Jeffrey Kral
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Revolutionary War
Lot 89
THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD. AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Printed broadsheet, The London Evening-Post, From Monday, May 29, to Tuesday, May 30, 1775, No. 8297, London: Printed by J. Miller, [1775], containing the first newspaper publication outside of America of the beginning of the American Revolution,
31 March – 8 April 2025, 12:00 EDT
Online, New YorkSold for US$25,600 inc. premium
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THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Printed broadsheet, The London Evening-Post, From Monday, May 29, to Tuesday, May 30, 1775, No. 8297, London: Printed by J. Miller, [1775], containing the first newspaper publication outside of America of the beginning of the American Revolution, 408 x 296 mm, bifolium, floated and framed to 518 x 715 mm.
Provenance: George Gloss, The Brattle Book Shop; sold WGBH, The Channel 2 Auction, 1975, item 19783; A private collection, Concord, MA.
EXTRAORDINARILY RARE BROADSHEET CONTAINING THE FIRST LONDON NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION OF THE BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. On May 29th, 1775, the London Evening Post printed a broadside "Extraordinary" containing the news reports of the fighting at Lexington outside of Boston, as it had appeared in the first American accounts printed in the Essex Gazette on April 25, 1775. Here, the first newspaper publication the following day, both the American account, as well as the testimonials of American colonists recounting the affair are printed. Remarkably, these American accounts pre-date the arrival of the British government's own reports by two weeks, and so these American versions of the battles became "the shot heard round the world," picked up by the papers in Europe, Russia and the far east spreading news of the events in America in a pro-colonist light.
Following on the heels of the colonist's dispersing the British army at Lexington, the Continental Congress met on April 22. They assembled a packet of news intended for Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin in London composed of the accounts which appeared in the Essex Gazette, as well as, importantly, signed affidavits from both American citizen-soldiers and captured British soldiers. They hired Richard Derby, Captain of the small but fast ship Quero to take these materials to London. Derby and the Quero left Boston on the night of April 28, four days behind the British reports of General Gage aboard the Sukey. However, Derby delivered the colonist packet to Arthur Lee on May 28th, and on May 29th the first account, that from the Essex Gazette, appeared in The London Evening Post. The following day, the Post published the further first-hand accounts as supplied by the affidavits. Over the coming days, Arthur Lee masterfully provided the London papers with additional commentary in the form of letters to the editor, which kept the colonist's descriptions in the fore. It was not until June 9, the General Gage's official reports with British version finally made it to London.
From London, the colonist account was soon picked up by the French press before making its way across Europe. By June 19th, the news was printed as far away as St. Petersburg. When the Austrian Wienerisches Diarium first published the news on June 21 it noted that the British had refused to fire first, but on June 24 the Diarium clarified events publishing the Salem Gazette version. The story was the same throughout Europe, whose monarchs were not pleased with events. However, the people, in particular, the emerging professional class were transfixed by the newly broadcast American struggle for independence and equality.
Exceedingly rare. We trace no other copy of the broadsheet, containing the first accounts as contained in the affidavits, at auction, and no copy of the May 29 "extraordinary" account since 1926.
Provenance: George Gloss, The Brattle Book Shop; sold WGBH, The Channel 2 Auction, 1975, item 19783; A private collection, Concord, MA.
EXTRAORDINARILY RARE BROADSHEET CONTAINING THE FIRST LONDON NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION OF THE BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. On May 29th, 1775, the London Evening Post printed a broadside "Extraordinary" containing the news reports of the fighting at Lexington outside of Boston, as it had appeared in the first American accounts printed in the Essex Gazette on April 25, 1775. Here, the first newspaper publication the following day, both the American account, as well as the testimonials of American colonists recounting the affair are printed. Remarkably, these American accounts pre-date the arrival of the British government's own reports by two weeks, and so these American versions of the battles became "the shot heard round the world," picked up by the papers in Europe, Russia and the far east spreading news of the events in America in a pro-colonist light.
Following on the heels of the colonist's dispersing the British army at Lexington, the Continental Congress met on April 22. They assembled a packet of news intended for Arthur Lee and Benjamin Franklin in London composed of the accounts which appeared in the Essex Gazette, as well as, importantly, signed affidavits from both American citizen-soldiers and captured British soldiers. They hired Richard Derby, Captain of the small but fast ship Quero to take these materials to London. Derby and the Quero left Boston on the night of April 28, four days behind the British reports of General Gage aboard the Sukey. However, Derby delivered the colonist packet to Arthur Lee on May 28th, and on May 29th the first account, that from the Essex Gazette, appeared in The London Evening Post. The following day, the Post published the further first-hand accounts as supplied by the affidavits. Over the coming days, Arthur Lee masterfully provided the London papers with additional commentary in the form of letters to the editor, which kept the colonist's descriptions in the fore. It was not until June 9, the General Gage's official reports with British version finally made it to London.
From London, the colonist account was soon picked up by the French press before making its way across Europe. By June 19th, the news was printed as far away as St. Petersburg. When the Austrian Wienerisches Diarium first published the news on June 21 it noted that the British had refused to fire first, but on June 24 the Diarium clarified events publishing the Salem Gazette version. The story was the same throughout Europe, whose monarchs were not pleased with events. However, the people, in particular, the emerging professional class were transfixed by the newly broadcast American struggle for independence and equality.
Exceedingly rare. We trace no other copy of the broadsheet, containing the first accounts as contained in the affidavits, at auction, and no copy of the May 29 "extraordinary" account since 1926.
