163

America: A Journal for Americans, Devoted to Honest Politics and Good Literature.

Chicago, 1889-1891
24 issues, each 32 pages. 4to, self-wrappers with illustration on Lady Liberty by Thomas Nast on cover and illustrated title page within by Nast or "Junius"; generally minimal to minor wear, two wrappers detached.

  • Notes: None traced at auction since 1920. "A general weekly, founded by Slason Thompson, whose political views included opposition to immigration, suffrage, and the Catholic church"--Lomazow 969. Many of the cover cartoons feature vicious caricatures of Irish immigrants; sometimes German immigrants are attacked for variety. These people must have lost their minds when the Poles and Italians started showing up. 

    Several well-known authors make appearances, such as Charles Lummis (26 September 1889), Eugene Field (19 December 1889), and surprisingly the Irish Fenian ex-convict John Boyle O'Reilly (7 November 1889). Agnes Leonard Hill and Harry B. Smith were regular contributors. A 31-year-old aspiring politician named Theodore Roosevelt contributed "College Men in Politics" to the 24 April 1890 issue; it does not seem to be published elsewhere.

    Thomas Nast contributed the recurring cover drawing, several title page illustrations, and a few centerfold cartoons. 
  • Condition:
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November 20, 2025 10:30 AM EST
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