I got this beauty in the mail today - it’s very well written with tons of illustrations. I highly recommend it.

I just got my requested scans from the Columbia University Library. This is a Japanese children’s periodical titled: よろこばしきおとづれ (Yorokobashiki otozure)/ Glad Tidings. It was created by Christian missionaries in Japan.

Can someone recommend an independent researcher that can visit an archive in New Haven, CT? I really need someone ASAP. I would prefer someone experienced, but in theory anyone that can read these city names and dates in cursive could be fine. It should take 4-6 hours. 🗃️

I also just learned that searching Google Books is not working. It’s really bizarre. It appears at least some of the advanced search functions still work. 🗃️ inauthor: intitle: intext: insubject:

I have finally collated all my research into The British Workman and its associated periodicals. If you're interested, check it out on my blog: losthistorybooks.com/2026/01/26/w...

Tonight’s agenda: finding extant copies of The British Workman in foreign languages. According to this listing in the publisher’s catalog, it was translated into eight languages! Another listing indicates these were intended for foreign sailors and soldiers. 📰

More adventures in children's magazines - this time in Swedish! I think this image is originally from a London paper; I just can't find the original source online. I can show that it was used in The Child at Home in 1871, Folkvännen in 1875, and Arbetarens vän in 1878.

I examined digitized copies Y medelwr ieuanc and I can identify most of the cover images from 1871. Seeing them side by side is quite striking. journals.library.wales/browse/2036997

Quick question: do you know of any individuals with a snail mail newsletter? Substack is fun and all, but I’m embracing offline connections this year. I’m thinking about starting my own too. 🗃️

I have once again stumbled across a foreign children's periodical based on an American one. This time - it's in WELSH! Y Medelwr Ienuanc was based on The Young Reaper and re-used the masthead and illustrations. journals.library.wales/browse/2036997

I just learned that the American Antiquarian Society digitized some Hawaiian language materials, including a paper for children titled Ke Alaula. Like other missionary papers, it appears to re-use illustrations made by the American Tract Society in NY. 🗃️ www.americanantiquarian.org/hawaiian-lan...

Merry Christmas everyone! Please enjoy some cute Christmas illustrations from old newspapers.

My image index is coming along nicely but now I see newspaper illustrations every time I close my eyes. 🙃

The March 1856 edition of the British Workman has an illustration of someone selling the January 1856 edition. The detail is really incredible. Even in Victorian times, people enjoyed going full meta.

I stumbled across another fantastic illustration of electrotyping. Along the way, I solved a little mystery too! This illustration is from the December 1865 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine. The article provides a detailed description of their entire printing operation. 🧵

I love finding the ✨perfect✨ period illustration. This image from Le Monde illustré depicts the process of electrotyping wood block engravings. It is on page 13 of the January 7, 1860 edition. 🗃️

I’ve finally organized and expanded the list of lost materials that I’m currently searching for. Check it out: losthistorybooks.com/help-me/

I’ve been examining the illustrations this Children’s magazine published by Christian missionaries in Shanghai. All the issues for 1875 are online courtesy of @bodleian.ox.ac.uk It’s titled: 小孩月报 (Xiaohai Yuebao). Which just means “Child’s Paper.” 🧵 🗃️ digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/211c...

I should have heeded this warning. The letters listed in the attached register were not in the box after all. 🙃

I had a surprising amount of fun browsing old ecclesiastical Journals. This is from the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio.

I’ve been looking at runaway slave ads from the American Revolutionary War and it’s been a humbling experience. If you have some time, I invite you to read some of their names in the thread below. 🗃️🧵 A man named Bone from New Hampshire.

I recently got to view some of William F. Allen’s handwritten notes from the 1860s. This excerpt includes a musical transcription of a song he heard former slaves singing near Helena, Arkansas. It would ultimately be published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867.

I just got images of Palier Nason from Harvard Library. This was another children’s magazine created by American missionaries. It includes articles in both Tamil and English.

This AI nonsense from last week inspired me to take a another look at everything I know about the United States Primer by Joanna Donaldson Bronson. Much to my surprise, I noticed something new! 🧵

I finally got copies of Зорница (Zornitsa) from the National Library of Bulgaria! Like the other children’s magazines published in the Ottoman Empire, this sometimes included sheet music.

I stumbled across an AI generated answer on a study website that touches upon my area of expertise. It claims that William H. McGuffey wrote The United States Primer. He didn’t! It was written by Joanna Donaldson Bronson, the wife of Dr. Oliver Bronson. 🗃️

I’ve been solving lots of little mysteries and have more exciting progress to report! The fantastic librarians at Yale provided copies of several rare issues of the Christian Banner and Tract Journal. It was the primary organ if the American Tract Society in Boston. 🧵

I recently acquired two editions of Morning Light from 1883. There’s nothing exciting about these issues, but I’m still overjoyed to add them to my collection. As far as I can tell, they’re the only known copies of these issues. So I’ll donate them to a suitable institution in the future.

I just got copies of the first two years of Morning Light was immediately able to answer two burning questions. 1 - Did the American tract society reuse illustrations they already had of black individuals? The answer is yes! Here's one example from Advice to Freedmen by Brinckerhoff.

I unexpectedly discovered a clue to one of my most vexing mysteries: Who is H.? This enigmatic author contributed to several Christian publications in the 19th century but I have no idea who it is! Much to my surprise, I found an article by them in the Advocate and Family Guardian. 🧵

I have been searching for later editions of The Freedman for years, and I finally made a little progress! Apparently the name changed to “Our School and Home” sometime in 1870.

Y’all gotta see this. I just fell down a research rabbit hole involving a 19th century children’s magazine published in the Ottoman Empire, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and traditional black music. 🗃️ youtube.com/shorts/4BWQS...

Check this out! I recently discovered that engravings made in Boston were also used by missionaries in the Ottoman Empire. These four publications each had a specialized audience. Left to right is: ԱՒԵՏԱԲԵՐ ՏՂԱՅՈՑ ՀԱՄԱՐ Αγγελιαφόρος Τζοτζουκλάρ ιτσούν The Child at Home The Freedman 🗃️

A new addition for my collection. This book is so beautiful, it’s breathtaking.

My propaganda collection has grown a lot over the years. I’m currently reviewing a few things for a project. Somehow I forgot how buck wild some of this stuff is. 🗃️

As you can see, there is significant overlap between all three papers. This is absolutely fascinating. Angeliaphoros was for Karamanli children in Turkey. The Child at Home was for American Children. The Freedman was for formerly enslaved Black children.

Yesterday I stumbled across this *incredible* image. Somehow this engraving created in Boston is in a Turkish children’s periodical from 1872. 🗃️

I’ve taken some more time to review the works of Edmonia Lewis. This book by Harry Henderson has been invaluable. And I have some new leads on the photographs.

Here’s a fun fact: Both Hannah E. Stevenson and Ednah D. Cheney were close friends with Louisa May Alcott. Boston abolitionists and reformers were a close knit group.

I hope to write an article about this book, but I can’t figure out where to start. So I fell down a rabbit hole instead… y’all know the drill. I spent a lot of time reading The Freedmen’s Record. It was published by the New England Branch of the Freedmen’s and Union Commission 1865-1874.

Hey folks, can anyone recommend an independent researcher in Worcester, Massachusetts? I need to hire someone to visit the American Antiquarian Society. I think what I need should take <6 hours. 🗃️

I located another copy of the Hand Book for American Citizens! It's been at the American Antiquarian Society this whole time. 😅 What's listed on the title page is basically the table of contents. So I missed it since it's catalogued under that "title" instead of Hand Book for American Citizens.

1️⃣ Browsing newspaper archives can be a WILD ride. While scrolling through a Cincinnati newspaper from 1879, I stumbled across one of the most dramatic crime articles that I’ve ever seen. It’s so meticulously detailed it feels unbelievable. Content note: death, violence, abuse, self-harm 🧵

1️⃣ Y’all know I love a rabbit hole, but I didn’t expect to start the year with a deep dive into 19th century penal methods. 🗃️

I just started reading One Winter’s Work and it’s AMAZING! I’m so bummed that her work is basically unknown - I’m dying to talk about it with someone.

1️⃣ After a week of postal delays, my copy of the United States Second Reading Book has arrived! This book was first published in 1868. It was part of a series made to educate formerly enslaved people.

1️⃣ This week I had the privilege of visiting @librarycongress.bsky.social ! I arrived the minute they opened to researchers and had the reading room to myself for about an hour!

1️⃣ I just had an exciting breakthrough! I’ve searched for info on Martha N. Forrest for over a year. She was a black student in one of William F. Mitchell’s schools in Nashville. Everything I knew about her was from this 1868 autobiography and I initially failed to find any other record of her. 🧵 🗃️

1️⃣ I recently took a research trip to Marshall University in Huntington, WV. I examined a ton of letters written by three sisters: Annie, Gaynor, and Eliza Heacock. Annie and Gaynor worked in freedmen’s schools near Beaufort, SC. Eliza also worked for freedmen’s bureau in D.C.

1️⃣ I’ve been researching the Paris Anti-Slavery Convention of 1867 and I just found something *very* interesting. Apparently William Craft attended! The list of delegates is full of fascinating folks. Follow along if you’re into Reconstruction era history.🧵 🗃️