So the idea of publishing facsimile copies of newspapers from periods of dramatic historical change is genius. The Revolution Papers (therevolutionpapers.ie) hits the bulls-eye. It sensibly condenses the seven years of the Irish revolution, 1916 to 1923, into 52 weekly instalments, that build into a temptingly collectible home-made archive. The print quality is superb. The cover art is excellent. Each comes with an original, succinct scholarly article on a specific aspect of the period.
My initial reaction was that the whole thing seemed suspiciously well done, a little un-I rish even. Where was the PR blitz from the usual suspects? The high-visibility launch with political ribbon-cutting? And how could they afford TV ads voiced by Pat Kenny, for God's sake?
A little research shows that the venture is resolutely private-sector, produced by Albertas, a London-based, Irish-run company that already has similar very successful projects under its belt. In France it publishes Les journeaux de guerre (1939-1945), and in Germany Zeitungszeugen ("Newspapers as witness" 1933-1945).
The Irish version deserves to be a runaway success; it is the best piece of popular history publishing this country has seen for many years.
The company's hair-raising experiences in Germany are salutary. For daring to reproduce Nazi-era newspapers, they were (ludicrously) sued by the state of Bavaria for infringing Hitler's copyright and (even more ludicrously) prosecuted for disseminating Nazi propaganda. Common sense has since prevailed.
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2 |
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15 |
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7 |
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14 |
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7 |
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14 |
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8 |
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9 |
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11 |
9 |
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21 |
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