From July 2013 to May 2014, the National Postal Museum Library hosted the “Small Journals Project,” an effort to catalog thousands of rare and unique items of philatelic literature from the late 19th century (when stamp
From July 2013 to May 2014, the National Postal Museum Library hosted the “Small Journals Project,” an effort to catalog thousands of rare and unique items of philatelic literature from the late 19th century (when stamp collecting really took off as a popular hobby) to nearly the present day. The journals, many of which were donated from a single large collection, were typically fewer than ten pages and published by individual hobbyists or small, local clubs, thus their designation as “small.”
I was the primary cataloger for the Small Journals Project, and every day felt fortunate to work with rare materials reflecting the diverse breadth and scope of philatelic history. Over 80% of the publications were original catalog records, meaning that the National Postal Museum Library is the only institution presently known to hold them. The collection is so large that even after nearly a year of work, hundreds more titles still need to be cataloged!
Selecting a single item to represent the collection proved very difficult. However, beginning with the oldest item I cataloged in the collection so far—a December 8, 1820 issue of the New England Galaxy newspaper—seemed a good place to start. This newspaper is interesting because of its early critique of postal responsibilities, as well as surrounding news stories and articles reflecting a young American nation.
The New England Galaxy was founded by Joseph T. Buckingham, a prominent New England publisher and politician.(1) Though not a philatelic publication, this particular issue contains a column about so-called abuses by local postmasters. These abuses seem insignificant by modern standards—the newspaper criticizes postmasters who failed to inform newspaper publishers that an addressee no longer picks up their newspaper at the post office. Though this problem is unlikely to appear as a headline today, it nevertheless reflects tension between a newspaper publisher and at least one local post office at an early stage in US mail delivery. The article ends on a postscript with an ominous tone: “If the conduct of a postmaster in one of the principle northern offices should be blown up any time within a year, say that we, with