Albany Weekly Review [manuscript title] [two issues]

Albany, NY, 1853. Two issues, each [4]pp., in manuscript, each written on a single folded sheet of blue paper. Old folds, minor wear and toning, small hole in second leaf of earlier issue, costing several words. Otherwise highly readable and in overall very good condition. A unique pair of manuscript amateur newspapers from upstate New York, produced in the capital city of Albany in the early 1850s. Each issue is jam-packed with national, regional, and local news from a youthful but assured perspective; in fact, the subtitle of the later issue reads, "Devoted to Young America and the National Democracy."

The first issue is dated Thursday, October 21, 1852, written in three columns, and is mostly concerned with the 1852 presidential election. The stories are a combination of reportage and editorializing about the candidates and their campaigns, with the newspaper clearly endorsing Franklin Pierce for president and William King for VP. In a story in the first column of the first page, Martin Van Buren is referred to as a "contemptible individual," "not actually fit to live," and a "most contemptible wretch" who "deserves death," arguing that if Van Buren were assassinated, the responsible party should have a monument built for them. The issue includes additional stories and editorial commentary noting local political meetings, a breakdown of the 1852 electoral votes, a notice that the Green Street Theatre is "closed again," and so forth.

The second issue, dated June 9, 1853 includes a bit of a retraction of the Van Buren attack from the first issue, more reporting of the new Pierce Administration, some local advertisements, and more. One article on Pierce discusses that he apparently threatened to remove any new appointees who spoke against his platform or against enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law. This issue is written in four columns, and includes stories on the "Maine Liquor Law," a speech by "Mr. Cooley," the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, and so forth, interspersed again with editorial commentary. These issues are among the more precocious amateur newspaper productions we've encountered.