Ragged Soldier Sutlery and Vintage Volumes

Harper's Weekly

This publication really isn't a book but it certainly is a reproduction of a period publication. Although there had been some reprints of Harper's Weekly in the past, this version certainly deserves a second look. Printed on acid-free paper, it is very high quality.

The large pictures demonstrate the unusually high quality of this reproduction. In the technology of the time period, pictures were produced by sending an artist to an event. After the artist made his sketches in the field, he would return and convert the sketches into a finished drawing. The drawing was then divided into pieces, each the size of an engraver's block (about the size of a 3 x 5 card). The journeymen engravers would engrave their part of the picture except for a buffer around the edge. The blocks were then gathered together and a master engraver would join all the images into a single unified picture -- it's no wonder that it sometimes took a couple of weeks to publish a picture! In examining some of the large pictures, it is possible to detect the faint hairlines that sometimes occurred when the engraver's blocks were assembled to make the larger pictures.

The start of the reproduction begins with the November 10, 1860, issue that announced Lincoln's election. The sequential issues conclude at the end of March 1865. After that date, there are three other issues available. The first two address the Lincoln assassination and the last, from November 1865, has pictures of Lee's surrender at Appomattox (we have no idea why they waited seven months to include these pictures).

Single issues of full size reprints are $2.50 each. If you are choosing news for a particular event, there are two places to check in likely issue dates. The first is a column called "Domestic Intelligence" which is found on the right hand side of the third page of each issue. In that column are brief summaries of current events in the war. Then, about three weeks after the event, there might be a more detailed report including pictures. This delay of three weeks occurred because, during the 1860's, it took about three weeks for the process described above to be completed and the pictures appear in print. If you are uncertain whether a particular issue would contain the news you want, give us a call or send us an email and we will check what issues cover the news item.

Although we have most issues (See the list of dates below. Just keep scrolling down), we may have exhausted our supply of a particular issue. We can order issues we don't have but please place your order at least three weeks before you need them to have the best probability of being able to receive them in time.

For those wanting complete coverage in an attractive way to store the paper copies, we now carry boxed collections, each containing 26 issues. They are keyed on the first issue in this reproduction, i.e., November 10, 1861, so the first box covers from that date through May 4, 1861, which would include the issue for April 27, 1861, which is otherwise not available.

The cost of a boxed set is $47.95. Check with us in advance to see what sets we have.

Another way to obtain the newspaper is through a CD version. The CD usually contains an entire year of 52 issues, the only exception being the first CD which has several issues from the end of 1860 as well. The images for the CD were scanned at 300 dpi and the software uses Adobe Acrobat reader (which may be downloaded free here from Adobe) to view the images. The viewer is then able to view any size of the image from an entire page (a bit hard to read any of the text except the headlines) down to such a fine level of detail that the individual pixels and "jaggies" can be seen. By adjusting the field of printing, matching levels of detail from whole page to very large zoomed images can be printed with the amount that can be shown on one sheet of printout limited by the magnification employed.

The cost for a CD is $24.95. Check with us for availability because the publisher is not producing these any longer.

Go below the links to other books for the listing of dates we have in stock.

If you want to look at available dates, just keep scrolling down. Otherwise:

If you want to look at the previous book in the list,
Handmaid to the Arts,
click here

If you want to look at the next book in the list,
Hospital Sketches,
click here

If a date is unavailable in single copies, "SOLD OUT" will appear after the respective date. The dates we have as of October 28, 2015 (229 different issues) are:

1860	1861	1862	1863	1864	1865
November 10, 1860 November 17, 1860 November 24, 1860	January 5, 1861 January 12, 1861 January 19, 1861 January 26, 1861	January 4, 1862 January 11, 1862 January 18, 1862 January 25, 1862	January 3, 1863 January 10, 1863 January 17, 1863 January 24, 1863 January 31, 1863	January 2, 1864 January 9, 1864 January 16, 1864 January 23, 1864 January 30, 1864	January 7, 1865 January 14, 1865 January 21, 1864 January 28, 1864
December 1, 1860 December 8, 1860 December 15, 1860 December 22, 1860 December 29, 1860	February 2, 1861 February 9, 1861 February 16, 1861 February 23, 1861	February 1, 1862 February 8, 1862 February 15, 1862 February 22, 1862	February 7, 1863 SOLD OUT February 14, 1863 February 21, 1863 February 28, 1863	February 6, 1864 February 13, 1864 February 20, 1864 February 27, 1864	February 4, 1865 February 11, 1865 February 18, 1865 February 25, 1865
	March 2, 1861 March 9, 1861 March 16, 1861 March 23, 1861 March 30, 1861	March 1, 1862 March 8, 1862 March 15, 1862 March 22, 1862 March 29, 1862	March 7, 1863 March 14, 1863 March 21, 1863 March 28, 1863	March 5, 1864 March 12, 1864 March 19, 1864 March 26, 1864	March 4, 1865 March 11, 1865 March 18, 1865 March 25, 1865
	April 6, 1861 April 13, 1861 April 20, 1861 April 27, 1861 SOLD OUT	April 5, 1862 April 12, 1862 April 19, 1862 April 26, 1862	April 4, 1863 April 11, 1863 April 18, 1863 April 25, 1863	April 2, 1864 April 9, 1864 April 16, 1864 April 23, 1864 April 30, 1864	April 29, 1865
	May 4, 1861 May 11, 1861 May 18, 1861 May 25, 1861	May 3, 1862 May 10, 1862 May 17, 1862 May 24, 1862 May 31, 1862	May 2, 1863 May 9, 1863 May 16, 1863 May 23, 1863 May 30, 1863	May 7, 1864 May 14, 1864 May 21, 1864 May 28, 1864	May 6, 1865
	June 1, 1861 June 8, 1861 June 15, 1861 June 22, 1861 June 29, 1861	June 7, 1862 June 14, 1862 June 21, 1862 June 28, 1862	June 6, 1863 June 13, 1863 June 20, 1863 June 27, 1863	June 4, 1864 June 11, 1864 June 18, 1864 June 25, 1864
	July 6, 1861 July 13, 1861 July 20, 1861 July 27, 1861	July 5, 1862 July 12, 1862 July 19, 1862 July 26, 1862	July 4, 1863 SOLD OUT July 11, 1863 July 18, 1863 July 25, 1863	July 2, 1864 July 9, 1864 June 16, 1864 July 23, 1864
	August 3, 1861 August 10, 1861 August 17, 1861 August 24, 1861 August 31, 1861	August 2, 1862 August 9, 1862 August 16, 1862 August 23, 1862 August 30, 1862	August 1, 1863 August 8, 1863 August 15, 1863 SOLD OUT August 22, 1863 Ausust 29, 1863	August 6, 1864 August 13, 1864 August 20, 1864 August 27, 1864
	September 7, 1861 September 14, 1861 September 21, 1861 September 28, 1861	September 6, 1862 September 13, 1862 September 20, 1862 September 27, 1862	September 5, 1863 September 12, 1863 September 19, 1863 September 26, 1863	September 3, 1864 September 10. 1864 September 17, 1864 SOLD OUT September 24, 1864
	October 5, 1861 October 12, 1861 October 19, 1861 October 26, 1861	October 4, 1862 SOLD OUT October 11, 1862 October 18, 1862 October 25, 1862	October 3, 1863 October 10, 1863 October 17, 1863 October 24, 1863 October 31,1863	October 1, 1864 October 8, 1864 October 15, 1864 October 22, 1864 October 29, 1864
	November 2, 1861 November 9, 1861 November 16, 1861 November 23, 1861 November 30, 1861	November 1, 1862 SOLD OUT November 8, 1862 November 15, 1862 November 22, 1862 November 29, 1862	November 7, 1863 November 14, 1863 November 21, 1863 November 28, 1863	November 5, 1864 November 12, 1864 November 19, 1864 November 26, 1864	November 4, 1865
	December 7, 1861 December 14, 1861 December 21, 1861 December 28, 1861	December 6, 1862 December 13, 1862 December 20, 1862 December 27, 1862	December 5, 1863 December 12, 1863 December 19, 1863 December 26, 1863	December 3, 1864 December 10, 1864 December 17, 1864 December 24, 1864 December 31, 1864