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The Story of Journalist Henry Stanley, I Presume

April 2, 2008 | 3 Comments

The story of journalist Henry Stanley starts out with Dr. David Livingstone. Livingstone traveled to Africa in 1840 as a missionary/explorer/physician and spent most of his adult life traveling the continent. “In 1866, Livingstone set out at the head of an expedition charged with the task of finding the headwaters of the Nile River. His lack of contact with the outside world over a period of four years raised concerns for his welfare,” according to Eyewitness to History.

As a publicity stunt, New York Herald Publisher James Gordon Bennett, Jr. sent explorer and journalist Henry Stanley to find what he termed “the lost” Dr. David Livingstone in the middle of Africa. Stanley went to Africa and, with the help of natives, did find Livingstone and began sending reports back to the Herald, according to historian and newspaper collector Mark Mitchell.

According to Wikipedia, Stanley found Livingstone on November 10, 1871, in Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania, and greeted him with the immortal, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Wikipedia goes on to say:

This famous phrase may be a fabrication, as Stanley has torn out the pages of this encounter in his diary[3] Even Livingstone’s account of this encounter doesn’t mention these words. However, the phrase appears in a New York Herald editorial dated 10 August, 1872 and the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography both quote it without questioning its validity.

Unfortunately, Wikipedia got the New York Herald issue date wrong. The first report actually ran on July 2, 1872. Click the image above to enlarge the masthead. In this extremely rare issue, a giant map of equatorial Africa is included with the inside headlines “LIVINGSTONE” and “Herald Special from Central Africa.” Within the giant story is the famous quote “Doctor Livingstone, I presume?” According to Mitchell, he has only seen two of these issues in 30 years of collecting.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, Newspaper Collecting

Diversify Your Investments with Historic Newspapers

March 13, 2008 | 8 Comments

Between your 401K, IRA and those Apple shares you’re sitting on, you have most of your money in securities and equities. You’ve got a shrinking cash cushion and the value of your house is tanking. You may want to further diversify your portfolio.

Instead of scratch-and-win lottery tickets, why not consider collectibles? A collectible is an appreciating asset that is either rare or desired by many. Stamps, coins, fine art and sports cards are the most common collectibles, but the most appropriate collectible for marketing and media executives is historic newspapers. When framed, rare newspapers also make for unique and interesting wall art around the office.

Given the state of news media and the possible extinction of the printed newspaper, this collectible is the perfect relic for new and traditional media enthusiasts alike. Even better, unlike old baseball cards and coins, which have millions in circulation, historic newspapers are scarce. Back in the early 1700s, the earliest newspapers only printed a few hundred copies. As such, many of these early issues, when found today, are truly one-of-a-kind. The unbelievably rare newspapers go for thousands of dollars and more, but there are relatively few newspaper collectors in existence today so you can easily find museum-quality newspapers for a couple hundred dollars or less. That won’t last forever.

Previously, we discussed the most popular 20th century newspaper — Dewey Defeats Truman — so now let’s cover some of the 17th and 18th centuries.

The oldest continually published newspaper in the world began printing in Oxford, England on November 16, 1665 while King Charles II was avoiding the plague. It was called the Oxford Gazette (click image to enlarge) and many sources, including Britannica and newspaper historian Mark Mitchell (see video below), consider it to be the first English-language newspaper (it was the first to fit the definition of the term “newspaper”). After the 23rd issue of the Oxford Gazette, the King felt the plague was subsiding so he moved the paper back to London where it resumed as the London Gazette. While it originated as a weekly paper, the Gazette continues to be published each weekday in 2008 as an official record of British government. Any of the first 23 Oxford Gazette issues are worth more than $1,000 each - most reaching north of $5,000.

Across the pond, the first American newspapers began printing in the early 1700s. The Pennsylvania Gazette, started on December 24, 1728, was only the eighth newspaper printed in the colonies, and only the fourth outside of Boston.

Benjamin Franklin bought the Gazette in 1729 and gave the paper a brightness and liveliness unknown before to any colonial paper except his brother’s New England Courant, according to “American Journalism” by Frank Luther Mott. But the Gazette was a much better newspaper than the Courant - more well-rounded with “superior news handling, greater advertising and a handsomer appearance,” wrote Mott. “Franklin was more fully aware of the possibilities, limitations and responsibilities of colonial journalism than were most of his fellow editors,” Mott added.

For collectors, it is extremely rare to find pre-1750 issues of this Benjamin Franklin-printed newspaper. An issue in one of the finest conditions ever encountered is pictured at left (click to enlarge). I’ve been told there are auction records of pre-1750 Pennsylvania Gazettes to $11,000!

There are only a handful of newspaper historians and mega-collectors in the world. One is Mark Mitchell. His collection contains 20,000 original issues across five centuries and, according to his website, is one of the nation’s finest and most historically-complete private holdings. Here is a video of Mark sharing some of his private pieces:

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, Newspaper Collecting, Personal Finance, Video

The Most Famous Newspaper Ever Issued

March 6, 2008 | 4 Comments

The “Dewey Defeats Truman” edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune - November 3, 1948 - is arguably the most famous newspaper ever issued. Only a few hundred copies have survived (often the front cover only), but most are shredded or heavily worn.

On election night - November 2, 1948 - Truman snuck away from reporters covering him in Kansas City and made his way to nearby Excelsior Springs, Missouri, a small resort town. He got a hotel room, took a bath, and went to sleep. Throughout the night, radio reports confidently predicted that, despite a Truman lead, the late returns would propel Dewey to victory. Around 4 a.m., Truman awoke and heard on the radio that his lead was nearly two million votes - a sure win. He rode back to Kansas City and later that day - now November 3 - he traveled to Washington, DC by train.

Throughout the night, returns were coming in slow and many of the regular Chicago Daily Tribune staff were out on strike, leaving inexperienced typesetters at the helm. With time running out before the printing deadline, the inexperienced Tribune staff ran the “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline. On top of that, they used a typewriter for the front page and portions of a few others. For the sake of time, instead of erasing typos or incorrect numbers, they “x”ed over them with the typewriter. And with the headline error being so dramatic, few folks know about the upside down type. That’s right, in the far right hand column, there are five lines of type upside down!

After delivery of the paper, it soon became apparent that Truman would win after all. Panic set in at the Tribune offices and staff was sent out with trucks and station wagons to gather the error papers from news stands and suburban homes.

Truman, on a short train stop in St. Louis, was presented with one of the “Dewey Defeats Truman” papers while on the back platform of the train. See famous photo above. When asked to comment, Truman said “this is for the books.” And, sure enough, the image of Truman holding the error “Dewey Defeats Truman” issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune is in practically every high school history book.

Thousands of the error papers were retrieved but many remained in the hands of customers. This original issue pictured at left (click to enlarge) has only been in the hands of two people and includes a great story. According to the second owner, the first owner and her brother operated a newspaper distribution company during the 1940s and 50s, and a bundle of these papers had been dropped off during the normal late night train delivery. Upon learning that the election was turning in favor of Truman, the Tribune Company instructed the distributors to stop delivery of this early edition. The brother and sister placed one of the bundles in a cedar chest where it stayed, unexposed to light or heat for 44 years. The issue has remained unexposed to light since then.

For collectors, a complete, pristine issue of the original Dewey Defeats Truman paper runs $1500 to $3000.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, Newspaper Collecting

Patriot Printer Isaiah Thomas

March 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Found this great post from J.L. Bell’s Boston 1775 blog… printer Isaiah Thomas, of The History of Printing book, collected many of the pieces that came out of his press over the years and eventually made a permanent home for his collection by founding the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester.

According to J.L. Bell’s post, “one item from Thomas’s print shop, probably created by his inky apprentices, is a handbill dated ‘Boston, January 1, 1771.’” Read the complete post for the verse.

It was a tradition for boys who worked for newspapers to compose and print such verses each New Year. Historians don’t know whether they sang these lines, sold the handbills, or both. In any event, the tradition was—like the Pope Night processions, Christmas Anticks, and other forms of tips—a way for the boys to earn a few coins for themselves at the end of the year.

In 1770, according to the American Antiquarian Society, Isaiah Thomas went into partnership with Boston printer Zechariah Fowle and began publication of the Whig newspaper The Massachusetts Spy, strongly supporting the cause of American independence. In April 1775, two days before the Battle of Lexington, amid rumors that his press was to be seized, Thomas packed up his type, press, and paper supply and moved to Worcester, a safe distance from the British troops stationed in Boston. In Worcester, Thomas continued to print patriotic rhetoric and detailed descriptions of Revolutionary War battles in the Spy.

I’ve just recently started looking for history blogs and I’m glad I did. I’ve learned so much in just a few days.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, Newspaper Collecting

The First American Newspapers

January 14, 2008 | 5 Comments

Collecting rare and historical newspapers is exhilarating because you’re reading first reports and eye-witness accounts of the news as it was reported in its time. And we’re not just talking any old news here… no, we’re talking about the stuff from your history books - actual pirates in the Caribbean, the plague in London, the Boston Tea Party, the pivotal battles of the American Revolution and Civil War, George Washington crossing the Delaware River, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Wright Brothers first flight, the great Chicago fire, the gun fights of the wild west. Newspapers are the first draft of history!

Unlike old baseball cards and coins, which have millions in circulation, historic newspapers are scarce. Back in the early 1700s, the earliest newspapers only printed a few hundred copies. In fact, the very first American newspaper – The Boston News-Letter (started in 1704) – was the only newspaper in the colonies for 15 years, but it never exceeded 300 subscribers during that time. Prior to 1870, newspapers were printed on very durable rag linen paper - made from the linen in clothes and ship sails. That said, newspapers from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars are actually in better condition than yesterday’s newspaper, which is probably already yellow and brittle because it was printed on wood pulp. The durability of historic newspapers from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s make them an excellent collectible - unlike the newspaper from when the Chicago Bears last won the Super Bowl in 1985, which is already shredded and faded. Just look at the photos of the 18th century papers on the left/above - they’re unbelievably well-preserved for being close to 300 years old (and the ink doesn’t rub off on your fingers).

I recently did some research to find all the earliest American newspapers and think I have a solid list of the first 20+. The list includes the start date and length of first run for each title - many of which restarted, often under new management, at later dates. Keep in mind that this list does not include Publick Occurrences, which was printed on September 25, 1690, but was banned after the first issue and therefore doesn’t qualify as an actual newspaper.

The First American Newspapers
1. The Boston News-Letter – April 24, 1704 - 1776 (Boston)
2. The Boston Gazette – December 21, 1719 – 1798 (Boston)
3. The American Weekly Mercury – December 22, 1719 – 1749 (Philadelphia)
4. The New England Courant – August 7, 1721 – 1727 (Boston)
5. The New York Gazette – November 8, 1725 – 1744 (New York)
6. The New England Weekly Journal – March 20, 1727 – 1741 (Boston)
7. The Maryland Gazette – September 16, 1727 – 1734, 1745 – 1820+ (Annapolis)
8. The Pennsylvania Gazette – December 24, 1728 – 1815 (Philadelphia)
9. The Weekly Rehearsal – September 27, 1731 – 1735 (Boston)
10. The South Carolina Gazette – January 8, 1732 – 1775 (Charleston)
11. The Rhode Island Gazette – September 27, 1732 – 1733 (Newport)
12. The New York Weekly Journal – November 5, 1733 – 1751 (New York)
13. The Boston Weekly Post-Boy – November 18, 1734-1775 (Boston)
14. The Boston Evening-Post – August 18, 1735 – 1775 (Boston)
15. The Virginia Gazette – August 6, 1936 – 1750 (Williamsburg)
16. The Pennsylvania Journal – December 2, 1742 – 1793 (Philadelphia)
17. The New York Weekly Post-Boy – January 3, 1743 – 1747 (New York)
18. The Independent Advertiser – January 4, 1748 – 1749 (Boston)
19. The North Carolina Gazette – August 9, 1751 – 1759 (New Bern)
20. The New York Mercury – August 3, 1752 – 1768 (New York)
21. The Connecticut Gazette – April 12, 1755 – 1768 (New Haven)

According to this list and highlighted in The History of Printing in America by Isaiah Thomas, only four newspapers existed in 1754 – all weeklies printed in Boston and they never printed more than 600 copies. Still, between April 1704 and April 1775, 78 different newspapers were printed in the colonies. And when the American Revolution started in 1775, there were 37 newspapers printing in the colonies. Soon after the Revolutionary War, daily newspapers were printed in Philadelphia and New York with 20 more published by 1810. In 1800, there were at least 150 newspapers in total, and 10 years later the newspaper count was more than 360.

According to America’s Historical Newspapers, after the Civil War, the number and size of newspapers continued to grow rapidly. The adoption of the telegraph and the prevalence of the Associated Press contributed to a second transformation of the newspaper industry during the second half of the 19th century. Daily editions replaced many weeklies, and—by the early 20th century—nearly every town in the United States had its own newspaper.

Today, newspapers are shrinking, so we may eventually see them get closer to the dimensions of the first American papers - most of which were around 8″ x 12″. History repeats itself.

Sources Used or Recommended for Newspaper History:
The History of Printing in America (Thomas)
The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media (Emery)
History and Bibliography of American Newspapers 1690-1820 (Brigham)
Collecting American Newspapers (Lyons)
The Mitchell Archives
HistoryBuff.com
About.com: Journalism

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, History, Media, News, Newspaper Collecting

Amazon Kindle: Taking the Paper Out of Newspaper

January 1, 2008 | 1 Comment

The Amazon Kindle looks like a great toy for gadget geeks, but could it also quicken the pace toward a paperless world? With a Kindle by your side, you can have top U.S. newspapers - including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post - all auto-delivered wirelessly. No more nasty newsprint rubbing off on your fingers or cumbersome page flipping while on the train. Is this the beginning of the end?

Increased bandwidth penetration, swift changes in readership habits and the popularity of social media have all contributed to an extremely volatile print newspaper industry - a newspaper industry facing declining circulations and advertising revenues, as well as major consolidation. Newspapers and other traditional media are rushing to establish new business models and revenue sources. Newspapers are no longer just print… going online and adding video, audio, podcasts, blogs and more. The advertising sales forces at newspapers are being trained to sell not only printed display ads, but also audio and video commercials for their a/v content.

One year ago this December, Time magazine talked with some newspaper insiders about the industry’s gradual demise and asked them to forecast the long-term fate of newspapers. Will the Kindle and other similar gadgets take the paper out of newspaper? Will this lead to increased values of historic newspapers and more newspaper collectors?

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, Media, Newspaper Collecting, Technology, Video

Silent Night: The Christmas Truce of 1914

December 26, 2007 | 2 Comments

“During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in all of human history took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French. Both sides were dug in, safe in muddy, man-made trenches six to eight feet deep that seemed to stretch forever. All of a sudden, German troops began to put small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside of their trenches. They began to sing songs. Across the way, in the ‘no man’s land’ between them, came songs from the British and French troops…

“A spontaneous truce resulted. Soldiers left their trenches, meeting in the middle to shake hands. The first order of business was to bury the dead who had been previously unreachable because of conflict. Then, they exchanged gifts. Chocolate cake, cognac, postcards, newspapers, tobacco. In a few places along the trenches, soldiers exchanged rifles for soccer balls and began to play games…

“For a few precious moments there was peace on earth and good will toward men. All because the focus was on Christmas.”

Sources with the story:

Snopes (as quoted above)
Wikipedia
First World War.com
The Christmas Truce
The History Channel

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