York dailies carrying notices of the games, the present example is one of only two known survivors of this date (see the Union List of Newspapers, page 443), which was formerly held in the Library of Congress, de-accessioned by the library in the 1980's. This superb issue would form a cornerstone of a truly distinguished collection of baseball Americana.
Bright clean Very Fine, the issue was cleanly cut at the spine, affecting no text, when microfilmed by the library's permanent reference collection prior to de-accession. . . . 595.00

A Fine Oversized Tax Stamp
G2-287. [TAX STAMP]. DISTILLERY WAREHOUSE STAMP, 1878. . 9¼" x 3¼" size, printed at Bureau of Engraving & Printing Washington D.C.
Issued by the Internal Revenue Department, this oversized tax stamp recognizes the duty payment per cask of distilled spirits. A fine portrait of "Old Rough and Ready", President Zachary Taylor graces this uncommon Revenue Stamp. Engraved and serially numbered by the same facility that produced the nation's currency.
Nice fine condition, unissued, with three punch mark cancellations, as all extant specimens possess. . . . 7.50

 
Click this thumbnail graphic to view the Tennessee State books catalogued below.

 

Thick Volume of Tennessee State Documents
G3-259. [BOOK] APPENDIX [TO THE SENATE JOURNAL], 1856. [Complete original volume, 580 + 193 pages, octavo size, published at Nashville, Tennessee]
This interesting volume contains the documents called for by the Tennessee State Legislature, so numerous that they were printed in a separate volume rather than as the traditional addendum to the Senate Journal. Each with its own halftitlepage, contents include several "Special Messages" of Governor and future U.S. President Andrew Johnson, about the railroad to Georgia, state finances. Other complete documents include the Comptroller's Re[port on the state's banks and finances; the Report of the Bank of Tennessee; Annual report of the Hospital for the Insane; Reports of Fairs and County Societies, detailing all the fairs held in the state in 1855. Quite a few more reports, from the State Deaf and Dumb Asylum, banks, etc., plus a very detailed account of "The Geology of Tennessee" as it was becoming known. On the whole, a fine, detailed portrait of the state on the eve of civil war.
Condition is quite bright and fresh internally; in modern gilt buckram; very fine overall. . . . 75.00

Dealing with the Aftermath of John Brown
G3-262. [BOOK]. THE SENATE JOURNAL OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE THIRTY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, 1859 [sic, actually 1860.] [Complete volume, 847 pages, octavo size, published at Nashville, Tennessee, by R.G. Eastman & Company]
This large thick volume records verbatim the proceedings of the Tennessee legislature in its session of October 3, 1859 to March 26, 1860. There are several bills, laws, and resolutions relating to slavery and its political consequences in the white-heat passion of the day, and in a state that would be so dramatically split once war broke out. One resolution here voted on says in part "The theory of an 'irrepressible conflict' is a startling and mischievous invention and is well calculated, if held to be true" that there can be no peace between north and south. More on this subject as well as the usual business of a state government. Much fascinating reading. From the library of noted Tennessee historian Robert H. White, with his ownership signature on the inside cover.
Condition is generally quite clean and fine, in the original 3/4 leather marbled bindings, which are worn and scuffed, front board detached with some short tears to blank fly leaf . . . 65.00

Dealing with the Aftermath of John Brown
--> G3-262-A. [BOOK]. THE SENATE JOURNAL OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE THIRTY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, 1859 [sic, actually 1860.] [Complete volume, 847 pages, octavo size, published at Nashville, Tennessee, by R.G. Eastman & Company]
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF G3-262 above. Condition is generally quite clean and fine, in modern library cloth with the original gilt red label. . . 65.00

Typical Masthead detail
The Newspapers of a President of the United States
N-615. THE DAILY NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, typical issue printed in 1851. [Complete issue of 4 pages, large folio size, published at Washington, D.C. by Gales & Seaton].
I am pleased to be able to offer most historic association issues. belonging to James Buchanan, our fifteenth President. The papers were originally delivered to the future President at his "Wheatland" estate in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His name, written by an Intelligencer subscription clerk appears in the masthead (nameplate) area of each issue, as seen in my scan above of a typical issue. The venerable old newspaper had been founded in 1801 and was one of the nation's great papers of the era. It contains all the news and politics of that most tempestuous era, plus official Government notices and many other ads. Buchanan (1791 - 1868) enjoyed a long career in public service, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1821 -1831), and later as Minister to Russia, U.S. Senator, Polk's Secretary of State, Minister to Great Britain. He won the Presidency in 1856 on the Democratic ticket, garnering 45% of the popular vote in the three-way race by endorsing a strict conservative interpretation of the Constitution to settle the raging slavery controversy. The later years of the Buchanan administration found the aged chief executive embroiled in charges of corruption and incompetence, most notably in the Covode scandal and in his inability to deal decisively with South Carolina's unlawful secession. After taking part in Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, Buchanan returned to Wheatland, where he led a very private retirement. He died of pneumonia in 1868. PROVENANCE. After Buchanan's death his files of newspapers passed to Jeremiah Black, a close personal friend of the bachelor President and Attorney General of the United States in the Buchanan administration. The Black family library was subsequently donated to the Library of Congress; this paper was recently de-acquisitioned and sold privately by the library.
Condition of the issues is generally quite fine, with light normal foxing typical of papers from the humid nation's capitol. My letter of authenticity and provenance is included with each issue. Unique and affordable memento of a 19th century antebellum President of the United States. While my stock lasts I offer them at just, per issue(2.00 postage) . . . 16.00
Please enter your order quantity here:  then press

Henry Clay's Last Great Speech on Slavery and Union
G3-272. [TWO ISSUES]. THE BOSTON DAILY JOURNAL, February 8 and 9, 1850. [Complete issue of 4 pages, large folio size, published at Boston, by Charles Rogers]
Continued complete in these issues, Page One printing of "The Speech of Henry Clay" of Feb. 6. The last great speech of the aging southern rights champion, in which he offers a compromise between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, and opens the Congressional debate, also here reported. Most historic Americana, with a bold vision to preserve the nation; yet the strongest advocates on both sides, Seward and Calhoun, will refuse, and a much-watered down version of the "Great Compromise of 1850" will finally become law in the fall. Lengthy letter from California paints a vivid picture of prospecting on the Middle Fork and North Fork, heart of the gold country .
Condition is very fine, small stain on the Feb. 8 front page (2.00 postage) . . . 30.00

G3-301. [SINGLE ISSUE]. THE ILLUSTRATED AMERICAN, March 12, 1892. [Complete issue of 32 pages, quarto size, published at New York and Chicago, by the Illust. American Publishing Company]
Fine memorial issue for the late Mrs. Harrison, wife of the President, with her portrait on the cover and a full account within of the First Lady's last hours and her illustrious life. Also a gala four page spread of the parade and naval review at the opening of the great Columbian Exposition, with much on the "Lady Mangers" and their importance. Much more in this excellent and not often seen pictorial weekly.
bright VF . . . 10.00

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A Beautiful Hand-Colored American Map
G3-303. MAP from Mitchell, ATLAS OF THE WORLD, printed by S. Augustus Mitchell at Philadelphia, Penn. in 1860. Folio size, measuring 13" x 16".
COUNTY MAP OF KENTUCKY and TENNESSEE. This fine antebellum map of the two border states boasts the original bright hand coloring that has made Mitchell's superb maps very popular among generations of collectors. All cities, counties, and major towns are located in this fine copperplate engraving. Fine decorative borders.
Condition is bright clean very fine, tiny margin loss in upper L corner affects nothing. . . . 55.00

The True Old West - Slavery's Aftereffects - Barbara Fritchie Legend - Portland Burns
G4-012. [SINGLE ISSUE] HARPER'S WEEKLY, July 28, 1866. [Complete issue of 16 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by Harper Brothers & Co.]
Classic fullpage woodcut "Commercial Street, Atchison, Kansas" (see detail scan below) depicts the primitive conditions and restless denizens of the true Old West, where so many men traumatized by their service in the war are now drifting to try a new life. "Marks of Punishment" heads a gruesome picture of the wounds on a slave's back in Richmond. "The Heroine of Frederick" heads a very early printing of Whittier's classic poem, "Barbara Fritchie," accompanied by a portrait of the elderly Fritchie, from a Mathew Brady photo, who, legend had it, defied Stonewall Jackson himself at the age of 95. There are also fully four pages of views of the destruction of Portland, Maine, by fire. Quite dramatic. Much more. Extra domestic postage for this issue is 95¢
Condition of this issue is very fine [4] . . . 20.00

Loss of the Treasure Ship Central America
G4-015. [SINGLE ISSUE] HARPER'S WEEKLY, September 26, 1857. [Complete issue of 16 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by Harper Brothers & Co.]
This issue contains a detailed two-column account of the wreck of the steamship Central America, caught in a hurricane off the Carolina coast. Carrying tons of gold bars and newly-minted coins from California, she took 426 souls to the bottom with her. This report gives a gripping moment by moment account of the loss, from survivors' testimony. Editorial on the tragedy in wonderful gushing era prose, parses the brave captain and crew, bemoans man's smallness in the face of nature's might. The ship's golden cargo was salvaged some twenty years ago and has fetched in the billions on the collector market. Also in the issue a superb doublepage woodcut of the newest ocean-going steamer of the renowned Collins Line, the Adriatic. At 354 feet in length she was the largest vessel ever launched in the U.S. A visit to Palestine, then a province of the Ottoman Empire, includes views at Galilee. Grisly fullpage woodcut shows a classic wartime atrocity, East Indian rebels strapped to cannons, to be blown to pieces by vengeful Englishmen enraged by their failed rebellion.
Condition of this issue is nice clean very fine, carefully removed from a bound annual volume. . . . 30.00

Custer versus the Cheyenne
G4-0022. [SINGLE ISSUE] HARPER'S WEEKLY, May 11, 1867. [Complete issue of 16 pages, large quarto size, published at New York by Fletcher Harper & Bros.]
"The war on the Plains has begun in earnest" begins coverage of Custer and Hancock's attack on the Cheyenne at Fort Larned, with views of an Indian village, scouts, Sioux prisoner. Also a fine portrait of the great cartoonist Thomas Nast, with his biography. Lots more .
Condition of this issue is VF, blind tear on one leaf not affecting this content, margin loss on cover entering image (of birds) . . . 20.00

Tammany Hall in All Its Glory
G4-0094. [SINGLE ISSUE]. FRANK LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER, November 08, 1856. [Complete issue of 16 pages, large quarto size, published at New York, by Frank Leslie]
Expatriate English newsman Frank Leslie (1821 - 1880) began this, the first great illustrated newsweekly, after years of experience on the staffs of the Illustrated London News, Gleason's and the Illustrated News. On the cover of this issue is a large woodcut of Tammany Hall, home of New York's infamously corrupt political machine, decked out with a big Buchanan for President banner, and on the back cover is a scene of "Naturalization of Foreign Immigrants" (and new voters) there. Lengthy article explains the goings-on there. Also views at the great St. Louis Fair, two woodcuts of the Czar arriving at Moscow, long piece on the sport of "Alligator Shooting" in Louisiana and plenty more reading and viewing matter Surviving examples are far more difficult to locate than rival Harper's Weekly and offer more spirited content than that paper.
Condition is nice fine, some light offsetting, carefully removed from a bound annual volume. Extra postage for this issue is 45¢ . . . 25.00

Early Harvard Med School Syllabus
G5-003. [PAMPHLET] HARVARD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT SUMMER SESSIONS , March 12, 1866. [Complete issue of 16 pages, octavo size, published at Boston, Mass., by Clapp & Son]
Scarce imprint contains all the details of the Harvard Med School Summer session, the courses of instruction and the faculty, recommended text books, schedule of fees, and a listing of all students in the 1865-66 winter session. The courses were conducted at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, with some lectures back at the Yard. Nice Harvardiana, not commonly encountered.
Condition of this issue is very fine . . . 25.00

Rare Intact Archive of American Shipping Documents
G5-005. DOCUMENTS OF THE SCHOONER J.F. KRANTZ , 1875 to 1878. [mostly singlesheet, 16mo to folio size, various places]
This amazing archive consists of 137 original documents from the voyages of the schooner "John F. Krantz of Portland, Maine, consisting of printed forms with handwritten entries or entirely handwritten. They hail from many ports - Cadiz, Lisbon,, Liverpool, Antwerp, Naples, and others, as well as New York and Panama on this side of the Atlantic. Included are Billheads for the ship's supplies and provisions, harbor clearances, pilot bills, sanitary certificates, Captain Howe's expenses lists, other government documents, and more. Most interesting study lot of European commercial practices encountered in the travels of this American tall ship.
Condition is generally quite fine, perhaps a half-dozen defective (5.00 postage) . . . 250.00

ALS Gibson Girl Creator
G5-007. A.L.S. (AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED) CHARLES DANA GIBSON , (1909). [singlesheet, quarto size, N.P.] ALS accompanying rent payment for his cottage. A prolific illustrator, Gibson (1867 - 1944) is best known for his "Gibson Girl," an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century, many examples of whom were published in LIFE magazine between about 1890 and World War I. Scarcer autograph in ALS format, characteristic oversized, bold penmanship.
Condition is very fine . . . 48.00

Of Journalism History Note
G5-008. CHARLES L. BARTHOLOMEW, April, 1909. [singlesheet, 4to size, Minneapolis] Bartholomew was a renowned children's illustrator and a cartoonist for the "MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL". This lot consists of two items, his autograph on the "JOURNAL" letterhead, and a T.L.S. from the paper's Art Department editor A.E. Larson forwarding the same to Boston autograph collector Varnum Waugh.
Condition is very fine . . . 20.00

Mexican-American editor TLS
G5-009. T.L.S. (TYPED LETTER SIGNED) Frederick Guernsey, October 12, 1903. [singlesheet, 4to size, Mexico City, Mexico] Bold signature and closing of Guernsey, editor of"The Mexico Herald" on the newspaper's letterhead. Here he apologizes for the "uneven quality" of his letters to the editor of a Boston newspaper.
Condition is very fine . . . 20.00

Publisher of The Club Woman ALS
G5-012. A.L.S. (AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED) Helen M. Winslow, April 6, 1909. [singlesheet, size, Boston, Mass.] The publisher and editor of the Boston "Club Woman" society newspaper here accepts an invitation to s musicale. On the paper's letterhead.
Condition is very fine . . . 16.00

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