Description

Republic and Gazette, Phoenix, Arizona [Published date: 1940]. Hardcover, xii, 90 pp; frontispiece portrait of J. W. Spear; signed "JWSpear" in blue ink on top corner of portrait; 23 cm. First edition. In good+ condition / no dust jacket. Blue cloth boards stamped in silver on front cover. Thin scratch down center of front cover. Light rubbing and shelfwear to edges and corners and light soiling to rear cover as well. Binding tight. Mild toning to endpapers. Previous ownership inscriptions on front and rear free paste-downs dated March 1940. Tipped-in newspaper clipping on front free endpaper from the Arizona Republic "An Arizona Bookshelf" by Harvey L. Mott, dated 1940, reviewing this title. Otherwise pages are mildly toned but unmarked. Written by J. W. ("Uncle Billy") Spear (editor of the Arizona Republic since 1892), this first-person chronicle recounts the founding, growth, and editorial development of The Arizona Republican - later The Arizona Republic - from its frontier beginnings through nearly five decades of Arizona's social and political evolution. Blending memoir and institutional history, Spear traces milestones in regional journalism, including the paper's ownership transitions, early labor strikes, and relationship with the Phoenix Gazette. Includes reflections on notable personalities, press ethics, and community service within the rapidly modernizing Southwest. Contents include: Preface; Foreword; The Genesis of the Arizona Republican; The Author; An Appendicitis Operation; General Sherman Said; The Republican's Only Strike; Migrations of The Republican; The Printery; From the Files; Little James; "Our Alley" and Its People; A Review.