IMPERIAL PUBLISHING COMPANY

The Imperialist, Vol. 1, no. 1, April 10, 1869

New York: Imperial Publishing Company, 1869. First Edition. Tabloid format (39cm.); pictorial self-wrappers, disbound as issued; 16pp.; text printed in triple columns. Extremities a bit chipped and rubbed, previous mail folds, contemporary ownership inscription to upper cover, else a Very Good, sound copy.

Quite a scarce post-Civil War monarchist weekly newspaper published under the motto "The Empire is Peace" and "Let us have Peace." It quickly attracted derision, the jewel-encrusted crown adorning the banner compared to a champagne bottle label, while most readers seeing early issues at newsstands believed it to be a hoax until five or six numbers had already appeared. The Brooklyn "Eagle" called it a "local nuisance" that took freedom of speech too far. The anonymous editors' arguments in favor of a monarchy rested mostly upon the recent Civil War, the editors writing in their opening statement "The war was a failure until we made Abraham Lincoln almost absolute autocrat, with more power than any other sovereign on earth. We made him such, and all the people said 'Amen! It is necessary. The Republic is well enough in peace, but it is not the thing to ride out a storm in'" (p. [1]). Though this issue the most common and often described as all published, the Union List of Serials notes that fourteen numbers appeared between April and June, 1869. See also Julia Albert Lapham's article "An Imperial American Newspaper" in "Americana," Vol. 5 (1910), pp. 187-193.

Price: $450.00

Go Back