From Early in The Troubled Post-Revolutionary Era
N-051. THE MASSACHUSETTS CENTINEL, typical issue printed between 1785 and 1789. [complete issue of 4 pages, quarto sized, published at Boston, Mass. by Benjamin Russell].
This early Federalist newspaper hails from a dark period in our history, when the new nation was gripped by a terrible postwar depression, was all but rent asunder by rival factions jostling for power under the weak Articles of Confederation, and under threat of re-conquest by the ever rapacious imperial powers of Europe. Yet for all the doubt and danger, it was indisputable that the nation had emerged from a bitter struggle as the first republic of the modern world, with a destiny to greatness - if the proper course of action were found and followed. The articles and editorials reflect these times vividly, in both the aspirations and the fears of the people. Would we become a true popular democracy, or merely replace "one tyrant three thousand miles away, with three thousand tyrants a mile away", in the famous words of a Tory. There are also many fine ads, often illustrated with small woodcuts of sailing ships, plus all the news as reports come in from across the nation and the world.

The First Successful American Magazine
N-052. THE COLUMBIAN MAGAZINE or MONTHLY MISCELLANY, typical issue printed between 1786 and 1790. [Complete issue of 48 + 2 pages, octavo size, published at Philadelphia. Penna., by Seddon, Spotswood, Cist, and Trenchard].
A consortium of Philadelphians, composed of an artist, a printer, a bookseller, and a publisher, created this unique magazine three years after America won her freedom. Its contents are remarkably varied and attractive - its stated aim was to be "a future criterion of the opinions and characters of the age" and in this it succeeded, with contributions by era luminaries in many fields. It also broke ground in featuring fiction, in an age when fiction was not a staple of magazines. There are good news reports of doings in Philadelphia and across the infant republic, as well as from England and France and other parts of the world. Some verse and genealogical statistics also appear. I am pleased to be able to offer examples of this very elusive classic of early American publishing, the first magazine that survived in independent America for more than a year .

The Greatest of the Earliest American Magazines
N-053. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM, typical issue printed between 1787 and 1789. [Complete issue of 48 to 96 pages, octavo size, published at Philadelphia, by Carey & Stewart].
Founding editor Mathew Carey had co-founded the Columbian Magazinein 1786 but after a few months left to produce this title, which rapidly gained wide acceptance. Washington himself praised the venture, and Carey's subscription list swelled to 1,250, an unprecedented circulation for an American magazine. Carey had emigrated from Ireland just three years previous, after serving time in a British gaol for his criticisms of King George's policies in his homeland. He was thus an ardent patriot in his new land, and his magazine is rich with the contributions of like-minded men. The magazine is extremely eclectic, presenting articles of note from many sources. Also printed here are documents of the Revolutionary years, some poetry and tales, the doings of government, and excellent news reporting from over the world. Lovely example of a classic of American publishing .

The Longest-Lived 18th Century American Magazine
N-056. THE MASSACHUSETTS MAGAZINE, OR MONTHLY MUSEUM OF KNOWLEDGE AND RATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT, typical issue printed between 1789 and 1796. [Complete issue of 68 + 2 pages, octavo magazine size, published at Boston, Mass. by Isaiah Thomas and Ebenezer Andrews].
Considered the most varied and inclusive of the earliest American magazines, this handsome monthly aimed to present its readers, according to the subtitle, with the latest in "Poetry, Musick, Biography, History, Physick, Geography, Morality, Criticism, Philosophy, Mathematicks, Agriculture, Architecture, Chemistry, Novels, Tales, News, Marriages, deaths, Meteorological Observations, Etc." This it did in excellent style, guided by the great American publisher Isaiah Thomas. I have been fortunate enough to aquire a fine archive of this scarce magazine which I am able to offer at very reasonable cost.

A Classic Federalist Spokesman
N-069. THE COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, typical issue printed between 1791 and 1799. [complete issue of 4 pages, folio sized, published at Boston, Mass. by Benjamin Russell].
The same newspaper as above, with a name change, as "Columbia", literally, "the land of peace", was one of the names proposed for the new nation. It was one of the greatest of the early Federal newspapers, a veritable New York Times of its day, the chief paper of the old city that was the economic and commercial center of the new nation. "Centinel", incidentally, is the old-fashioned spelling of "Sentinel".
The paper was published without break from 1784 until 1840. Editor Benjamin Russell (1761 - 1845) oversaw the production of the newspaper throughout this extraordinarily long life. Russell was a staunch Federalist and a veteran of the War of Independence, having run away from home at age thirteen to serve in the Continental army after war broke out at Lexington and Concord. He later learned the journalist's craft from the master Isaiah Thomas, the greatest American newsman of the Revolutionary War years (and the first documented American newspaper collector).
Attractive ads highlight this early Federalist newspaper, and these papers are filled with national, business, and commercial news, and capture the flavor of life in the new United States in the first few years under the federal Constitution. Politics were bitterly contested, with the Jeffersonian faction in fear of the creation of a monarchy by the Federalists, who in turn feared and despised what they thought would be "mob rule" if too many Americans were allowed too much liberty. On top of it all, a bloody revolution had broken out in America's old ally, France, and throughout the decade the passion of that conflict would affect the U.S.'s domestic and foreign policies, ultimately to the extent of an actual undeclared war, fought mostly at sea, between the two nations.

A Very Scarce Early American Magazine
N-075. THE AMERICAN APOLLO, typical issue printed in 1792. [complete issue of 8 pages, octavo sized, printed at Boston, Mass. by Belknap and Young].
A scarce and short-lived weekly publication containing "Foreign Intelligence", "American Intelligence", proceedings of the new Federal Congress in Philadelphia, local Boston items, including "SHIP NEWS" from the bustling commercial seaport, as well as homey notices of marriages, births, and deaths. The title lasted only nine months. In very nice VF condition.

Of the "S" that looks like an "F" Many new collectors are confounded by the unfamiliar ways some words are found printed in old newspapers and documents. Foremost among these is the mistaken idea that the letter "f" was used where we today use an "s" . In the old Anglo-Saxon alphabet, from which the English alphabet is derived, the small "s" was written in two forms: one is the "long s" that resembles our modern letter "f" (but note, it does not have the center bar), which is used when the "s" is the first letter of the word, or the first of a pair of "s's"; the other is the familiar shaped "s" which appears at the end of words. This usage is cognate to the two forms of "s" in the Greek alphabet. English printer John Bell first phased out the use of the long "s" in his books at the end of the 1700's, and by 1810 or so the new practice was universal in printed material. Interestingly, though, the use of the old long "s" continued in handwritten documents for many years, through the 1870's. This innovation must have saved typesetters much labor!

Scene in a Colonial era American printing shop

An Early Tri-Weekly Newspaper
N-078. THE MASSACHUSETTS MERCURY, typical issue printed between 1793 and 1795. [Complete issue of 4 pages, quarto size, published at Boston, Mass., by Young and Etheridge].
This title appeared three times a week and as such was the most frequently published newspaper in Boston for some years. Boston alone of the major American cities (actually there were only two others) did not possess a daily newspaper in the 18th century. This one is full of trade and news. Much content is from revolutionary France in this bloody year of the Terror. I see ads for theatrical performances, still very frowned upon in Boston, when the Puritan inheritance would linger for generations. Lots of political comment, many fine ads for a wide variety of goods and services, notices of ships' comings and goings in the busy port city and more. Scarcer title.

From The Jefferson Era
N-099. THE COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, dated between 1801 and 1809. [complete issues of 4 pages each, folio sized, published at Boston, Mass. by Benjamin Russell]
These newspapers are from the administration of Thomas Jefferson, the bitterly hated enemy of Federalism. Like the irrational right-wing press attacks on recent chief executives, the President was the object of personal and political vilification at every turn. His greatest accomplishments are reported as petty mistakes and nothing he does ever pleases his critics. Editor Russell decked his paper in mourning rules on the day of Jefferson's inaugural, to mark the death of the republic. Although history has rejected these judgments of the man, this kind of reporting makes a startling change from the so-called "objective" journalism of our time.
The Centinel's circulation approached two thousand copies per issue at this time; the paper was printed twice weekly, with the occasional "Extraordinary" number as the volume of news required. In Clarence Brigham's monumental study, The History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, less than thirty surviving holdings of this title are located in all U.S. libraries. The issues offered here are in top condition and are filled with news of the day, commentary, ads, etc. My scan depicts the several different Centinel Mastheads used in these years

Edited by a Sworn Enemy of Thomas Jefferson and an Early Gay Author
N-101. THE PORT-FOLIO, typical issue printed between 1801 and 1805. [Complete issue of 8 pages, large quarto size, published at Philadelphia, Penna., by Fry and Maxwell].
Boston-born editor Joseph Dennie (1768 - 1812) was a grandson of Bartholomew Green, early proprietor of the first American newspaper, The Boston News-Letter. Well-suited to the world of journalism, Dennie was a ferocious antagonist of President Jefferson, attacking him and vilifying the notion of republican government at every turn. Finally an outrageously defamatory article caused his indictment for sedition in 1801 - quite an irony that the great champion of the free press, Jefferson, had to resort to the hated Federalist Sedition Act of 1798 (still the law of the land) to silence a critic. In any event, and he was found "not guilty" and thereafter toned down his invective. The newspaper contains political comment and extensive fiction and poetry. Dennie is remembered today as an early gay writer, in an era when men of such preference formed "bachelors' clubs," excluding women, where they socialized away from public scrutiny. Some of this stories published here reflect the decided disdain for the society of women that exemplified this genre of writing.

Fine Early Women's Weekly Miscellany
N-103. THE BOSTON WEEKLY MAGAZINE, typical issue printed between 1803 and 1805. [Complete issue of 4 pages, quarto size, published at Boston, Mass. by Samuel Gilbert & Thomas Dean].
"We formed our plan at first, on the hope of rendering an essential service to the Fair Sex, by offering them a work in which should be united at once, Amusement and Information" wrote the youthful editors of this attractive early specialty weekly. It features practical advice and quite a bit of theatrical news and reviews. There is also fiction, in the form of epistolary novels, once the staple for ladies, and short stories on homey topics. Nice paper .

A Famous Federalist Champion
N-104. THE BALANCE AND COLUMBIAN REPOSITORY, typical issue printed between 1802 and 1807. [Complete issue of 8 pages, quarto size, published at Hudson, New York, by Harry Croswell].
This classic of early American political journalism was edited by Harry Croswell (1778 - 1858), a bitter enemy of Jefferson and Democratic-Republicanism. He was indicted for libeling the President in an earlier paper he edited, and was defended by Alexander Hamilton himself, who, ironically, made one of the great pleas for liberty of the press in his defense argument, that men as well as policies must be subject to public scrutiny. From this case came the law, overturned only by the Reagan Supreme Court, that a truthful accusation of misconduct cannot be libellous. There is plenty of interesting reading in these issues, though Croswel's politics became tamer and in 1814 he abandoned journalism to become an Episcopal Minister. All the news of the day, as well as fine ads, and an attractive Masthead of a hand holding the "balance" scales of justice.

The Publication of the Celebrated "Boston Anthologists"
N-106. THE MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY AND BOSTON REVIEW, typical issue printed between 1805 and 1807. [Complete issue of 48 pages, octavo size, published at Boston, Mass., by Munro and Francis].
First published in 1803, the editorial staff of this noted monthly was composed of Harvard gradates who had never married. The anthologists relied on a network of close male friendships for emotional support, political identity, and personal confidence. William Shaw Smith (1778 - 1826) and Stevens Buckingham (1784 - 1812) were at the core of this social network, whose letters reveal the death of their feelings for one another. The magazine folded in 1812 but shortly re-emerged as the great North American Review; The features are eclectic and highly sophisticated, commentary on new books, plays and poetry, and reflect the standards of the authors. Not a commonly encountered title, which I have seen priced much higher elsewhere.

An Early Evangelical Magazine
N-107. THE PANOPLIST, or CHRISTIAN'S ARMORY, typical issue printed between 1807 and 1808. [Complete issue of 48 pages, octavo magazine size, published at Boston, Mass., by Lincoln & Edwards].
"Conducted by an association of friends to Evangelical truth," this appealing monthly contains accounts of contemporary Ministers and their works, the state of religion in the new nation, discussions of Scripture, and more spiritual Christian content. There are also such departments as "Literary and Philosophical Intelligence [news]", Religious Intelligence", and more. "Review of New Publications" critiques new books from an evangelical perspective. Nice early magazine of earnest faith; revival movements would sweep the nation in the coming decade in reaction to the radical "Age of Enlightenment" and its wholesale rejection of traditional values .

Inspecting That Rascal Tom Jefferson
N-109. THE WEEKLY INSPECTOR, typical issue printed between 1806 and 1807. [Complete issue of 8 pages, octavo size, published at New York, by Thomas Fessenden].
Extremely uncommon little Federalist partisan weekly, edited by the great political satirist Thomas Green Fessenden (1771 - 1837). Considered the greatest verse satirist of his time, he gained fame as the author of a virulent epic ode against Jefferson called Democracy Unveiled the year before he began this venture. Here he continues his assaults on anything that smells of the Democratic-Republicanism of the chief executive. Fascinating glimpse into era politicking, which dominates its content .

"...the farmer will see his government supported, his children educated, and the face of his country made a paradise by the contributions of the rich alone, without his being called on to spend a cent from his earnings." -Thomas Jefferson, on federal taxation, 1811

N-111. THE NEW-ENGLAND PALLADIUM, typical issue dated between 1807 and 1811. [Complete issue of 4 pages, tall folio size, published at Boston, Mass.].
A fine full-sized newspaper of Federalist Boston, then the economic heart of America. Commentary is generally anti-government, for that government has fallen into the hands of that cowardly, atheistic, womanizing scoundrel Thomas Jefferson. Full news from across the nation and the world. Lots of fine ship ads and more.
The Palladium in the title of this newspaper is a reference to classical Roman history. As educated Anglo-American gentlemen America’s founders were very well-versed in classical history and modeled their radical new government on the checks and balances of the Roman republic. The Palladium was a cult statue of Pallas Athena, the goddess of wisdom, which occupied a central place of worship in the Temple of the Vestal Virgins in Rome. It was believed to be the very statute that Aeneas, the mythical father of the Roman people, had carried from the ruins of Troy. It was honored in public rituals as the Goddess of Wisdom's enlightened guidance of the state and its citizens, as the editors hoped their newspaper would serve as a bulwark of the people’s liberties in the new revival of Rome’s republic in America.

In Support of Mr. Jefferson...
N-117. THE INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE, typical issue printed between 1808 and 1812. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.].
This bi-weekly newspaper is a rarity in Federalist Boston, a Jeffersonian Republican newspaper. It supports the beleaguered President and attempts to correct the false statements about his character and accomplishments, and continued after he left office to counter the other Federalist critiques of the Democratic-Republicans. The nation's north-south political divide was already now well under way, for Yankees generally favored Federalism, while its opposite belief held sway south of the Mason-Dixon line. That southerners earned a larger number of representatives in Congress than northern free men, because of their slaves being included as partial persons in the census, was another bone of contention that simply would not go away. Each issue is filled with news of the day domestic and international. A graceful American eagle and decorative calligraphy ornament its fine masthead. A number of illustrated ads can be seen, and more.

N-118. THE BOSTON PATRIOT, typical issue printed between 1809 and 1812. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.].
Another fine semi-weekly paper from the final years of Boston's pre-eminence as the center of American financial and commercial life, with an appealing title. Begun in 1809, the paper was highly regarded for the quality of its national and international news reporting, and finance and commentary. After numerous changes of ownership and mergers with other newspapers, the paper's last issue rolled off the presses in December, 1831. The content is strongly Federalist, as may be expected, and the news reports are full and detailed, from events in town, to the south and west, and the seemingly endless warfare in Europe, where France and England have been locked in combat since 1794. Many fine ads highlight the variety of goods and services available in the wealthy city of two centuries ago.

Early Issues of the Intelligencer - with Slave Ads!
N-120. THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER & WASHINGTON ADVERTISER, typical issue printed in 1810. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Washington, D.C., by Samuel Smith].
I am pleased to be able to offer early (volume 10) issues of the great Washington newspaper, still being edited by its founder, Sam Smith (the last year it will be). Smith was a confidante of Jefferson and made this paper the de facto official organ of his administration. It features full news of the deliberations of a Congress rich in famous early American leaders, plus all the news from the states and the territories. Most discordantly, perhaps, for the modern reader, each issue offered here carries one or more slave-related advertisements (see the scan to the left for a typical example) offering rewards for the return of slaves run away to find freedom, others for sale, or found without papers and arrested. Powerful documentation of "the peculiar institution" whose expansion would threaten the very survival of our experiment in liberty.

Keeping An Eye on Those Guys in Washington!
N-122. THE CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER, typical issue printed between 1811 and 1812. [Complete issue of 16 pages, octavo size, n.p. (published at Concord, New Hampshire, by Isaac Hill)].
This unusual imprint is by Isaac Hill (1789 - 1851), the pre-eminent early New Hampshire newsman. He served in the U.S. Senate, was the Granite State's Governor, and an influential member of Andrew Jackson's informal "kitchen cabinet" of political advisors. This weekly reports the doings of the federal Congress in this contentious year before the radical "War Hawks" newly elected to the U.S. Government would force a declaration of war on Great Britain - what many saw as an insane adventure, a small farming nation taking on the world's strongest imperial power. This title is unlisted in the exhaustive Union List of Serials and the issues offered here may well be unique. .

N-123. THE CHRISTIAN OBSERVER, typical issue printed 1812 and 1813. [Complete issue of 64 pages, octavo size, published at Boston].
This fine early magazine was printed to chronicle the affairs "of the established church" of England and is the Boston reprint of the London edition. Its highlight is the extensive news from foreign missions, which are first-hand accounts of the strange and different cultures Americans were hearing of for the first time, chief among them those of India, Africa, and China. Also more of the church's domestic activities, plus inspirational content, homilies, sermons, advice, and more. There are also several pages of news of the day. Prominent in these is news of the several wars, the British fight with Napoleon in Europe receiving the emphasis. and later the war with America, which merits a paragraph or two. Nice item.

The "Second War of Independence": The War of 1812 Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it compromises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few". -James Madison      The War of 1812 was declared by the "Warhawk" Congress elected in the 1810 midterms, and proclaimed by President Madison on June 13, 1812. The conflict ended two and a half years later with the Treaty of Ghent, signed on Christmas Eve, 1814. The war had a profound if now largely forgotten impact on Americans who both supported and vocally opposed waging war on Great Britain, then the world's mightiest superpower. Many saw America's survival as evidence of a Divinely-inspired destiny, while other more pragmatic souls realized that lack of British political resolve and an incoherent military strategy had once again saved our freedom. LEFT, U.S.S. Constitution, in a contemporary woodcut.       The United States could not be said to have won the war, for its goal of annexing Canada had failed, and the treaty that ended hostilities contained no concessions to the demands the U.S. had gone to war for. The British on the other hand failed in their plan to retake most of northern New England and New York as buffer zones to forestall another invasion of Canada and to extract heavy war reparations from the belligerent party. The only true losers were the surviving eastern Americna Indian tribes, from whom the British withdrew the protection they had provided since the 1760s, and who would now face the expanding U.S. alone.      News items, in typical period fashion, consist of letters from observers, official government documents, and items freely copied from other newspapers with which the editor "exchanged". In this era of horseback post riders and sailing vessels, all but the local news was usually weeks or months old before it appeared in print. There is full comment and every shade of opinion on the politicians of the day, not infrequently libelous by modern standards. As we approach the bicentennial of the war, these fine old papers offer excellent perspective on this dramatic fight for survival, and how the people of America responded to the challenges of the hour.       Newspapers of this early war are all far scarcer than Civil War era papers. In the faltering economy circulations dropped off in many cases to no more than a few hundred or a few thousand copies per issue. Because of wartime shortages and manufacturing problems, the paper available to print American newspapers during the war years was often of lesser quality, so fewer have survived the passage of time.      The papers offered here are in at least Very Good condition unless noted otherwise, and may show more foxing or browning than usual because of the lower quality wartime paper they were printed on. Note that the camera flash does tend to exaggerate browning and/or foxing. For individually described War of 1812 newspapers, and the history of the war, please visit my catalog devoted to the conflict by clicking here. N-129. THE BOSTON PATRIOT, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1815. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.]. News accounts of the struggle with England highlight this full sized newspaper, which also contains statements of the anti-war faction and provocative political analyses. New England was under a tight British naval blockade throughout most of the war (a factor which turned locals bitterly against what they deemed "Mr. Madison's War") so these issues were printed on coarse, crude paper which is usually found with some foxing due to the residues of the manufacturing process. N-135. THE COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, AND MASSACHUSETTS FEDERALIST, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1815. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.]. . This staunch Federalist newspaper became less and less enchanted with the federal government's war policies as the war dragged on. Its news reports are quite as interesting as its editorials can be strongly worded. Full war news from all fronts, as well as the momentous events in Europe, where British successes against Napoleon will free their troops to fight America, with catastrophic results for the young republic. Nice paper with a woodcut eagle in its Masthead, fine ill. ads, etc. N-141. THE INDEPENDENT CHRONICLE, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1815. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.]. . Complete news and information on the war's events and their political and economic impact on the region and nation may be found in this excellent bi-weekly newspaper. Splendid display Masthead features attractive calligraphy and a medallion woodcut of the American eagle. Uncommon Opposition Newspaper N-145. THE RHODE ISLAND AMERICAN AND GENERAL ADVERTISER, typical issue printed between 1813 and 1815. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Providence, R.I., by Miller, Goddard, & Mann]. Full news coverage of the land and sea wars is to be found in these issues, together, generally, with considerable anti-Washington commentary, for New Englanders fear the President and the War Hawk Congress have far exceeded their authority in taking on Great Britain in warfare. Very interesting perspectives on the struggle. I note many fine ads and more. . N-147. THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1814. [printed at Washington, D.C., complete issue of 4pp, full folio size]. . Printed at the nation's Capital, this newspaper denounced English policy and supported the war effort unflinchingly. Because of its outspoken record, the offices were sacked and burned by British troops when the city was briefly occupied in the summer of 1814; though with typical Yankee ingenuity the paper was printing again, on whatever paper and equipment could be found, within ten days of the redcoat departure. THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER was one of the most significant American newspapers of its century. It was begun in 1801 by William H. Smith, and passed in 1810 to the legendary newsmen Joseph Gales and William Seaton, who continued to publish the paper in daily, tri-weekly, and weekly editions until its demise in 1868. For most of its long life this newspaper, which had been founded as the de facto spokesman of the Jefferson administration, remained in fact if not in name the official newspaper of the Federal government, recording the activities of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches in full detail. Condition is fine; there is browning in these scarce and historic issues because of the paper used and Washington's humid climate. Fine mementos of those difficult years. Scarcer Newspaper with an Appealing Title and a Moderate Stance N-149. THE YANKEE, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1813. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass., by Benjamin True and Thomas Rowe]. Edited by David Everett (1770 - 1813), playwright, author, and lawyer, this paper survived him by seven years, finally succumbing when a fire destroyed the printing-office. It contains the latest news of the war with England, and of the titanic struggle on the Continent between Napoleon and England, which drew the United States into ill-advised conflict with the latter Empire. Editorially the paper stands for unity in the face of the war, in these early months before the blockade became effective. I note much on the land war in the west and north, and accounts of the war at sea, along with Washington dispatches and commentary. Good budget of ads. Excellent regional newspaper from a time when the "Yankee" tars were the heroes of the hour. Scarcer title; this group of Volume I issues contains the only examples of the title I have seen. N-153. THE NEW-ENGLAND PALLADIUM, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1815. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.]. News coverage of the struggle is featured here in letters from eyewitnesses to the fighting, official government communiqués, and more. A scarcer title, with only some 25 known holdings from the war years. N-159. THE WEEKLY REGISTER, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1815. [complete issue of 16 pages, printed at Baltimore, octavo size]. This highly detailed newspaper, in handy octavo format, is filled with some of the best coverage and commentary of the war years, by the great newsman Hezekiah Niles. Niles was one of a rare handful of newsmen who refused advertising, in order not to be swayed by the advertisers' politics, and relied solely on subscription fees to keep the paper solvent. He suspended the paper for two weeks in that dark year of 1814 - when the editor and staff were busy fending off the British attack on Fort McHenry, guarding Baltimore. Francis Scott Key immortalized the epic in what is now our national anthem. An American classic, still, renowned for its unbiased chronicle of the day's events. Edited by Washington Irving N-162. THE ANALECTIC MAGAZINE, typical issue printed between 1813 and 1814. [Complete issue of 88 pages, octavo size, published at Philadelphia, Penna., by Moses Thomas]. For a brief period, less than 24 issues, this fine eclectic review was edited by the great American author Washington Irving (1783 -1859). He contributed a number of reviews of new books and wrote the "literary and scientific intelligence" in the news columns. He celebrated the great triumphs of the U.S. navy in action against King George's warships in articles he wrote covering the war's events and the heroes. Irving started with a salary of $125 a month, which he thought "handsome pay ... [for] an amusing occupation" but by the end of 1814 he had grown tired of the demands of active editorship of an ongoing periodical and quit, to be replaced in Feb. 1815 by Thomas Wharton. I offer complete issues dating to the months of the Irving editorship, unique mementos of the early career of one of the most celebrated authors of his century at a formative period of American letters . N-165. THE WAR, typical issue printed between 1812 and 1814. [Complete issue of 4 pages, quarto size, published at New York, N.Y. by Woodworth & Co.] This bi-weekly newspaper was printed specifically to report the events of the war with England, and is especially prized for its detailed accounts of the bloody land war with the British Indian allies in the western wilderness. Editor Woodworth (1784 - 1842) was an apprentice of Benjamin Russell and helped print the Columbian Centinel until 1809. Vivid coverage of the war as it unfolded, to a conclusion that could not be known at the time. It is a hard title to find, as it had a limited press run. In its Masthead is the proud motto, "Let the rallying cry, through the day, be 'Liberty or Death'"

N-172. THE ANALECTIC MAGAZINE, typical issue printed between 1815 and 1819. [Complete issue of 88 pages, 4to size, published at Philadelphia]
A fine early American monthly magazine, filled with interesting reading matter. There is eclectic content and reviews on all matter of events in the passing scene. Its original editor was Washington Irving who tired quickly of the labor and was succeeded by attorney Thomas Wharton, who presided over the publication of these issues. There is also a department called "The Naval Chronicle" which makes interesting reading on the U.S. Navy in those early days of "wooden ships and iron men".

By the Founder of American Party Journalism.
N-174. COBBETT'S WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER, typical issue printed between 1815 and 1816. [Complete issue of 16 pages, octavo size, published at New York, by Cobbett and Oldfield].
Printed on New York's Wall Street is this classic political journal, whose content is provided by William Cobbett (1763 - 1835), the great Anglo-American journalist and founder of American party journalism. At this point he had returned to England, where this week's columns were written, after being fined for libels published in his Philadelphia newspaper, the famed Porcupine's Gazette. He would return to the U.S. in 1817 and once again find it opportune to decamp to England. Doubtless he would be pleased with the senseless invective that passes for political commentary these days, for he invented the dubious art form of attack journalism. Interesting perspectives in the immediate postwar era, as angry sectionalist factions wrestle with what the country just escaped, and where it should go next .

N-177. THE WEEKLY REGISTER, typical issue printed between 1815 and 1819. [complete issue of 16 pages, printed at Baltimore, octavo size]. An American classic, renowned for its impartial and accurate news coverage. Printed by the great newsman Hezekiah Niles (1777 - 1839), this paper became one of America's finest, as it strove for impartial and accurate news reporting, a comparative rarity in this period of partisan newspapering. To this end, the paper accepted no advertising. Wide variety of contents, a recommended addition to every newspaper collection. The postwar westward expansion of the eastern states is reflected in the news in these issues, as is the national growth in industry, public works, education, and more.

The Paper That Gave A Name to An Era
N-182. THE COLUMBIAN CENTINEL, issue dated 1815 to 1819. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.]
These issues are from the "Era of Good Feeling", a phrase describing this time of American history that was actually coined by Russell in an 1817 editorial. It portrays the nation healing from the wounds of the War of 1812 and the bitter political divisiveness that nearly broke up the federal union. This was a time of westward expansion, big government public works projects, and an unbounded optimism about the young nation's great destiny, all of which are here chronicled, together with nice ads, etc.

Early Issues of America's Oldest Daily Newspaper in Top Condition
N-183. THE NEW-YORK EVENING POST, issue printed between 1816 and 1818. [complete issue of 4 pages, printed at New York by Michael Burnham & Co.].
This classic of early American journalism was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton to be the spokesman of the Federalist cause. It is filled with political commentary of this rapidly fading party, and news of all kinds. The ads are quite exceptional, more than a few with large illustrations (See my scan, left), more than in papers from any other city in the nation. At this period New York was rapidly filling the vacuum left by the collapse of commerce in Boston, which had been the nation's premier city until her merchants were all but wiped out by the British blockade in the War of 1812. Thus the news found here is the latest and most reliable, as demanded by the paper's larger mercantile readership. The venerable newspaper survives (to apply the term loosely) today as the New York Post, the oldest daily newspaper published in America.

"The World's First Religious Newspaper"
N-185. THE RECORDER, typical issue printed between 1816 and 1818. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass. by Nathaniel Willis].
Founder and Editor Nathaniel Willis (1780 - 1870) made the claim that this Baptist weekly was "The World's First Religious Newspaper." A veteran journalist, who founded the Eastern Argus in 1803, he would achieve lasting famed for starting the hugely successful Youth's Companion which first appeared as a department in this sheet. Its contents discuss the sect and its beliefs and progress, as well as news and politics (he was an ardent Anti-Federalist) and social mores of that long-vanished American, just now recovering from the shock of war. Fair number of ads as well. The issues offered here were delivered to Rev. Benjamin Emerson, uncle of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and have his name, inked in by a subscription clerk, at the Masthead of each issue.

N-189. THE NEW-ENGLAND PALLADIUM, typical issue printed between 1816 and 1821. [published at Boston, complete issue of 4pp, full folio]
An excellent semi-weekly newspaper in which the nation's recovery from the war with England and expansion into the west can be seen. Many attractive ads, with emphasis on shipping in the seaport city, with small woodcuts of sailing vessels, plus all the news of the day

A Scarce Antebellum Southern Christian Paper
N-201. THE SUNDAY VISITANT, typical issue printed between 1818 and 1819. [Charleston, S. Carolina, 4pp quarto].
Rev. Fowler's influential weekly newspaper paints a picture of the role of the Christian faith in the culture of the antebellum South. A fine glimpse into the nation's religious heritage, and freedom of religion in practice. Content includes sermons and homilies, exhortations in dealing with life's troubles, a few news items and marriage notices and the like. It is a scarcer imprint, as Southern papers of this vintage are very hard to find. Its printer used the finest modern imported English type, evidence of the prosperity enjoyed at this hub of Southern commercial and social life.

N-207. THE BOSTON COMMERCIAL GAZETTE, typical issue printed in 1820. [Complete issue of 4 pages, folio size, published at Boston, Mass.].
News from all over fills pages one and two of This excellent early newspaper, with coverage ranging from the latest foreign dispatches received to the deeds of the government down in Washington. The next two pages are just packed with an incredible variety of ads, many illustrated with small sailing ships, emblems or all kinds. Many are for imports just arrived in this busy port city.

“She [the United States] goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy, She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own... She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.” -Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, Independence Day Speech, Washington, July 4, 1821.

America's First Scientific Magazine
N-251. THE AMERICAN MECHANICS' MUSEUM, typical issue printed between 1825 and 1826. [Complete issue of 16 pages, octavo size, published at New York, printed by William van Norden].
Produced by Thomas P. Jones (1774 -1848), mechanics professor of the Franklin Institute, this title is the earliest American weekly devoted entirely to technological advancement. Modeled on the London Mechanics' Magazine, it survived barely a year before merging with the Franklin Institute's newly launched Journal and moving to Philadelphia. It is an amazing digest of mechanical and scientific progress printed at the dawn of the Industrial Era in America, and is supplied with illustrations, a great rarity in era publications. Quite uncommon and a significant addition to any collection.