Description: Rare EARLY Pre Revolutionary War MASSACHUSETTS SPY Isaiah Thomas 1770 Newspaper Offered is an original, collectible newspaper (NOT a copy/reproduction): THE MASSACHUSETTS SPY, (Boston), September 22, 1770 * Very early famous 18th century publication * Volume 1 issue - Isaiah Thomas as publisher This innocuous looking newspaper is arguably the most famous of all American titles of the 18th century. It began in July, 1770, this being issue number 22. It is exceedingly rare to find this title from the first year of publication. The famed Isaiah Thomas was the publisher. Wikipedia notes that it was a heavily political paper that was constantly on the verge of being suppressed by the Royalist government from the time of its establishment in 1770 thru 1776, during the runup to the American Revolution. In 1771–1773 the Spy featured the essays of several anonymous political commentators. The Spy soon carried radicalism to its logical conclusion. When articles from the Spy were reprinted in other papers, as the country as a whole was ready for Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776), the newspaper had to be removed from Boston to Worcester after the April 6, 1775 issue, just before the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the subsequent siege of Boston, to prevent the arrest of the publisher and printers and the presses from being seized and destroyed by the British. The entire front page and over half of the back page are taken up with: "A Political Dialogue" being a thinly disguised discussion between two people (pseudonyms only) relating rather specifically to the oppressions of the British upon the Colonies. A few bits include: "Pray, Sir, what are we to understand by a free and civil community?...a political body made up of individuals, properly endowed with immunities and a power of making such laws for their own regulation as they shall think most proper...to subserve the general good & to promote the mutual peace & temporal felicity of the community...by vindicating and asserting to them their natural rights, liberties, privileges and properties against the iniquitous demands, invasions, encroachments, injuries, ravages and violences of fraudulent, oppressive and unreasonable men..." with so much more. The photos show the full text of the issue. Terrific content for an issue of this era, just a few months after the Boston Massacre. Complete as a single sheet issue, 7 by 9 1/2 inches. To verify completeness we checked with the American Antiquarian Society and their files (the personal collection of Isaiah Thomas himself) show this issue to be complete as a single sheet without an imprint. Very nice condition. Please Note: All of our offerings are 100% authentic! We do not offer reprints or reproductions of any kind. They are guaranteed to be original! Links to Archival Storage Options & Certificates of Authenticity Are Below! Historical reports may be beautiful or ugly, but they are always informative. While we rejoice in the beautiful (heroic, discovery, amazing feats, etc.), we at Historys Newsstand also offer "the ugly" for we are determined to learn from the wrongs of the past - understanding, to do so, we must be willing to look these wrongs directly in the face and shout "NO MORE!". It is for this reason many Black Americans collect historic slave ads, Jews collect reports regarding the Holocaust, women collect coverage of the Womens Suffrage Movement, etc.. If you find any to be offensive, we agree! Hopefully this is an indication we are moving in the right direction. Domestic Shipping Policy... For this specific item, A U.S. winner pays $6.00 S&H. If multiple items are purchased and paid for simultaneously, the S&H will be calculated by using the highest items S&H as the base cost, and then adding a small amount for each additional newspaper. The per-item additional cost for newspapers, folders, portfolios, and presentation cases vary according to size and weight. All U.S. orders include in-house insurance at no additional cost to the buyer and include delivery confirmation. All orders include tracking & delivery confirmation. Orders ship within 24 business hours of receiving payment. Some small items may be shipped 1st Class. We will still provide tracking and insure them at our expense. Combined Shipping Notice If the automated eBay checkout process does not properly combine shipping, we will refund overages automatically. 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If we fall short of your expectations in any way, please contact us so we can try to make things right for you. Archival Storage... ...is available for an additional $7.50, plus an appropriate adjustment to S&H (see above Shipping Policy). If desired, purchase this directly (through eBay) at: archival storage folder. Again, to insure you will receive the appropriately sized folder for your item, please select the $7.50 folder option. Certificate of Authenticity... A certificate of authenticity is also available for an additional $3.00, which includes both the issue date and title, and certifies, by Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers, the issue to be authentic & original. If desired, purchase this directly (through eBay) at: certificate of authenticity. About Us... Contact Information... We have been both collectors and dealers in rare newspapers since 1975, serve as consultants to multiple museums, and are members of both the Ephemera Society of America and the American Antiquarian Society. Bid & Buy with confidence knowing every item we offer is guaranteed to be authentic. Timothy Hughes Rare Newspapers P.O. Box 3636 Williamsport, PA 17701-8636 Hours: M-F, 7:30-4:00 EST View our additional ebay offerings "...desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things." Heb. 13:18 In an effort to honor eBays policies and our loyal customers who watch our listings, we do not end auction items early. We hope you understand! "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Thomas Jefferson
Price: 2100 USD
Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2024-09-09T11:51:42.000Z
Shipping Cost: 6 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Item Number: 687191
Content: rare early newspapers vintage history ephemera old