Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we are ruffling some feathers with the addition of brand new pet focussed journal Fur and Feather, alongside some 260,834 brand new pages. That’s not all, we’ve added four brand new titles in total this week, as well as updating 17 of our existing titles, with updated pages hailing from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and as far away as New Zealand.

So read on to discover more about all of our new and updated titles of the week, and to enjoy some wonderful tales about ‘cats and their doings,’ as told through the pages of Fur and Feather.

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Fur and Feather

It’s only right then that we begin this week’s survey of our new titles with Fur and Feather, which was first published in Bradford on 1 April 1890. ‘A Weekly Journal devoted to Rabbits, Cage Birds, Cats, Cavies, and Pet Stock, for Exhibition and Fancy,’ this Thursday title covered all things related to ‘small pets,’ from breeding to exhibitions.

Fur and Feather | 12 July 1894

‘A paper for town and country,’ Fur and Feather filled its sixteen pages with articles like ‘Homeopathy for Rabbits and Cavies’ and ‘Pet Stalls at Bazaars.’ Furthermore, it reported on animals who made the news, with such headlines as ‘Fight Between a Gull and an Eel.’

Very much devoted to the small pet community, Fur and Feather featured answers to correspondents, as well as columns for the sale and exchange of pets. The title, meanwhile, printed illustrations of different animals, such as cats, birds and rabbits, on its front page, which as time went by, were replaced with photographs.

Fur and Feather | 6 October 1916

Fur and Feather is still in print today as the magazine of the British Rabbit Council, and is ‘Britain’s best loved rabbit magazine.’

The Oxford Review

From the animal world to the world of academia now, with our next new title of the week, which is the Oxford Review. Established in 1865 as the Oxford Undergraduate’s Journal, this publication was set to be a ‘Weekly Record of University Life and Thought.’ Published during term time, initially on a weekly basis before shifting to a daily basis, it covered news from the University of Oxford, as well as from the city of Oxford itself.

Oxford Review | 6 March 1900

Furthermore, the title printed news from the famous university’s clubs and societies, as well as the latest from the realms of music, boating, and football in the city. With a religious bent, the Oxford Review also published ecclesiastical notes and sermons, alongside correspondence, reviews, and news from fellow historic institution the University of Cambridge.

By 1900, the Oxford Review had grown to incorporate the Cambridge Undergraduate Journal, whilst also reporting on more general news topics. However, the title retained its academic focus, with news from ‘Town and Gown,’ alongside examination results.

The Paddington Times

The next of our two new titles hail from London, and we begin by taking a look at the Paddington Times. Founded in 1858, this paper claimed to be ‘the oldest established and only Conservative paper in the important borough of Paddington,’ with a ‘large and influential circulation.’

Paddington Times | 28 January 1871

Covering the news from London’s west and north west, from the likes of Bayswater, Notting Hill, Kensington, Kilburn, Willesden and Hendon, the Paddington Times filled four pages and cost just one penny. Appearing weekly every Saturday, before shifting to a Friday publication pattern, the title printed local news from the likes of the Paddington Board of Guardians, the Hammersmith Police Court, and the Marylebone Police Court.

Meanwhile, the Paddington Times published general news items, poetry, reviews and a column entitled ‘Wit and Humour.’

The Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times

From London’s north west to its south west now with our final new title of the week, which is the Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times. First published on 8 October 1892, this newspaper covered the latest from Wimbledon, Merton, Earlsfield, Tooting, Mitcham, Roehampton, Raynes Park, Worcester Park and Morden.

Costing one penny, and appearing every Saturday, its debut editorial declared how ‘no one can deny that Wimbledon has become a very important and popular suburb, and there can be no doubt that it is destined to stand out still more prominently in the not too distant future.’ Independent in its politics, the Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times furthermore declared itself as ‘the friend of freedom.’

Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times | 15 October 1892

The eight pages of the Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times were devoted to local news, with updates from such organisations as the Wimbledon and Merton Liberal and Radical Club and the Wimbledon Ratepayers’ Association. The paper also printed information about police cases in the area, as well as updates from vestry meetings.

A useful part of the publication was its ‘Week’s Engagements’ section, which provided news of events in the area for the coming week. Meanwhile, the Wimbledon and District Gazette and South-Western Times printed serialised fiction, as well as sermons preached at local churches.

Our updated titles

Our updated titles this week come from all over the world, with our biggest update by far being to New Zealand’s Lyttelton Times, to which we have added over 64,000 brand new pages. Meanwhile, with another weighty update, we have the Isle of Man Times, which sees over 25,000 brand new pages join its ranks.

Lyttelton Times | 18 November 1921

Meanwhile, we have updated a trio of papers from Scotland and the Republic of Ireland respectively, as well as updating one of our titles from Northern Ireland, namely the Londonderry Standard.

Cat tales on The Archive

Before people could enjoy cat videos on the internet, they could enjoy tales of remarkable felines through stories printed in the newspapers. Many such stories filled the pages of our new title this week Fur and Feather, and we have chosen a few to highlight for you this week. Indeed, these tales come from the Reverend George Huntington, the Rector of Tenby, who relayed his ‘interesting cat stories‘ to Fur and Feather, which were printed on 25 March 1897 in a column entitled ‘Cats and Their Doings.’

Fur and Feather | 14 April 1916

The first cat tale that the Reverend Huntington tells is about a cat at a ‘barber’s shop in a well known manufacturing town in Wales.’ Fur and Feather relates how Huntington ‘noticed a very fine tom cat, which seemed disposed to make friends with the customers as they were being waited on in turn.’ When Huntington remarked to the owner of the barber shop about the ‘intelligent look of the animal,’ the owner replied how ‘that cat is as good as any house dog, and saved my next door neighbour’s shop from being robbed.’

Fur and Feather | 25 September 1890

Fur and Feather told the following story, as narrated by the owner of the barber shop:

I’ll tell you sir. You see that window just on the other side of the entry. That’s the passage window of the jeweller’s shop. Well, about a fortnight ago my wife woke me up, when we heard the cat scratching at our bedroom door, and mewing quite loud. So we got up out of bed and the cat led the way and jumped up on that ledge on the landing window (showing me it).

We pulled up the blind a little way, when what should we see but three burglars trying to force their way through the side door. This timely notice gave me the opportunity to let myself out by the front door, and so I got to the police station in time to secure the burglars, for all was done so quietly; but it was puss’s doing, wasn’t it, sir?

Illustrated Police News | 8 December 1900

Certainly, the barber shop cat was quite heroic in preventing a crime from taking place, an extraordinary cat tale indeed.

The next story as related by the Reverend Huntington to Fur and Feather concerns a visit that the clergyman made to a parsonage house with his daughter. It just so happened that at the parsonage there was a ‘beautiful Persian cat’ with four kittens, one of whom had ‘developed sore eyes.’ The Reverend’s daughter took it upon herself to bathe and attend to the poorly kitten, ‘in the presence of the old cat, which showed her gratitude by purring and licking her benefactress’s hands.’

Illustrated London News | 27 February 1892

As the father and daughter were due to depart the parsonage, Fur and Feather tells of how:

…the mother cat, who had been watching the process with some interest, brought three of her kittens into the drawing room to take leave of us, but she popped the invalid one into my daughter’s box amongst her clothes, and left it there, her intention being no doubt to consign it to her charge.

‘Kittens at Play’ | Illustrated London News | 13 June 1896

We don’t learn from the paper of the fate of the fourth kitten, but hopefully it found its forever home with the Reverend Huntington and his daughter.

Discover more extraordinary cat tales, remarkable animal headlines, and much more besides, in the pages of our Archive today.

New Titles

Updated Titles

This week we have updated 17 of our existing titles.

You can learn more about each of the titles we add to every week by clicking on their names. On each paper’s title page, you can read a free sample issue, learn more about our current holdings, and our plans for digitisation.

You can keep up to date with all the latest additions by visiting the recently added page.  You can even look ahead to see what we’re going to add tomorrow.