Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien (partially found editions of German newspaper; 1605-1667)
Surviving title page of the 1609 issues.
Status: Partially Found
Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien is widely considered as the first ever newspaper. Produced in Strasbourg starting from 1605, it was a German-language newspaper that ran editions to at least 1659, with some accounts claiming its final issue was in 1667.
Background
Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien originated from Johann Carolus, a businessman who lived in Strasbourg during its Deutsches Reich occupation.[1][2][3] Privately educated, Carolus received an apprenticeship in bookbinding.[1] Following his marriage to Anna Fröhlich, who was also his business partner, Carolus would soon transition into a Buchführer role.[1] By 1604, he and Fröhlich made a living selling hand-written newsletters to wealthy clients.[4][5][2][1][3] Still, the pair accumulated heavy debts, and Carolus was dissatisfied with the slow progress of manually copying each newsletter by hand.[1][2][3][5] Thus, following the death of Thobias John, Carolus acquired John's printing workshop from his widow in July 1604.[1][2][3][5] The expensive investment paid off, as Carolus took advantage of the workshop's three printing presses, in addition to a boatload of letters, paper, and unbound books.[1] This allowed him to develop his company further, employing seven people.[1]
Despite the business enhancements, Carolus still needed a new concept to sustain his organisation.[1][2][3] In 1605, Carolus explored the possibility of selling to a wider audience, who he hoped would be interested in receiving weekly printed news.[1][2][3] The concept was risky, since a profit depended on whether he could consistently attract a large paying audience.[1][5] Therefore, his business model focused on widely circulating the newspaper in Strasbourg and sell each copy for a more affordable price than what he was originally charging for his newsletters.[5][2][1][3] Titling his publication as Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, the weekly paper proved a major success, publishing new editions every week and containing around 4-6 pages worth of news.[1][2] Carolus therefore reaped the benefits, becoming Relation's editor.[1] Additionally, books would be created containing the issues of a given year, distinguished by differing title pages produced annually.[4]
Carolus encountered two legal matters relevant to modern newspaper publishers.[2][1] In October 1605, Carolus faced the threat of other printers replicating his work.[6][2] Therefore, he wrote to Strasbourg's city council, requesting that he receive protection from the practice of reprints, essentially creating a monopoly for himself.[6][2][5] This showed that even during the early age of newspapers, copyright was a major concern.[2] His request also confirmed that Relation did begin in 1605, as Carolus noted he had already published 12 issues of it.[6][2] Three years on from Relation's formation, Carolus caused controversy when he reported on the financial difficulties faced by the current government.[1] Carolus was allowed to continue publishing, albeit under the condition that critical articles must first be assessed by the government.[1] Despite his concerns that such censorship could weaken his company's outlook, he reluctantly catered to the government's whims to ensure his organisation's survival.[1]
Following his death in 1634, Carolus' shop was taken over by his brother Moritz.[7] It was then transferred to the "Carolus heirs" in 1647, before again changing ownership in 1688.[7] Relation itself carried on for a few decades, with accounts indicating that the final edition was published in either 1659 or 1667.[4][3] General consensus, including from the World Association of Newspapers, determines that Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien was the first ever newspaper.[8][2][1] It certainly met the four generally accepted newspaper criteria; this included public accessibility or being available to a general audience; periodicity, being published at a regular consistent interval; currency, providing timely news; and universality, covering various types of news.[9] However, not all accounts agree on this. For example, English historian of printing Stanley Morison argued that as Relation was of quarto size and had text fitting a single wide column, it was actually a newsbook rather than a newspaper.[1][8] Ultimately, Morison's verdict is considered a minority viewpoint.[1][8]
Availability
Ultimately, very few issues of Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien are known to have survived.[10][4] Most editions likely became lost as the first readers would not foresee the historical importance of the papers, and therefore generally discarded them overtime.[11] In fact, no copies of the paper's first four years still exist, with the oldest surviving issue originating in January 1609.[10][4] Heidelberg University found a copy of the 1609 issues incorporated into a book, which can now be freely downloaded online.
See Also
External Link
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 SciHi Blog detailing the life and career of Carolus, and his creation of the first ever newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Archived World Association of Newspapers declaring Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien as the first ever newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 1001 Inventions That Changed the World summarising the creation of the first newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Online Books Page summarising the newspaper and noting most issues are now lost. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 News in Times of Conflict summarising Carolus' business model for the newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The Invention of News detailing Carolus' request to the city council for protection against reprints. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 From Ghent to Aix detailing the transferring of shop ownership following Carolus' death in 1634. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 History of Information detailing general consensus that Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien was the first ever newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ News in Times of Conflict detailing the four criteria generally required to become a newspaper. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Invention of News noting most of the newspapers' earliest issues are lost. Retrieved 7th Mar '23
- ↑ The Belfast Newsletter summarising why most newspaper publications' earliest issues could become lost. Retrieved 7th Mar '23