What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this month?

“THIS DAY PUBLISHED … The Royal American Magazine … For NOVEMBER, 1774.”

Joseph Greenleaf published a new issue of the Royal American Magazine and advertised sporadically in December 1774.  Perhaps the troubles that Boston experienced in the wake of the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, and the other Coercive Acts played a role in placing advertisements without the same attention to developing a marketing strategy that Isaiah Thomas had sometimes shown when he first launched the magazine, though the original publisher had also advertised somewhat haphazardly in his final months as proprietor before transferring the publication to Greenleaf.  In general, Thomas had been much more intentional about advertising in the early stages when he sought subscribers than he had been once the magazine began circulating to readers.

The Adverts 250 Project has tracked advertisements for the Royal American Magazine from Thomas’s first notice, in May 1773, that he planned to distribute subscription proposals to newspapers advertisements in June, July, August, September, October, November, and December 1773 and January, February, March, April, May, and June 1774.  No magazine appeared in July 1774 because of the “Distresses,” yet they resumed in August, September, October, and November.

As previously noted, Greenleaf advertised on November 17 that he would publish the October edition of the Royal American Magazine the following day, but no subsequent advertisements appeared in any of Boston’s newspapers until December 5.  On that day, the Boston-Evening Post ran a notice that declared, “THIS DAY PUBLISHED … The Royal American Magazine … For OCTOBER, 1774.”  To entice readers, Greenleaf noted that the issue was “Embellished with an elegant Engraving of the Dancing Bishops.”  Eighteenth-century readers knew that “THIS DAY PUBLISHED” meant that a book, pamphlet, almanac, magazine, or other item was available for sale, not necessarily that it had been published on that day.  As a result, Greenleaf could have published and circulated the October edition any time between November, if he had not met any delays after his previous advertisement, and December 5.

Three days later, Greenleaf placed advertisements in both the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letterand the Massachusetts Spy.  In the former, he hawked the October edition of the magazine, “Embellished with an elegant Engraving.”  That notice did not describe the engraving, but it did indicate that Greenleaf continued to take in subscribers.  A much shorter advertisement in the Massachusetts Spy announced, “To-morrow will be published, by J. GREENLEAF, THE Royal American Magazine, No. XI. For NOVEMBER, 1774.”  Subsequent advertisements suggest that Greenleaf did indeed publish the new edition in the next few days.  That meant that whatever difficulties he experienced in the past month, he was nearly on time in delivering the November issue of the Royal American Magazine.  In the eighteenth-century, magazines usually came out at the end of the month or the first week of the next month rather than in advance of the date on the cover.

During the following week, Greenleaf inserted advertisements for the November edition of the Royal American Magazine in four of the five newspapers published in Boston at the time.  Rather than submit identical copy to the printing offices, he devised four variations, starting with one that ran in the Boston Evening-Post on December 12.  In that one, he stated that the November issue was “THIS DAY PUBLISHED” and promoted two engravings, “the Gerubaor Russian Rabbit, and Mademoiselle Clarion, in the Habit of an Actress.”  (Paul Revere produced all the engravings for the Royal American Magazine, though neither Thomas nor Greenleaf ever identified him in their advertisements.) On December 16, the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter and the Massachusetts Spy, each published a day later than usual, both ran advertisements about the Royal American Magazine, though this time about the same edition.  The advertisement in the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter merely updated the month and issue number, presumably using type already set for the previous advertisement.  The compositor for the Massachusetts Spy seemingly did something similar, updating the first line to read “This day was published, by J. GREENLEAF” instead of ““To-morrow will be published, by J. GREENLEAF.”  The “T” in “THE Royal American Magazine,” slightly out of alignment in both advertisements suggests that was the case.  Finally, the Boston-Gazettecarried a brief advertisement on December 19: “Just Published (No. XI) The Royal American Magazine, For November 1774, at Greenleaf’s Printing-Office, near the Market, Boston.”

Greenleaf inserted advertisements in the Boston Evening-Post and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter a second time, but not the Boston-Gazette and the Massachusetts Spy.  For some reason, two weeks passed between the first and second appearance of those notices that did run twice.  Still, Greenleaf pursued a more extensive advertising campaign for the Royal American Magazine in December than November, increasing to nine advertisements compared to only four.  Although not as robust as some months, these marketing efforts gave the magazine’s November edition greater visibility in the public prints.

**********

“THIS DAY PUBLISHED … Royal American Magazine … For OCTOBER, 1774”

• December 5 – Boston Evening-Post (first appearance)

“JUST PUBLISHED … Royal American Magazine … For OCTOBER, 1774”

• December 8 – Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter (first appearance)

“To-Morrow will be published … Royal American Magazine … NOVEMBER, 1774”

• December 8 – Massachusetts Spy (first appearance)

“THIS DAY PUBLISHED … Royal American Magazine … For NOVEMBER, 1774”

• December 12 – Boston Evening-Post (first appearance)
• December 26 – Boston Evening-Post (second appearance)

“JUST PUBLISHED … Royal American Magazine … For NOVEMBER, 1774”

• December 16 – Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter (first appearance)
• December 29 – Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News-Letter (second appearance)

“This day was published … Royal American Magazine … NOVEMBER, 1774”

• December 16 – Massachusetts Spy (first appearance)

“Just Published (No. XI) The Royal American Magazine, For November 1774”

• December 19 – Boston-Gazette (first appearance)