The following short article shows not only how little book printing was done in the South prior to the war, it also shows how slow news was getting out to the West. This article was printed in October, referencing a July issue of a Tennessee paper. For reference, the Pony Express operated from 1860 to 1861, and actually shut down in late October of 1861.
From the San Francisco Bulletin on October 7, 1861:
Short of Bibles.--The Tennessee Baptist of July 13th contains a call for help to supply the Southern army with Bibles and Testaments. It says: The startling fact comes to light that there is not a set of stereotype plates for printing even the new Testament in the whole South; nor a set of plates for the Bible. This fully illustrates how entirely the South has depended upon the North. The Baptist calls for subscribers to an edition of the Testament, to be issued at the rate of $20 a hundred. In New York the same Testament can be bought for $6 a hundred.
No comments:
Post a Comment