What we shall some day become will grow inexorably out of what today we are; and what we are now, in its turn, comes out of what earlier Americans were - out of what they did and thought and dreamed and hoped for, out of their trials and their aspirations, out of their shining victories and their dark and tragic defeats. -Bruce Catton, 1958.

Welcome to my Introductory Catalog of genuine historic newspapers. The papers and magazines I present here for your consideration were chosen from my archives as fine representatives of their times. Each is rich in everyday news, reported according to the standards of the time. They contain fascinating and collectible advertisements, together with opinion pieces, feature stories, and much more. I believe that these fine old newspapers truly bring the reality of the past back to life in a vivid way that no other historic artifact can duplicate.

The Newspapers

      In the United States every worthy citizen reads a newspaper, and owns the newspaper which he reads. A newspaper is a window through which men look out on all that is going on in the world. In our day, newspapers keep pace with history and record it. A good newspaper will keep a sensible man in sympathy with the world's current history. It is an ever-unfolding encyclopedia; an unbound book forever issuing and never finished. -Henry Ward Beecher, editorial in The Independent, 1864

All the papers and magazines are in excellent collectible condition and may be handled in safety. The older papers were printed on a fine quality of paper made of cotton and linen which has survived the passage of time in surprisingly nice condition. Later papers on newsprint are very well preserved, having been carefully archived over the years and are not brittle or otherwise impaired. I am sure you will be delighted with their exceptional state of preservation. I present only the finest condition newspapers that can be found to my valued friends and customers.

All items in this catalog are unconditionally guaranteed to be genuine and accurately described. They are in very fine used condition and are complete with all pages as issued. All papers are free of damage or objectionable defects. 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 normal minor spine weakness without disfiguring loss.

The Catalogs

My Introductory Catalog consists of five sections, which you can access by clicking on the links here or the banners below. They are

British and World Journalism. [1675 - 1945] I feature British journalism for its importance to understanding American history. Our tradition of the freedom of the press is firmly rooted in English soil, and British periodicals circulated extensively in the Colonies, many years before the first American newspaper. Likewise my sampler of world newspapers presents some attractive specimens from four centuries.

Important Update 2023

My Introductory catalogs of "atmosphere issues" of historic old newspapers are now offline. This category has been very popular with my customers and collecting friends but I am no longer able to acquire new stock to replenish my inventory at reasonable price levels.

I continue to present individually described issues of special historic interest and value in my regular catalogs, along with a few selected atmosphere issue offerings as stock allows. Links to those pages are the foot of this page and on my home page.

I am keeping the Introductory Catalogs online for information purposes only. Considerable effort went into researching the descriptions of the titles in the catalogs, which I trust you may find informative, and useful as a good starting point into further study of the history and heritage of journalism.

Retirement Catalog
Some are telling me that after forty plus years, it is time for me to consider retiring. As I ponder this (less than enthusiastically, I might add), I am considering producing a "retirement catalog" of especially nice items from inventory, wholesale offerings, and so on. To see if this plan has gone beyond the thinking stage, please click here or send me an email if you're interested.

Glossary of Terms Page | Collector Information Page | Want List Page | Home Page

---

To browse my introductory catalogs of historic newspapers and paper collectibles, please click on the banners below:

---

Some References Cited in the Catalogs

-Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820. American Antiquarian Soc., 1947.
-Gregory, American Newspapers: A Union List of Files Available in the U.S. and Canada 1820-1935.
-Brown, E.T., Union List Of Serials in Libraries of the U.S. and Canada, 1965.
-Stewart, British Union Catalog of Periodicals (1955 and supplements).

---

Suggested Bibliography for Reading about Journalism

-Emery, The Press and America, Prentiss Hall, 1972. A college level journalism text, detailed introduction to the subject, with useful bibliography.
-Lyons, Jim. Collecting American Newspapers, Jim Lyons, 1989. The best book written so far on historic newspaper collecting.
-Thomas, Isaiah, The History of Printing in America. 1810, since reprinted many times. Classic, first work on the subject, by the famed publisher.
-Mott, Frank L., American Journalism, Macmillan, 1941. The most detailed general reference book on the topic, a one volume library.
-Mott, F.L., A History of American Magazines, Harvard, 1957. Extremely detailed 4 volume set, a marvel of scholarship.,

---

Navigate my Website:

--Select A Catalog-- Introductory Catalog Early Leaf Catalog The Earliest Americana 19th Century Americana Civil War Newspapers Vellum Indentures Pictorial Newspapers Miscellany and Modern British Journalism Reference Books

--Select a Web page-- Collectors Intro Website Index My Sale terms History of Newspapers My Home Page Preserving Old Paper About Indentures Glossary of Terms

Contents ©:2024 Phil Barber.