Franklin was beaten to the press, so to speak, by rival printer Andrew Bradford, the first number of whose magazine, the American Magazine, or a Monthly View of the Political State of the British Colonies, came off the press on February 13, 1741. The first issue of Ben’s magazine, the General Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, For All the British Plantations in America, also dated January, 1741, appeared just three days later. A petty quarrel erupted between the two pioneers, though the magazines survived for only three and six issues, respectively. The British population of America was then less than a million, and although Philadelphia was the center of American life at the time, there was not enough interest to support either publication at this early date, among the tiny handful of Americans who were literate and who could afford their cost. Today both magazines are excessively rare.

The locus of American magazine publishing then shifted northward to Boston. Printers Rogers and Fowle produced in 1743 the American Magazine and Historical Chronicle, which ran monthly through 1746. Meanwhile, the Christian History, less perhaps a standard magazine than a chronicle of the “Great Awakening”, appeared in March 1743, and ran weekly for two years, the work of these same printers. The two titles enjoy the distinction of being the first successful American magazines and though quite rare are occasionally seen on the market. It has been my privilege to have found and offered to my customers examples of almost every issue of both titles, from the very few holdings of these magazines in private hands.

Andrew Bradford's nephew William, also of Philadelphia, began in 1757 the landmark American Magazine and Monthly Chronicle, the first American magazine to rival in quality the great magazines of England. Several other titles appeared in the 1750’s, and one in the 1760’s, but the next significant advance in magazine publication would be in the form of Isaiah Thomas’ splendid Royal American Magazine or Universal Repository of Instruction and Amusement, which ran for over a year at Boston, starting in 1774. It faithfully chronicled this time of incipient revolution, and was graced by cover artwork and political cartoons by Paul Revere, which are much prized by collectors today.

Meanwhile in January 1775 at Philadelphia Robert Aitken began The Pennsylvania Magazine, and employed the recently emigated patriot fireband Tom Paine to be the editor of this now extremely rare title. It featured excellent news coverage of the start of the War of Independence, and printed the Declaration of Independence in its final number.

The United States Magazine of New York was the only other magazine published during the war, and folded in 1779. The first magazine in a free and independent United States was the Boston Magazine, which ran 1783 to 1786. Other titles soon followed, the most important being the Columbian Magazine (for Columbia was one of the names being considered for the new republic), Philadelphia, 1786 - 1790, the American Museum (Philadelphia, 1787 - 1789), Isaiah Thomas’ Massachusetts Magazine (Boston, 1789 - 1796), and the New-York Magazine (1790 - 1797). Famed dictionary compiler Noah Webster briefly produced his own American Magazine at Worcester, Mass. in 1787 - the fifth magazine to use that name as its title! With these sophisticated new monthlies, the American magazine can be said to have arrived as a force in American journalism, informing and entertaining the now four and a half million Americans, and inspiring literally tens of thousands of new titles over the coming two centuries.

In Early American Books and Printing (Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1935) historian John Winterich writes "eighteenth century American magazines are rare - their circulations in general were much smaller than those of newspapers ... Like the newspapers, they were fragile in format, and were quickly consumed under the rigors of a sturdy era. The fortunate survivors among them are to be found for the most part in public collections.

I am pleased to be able to here present at least a small sampling of these virtually unavailable early American imprints.

The First State of the Union Address
E6-003. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE MASSACHUSETTS MAGAZINE OR MONTHLY MUSEUM OF KNOWLEDGE AND RATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT, December, 1790. [Complete issue of 64 pages, octavo magazine size, published at Boston, Mass. by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer Andrews]
Printed in full in this most historic issue is the full text of George Washington's first regular annual message to Congress on its opening session, beginning the tradition of what is known as the "State of the Union Address." in accordance with the President's Constitutional mandate. He speaks of troubles with the border Indians, "The disturbed state of Europe", the progress of restoring the public credit, including a loan from Holland of three million Florins at favorable interest,, and more. Thus occasion is also the first meeting of Congress in Philadelphia, which will be the nation's capitol for a decade. Lots more historic content, includes a detailed description of the gold medal presented by Washington to "Mad Anthony" Wayne for his Stony Point victory, essay on whether America was known to ancient Europeans, much more. Scarce early magazine
Condition of this issue is very good to fine with some occasional foxing. The illustration plate is present, depicting "Bird Catching ion the Orkneys", most unusual thus, and is evenly browned. . . . 250.00

Early Appearances of Anglo-Jewish Writer David Levi and of America's First Female Columnist
E6-007. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE MASSACHUSETTS MAGAZINE OR MONTHLY MUSEUM OF KNOWLEDGE AND RATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT, June, 1793. [Complete original issue, 64 pages, octavo magazine size, published at Boston, Mass. by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer Andrews]
"JEWISH CUSTOMS", "Marriage Ceremonies of the Jews" is very early two-page account, one of the first published in America, of a Jewish marriage ceremony; detailed, it ends "all present cry out mozol tov, i.e. may it turn out happily, which ends the ceremony.". The piece is written by David Levi (1742 - 1801) the eminent English-Jewish writer, Hebraist, Jewish apologist, translator, and poet, whose works tried to correct Christian misconceptions about Judaism Also in this issue is an installment of THE GLEANER, number 14 in the series, in which the columnist writes of the importance of attitude when coping with life's struggles. Although the articles were written using a male persona, the author of The Gleaner columns was in fact a woman, Judith Sargeant Murray (1751 - 1820), the first woman to publish a regular op-ed column in an American periodical, and a staunch advocate of female equality in the new republic. When she published her Gleaner essays in book form in 1798, it became a minor classic, with John Adams and George Washington among its subscribers. It was also the first book in America self-published by a woman. "Advice to Married Ladies," a review of The Hapless Orphan, The; Or, Innocent Victim of Revenge, anonymous romance novel by "an American Lady," news from Revolutionary France and more. Like all 18th century American magazines, a scarce title to find today
Condition of this issue is quite fine, unusually clean for the title; scattered very light foxing; removed, lacks plate. . . . 85.00

America's First Indian Wars - Slave Revolution in Haiti
E6-050. [SINGLE ISSUE] THE AMERICAN APOLLO, January 27, 1792. [Complete issue of 12+4+(4) pages, octavo size, published at Boston, Mass., by Belknap and Young]
Dispatches from the south and west tell of encounters with hostile Native Americans. Included is a vivid account by a Virginia militia officer of the casulaties suffered by his men at the great U.S. defeat at Fort Wayne in November, where 637 troops were killed at the battle with "two or three thousand" Ohio Indians led by the great warrior chieftain Cornplanter. Several letters to General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, U.S. commander at the battle, express support for his conduct. Letter from a Lieutenant in the beseiged Fort Franklin (near modern Pittsburgh) says an Indfian attack is imminent - please send troops! From Haiti, several dispatches report the chilling success of the slave uprising, the overwhelming of the city of Port-au-Prince by the "hell-hounds", the former slaves now in arms and methodically killing every white they encounter. Interesting article describes the early celestial computer known as the Orrery. Much more. One of the earliest magazines printed after the War of Independence in Boston, this title was produced under the auspices of the newly-founded Massachusetts Historial Society. It survived a mere nine months, the present example being the Volume I Number 4 issue of the title.
Condition of this issue is crisp very fine, with a few small wormholes. ORIGINAL STATE, never bound or trimmed, with the original colored paper covers and serial inset, excessively rare thus. . . . 125.00

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