ABSTRACT
It was in the year 1869 that the first volume of Rowell’s American Newspaper Directory appeared. It was modeled pretty closely after Mitchell’s Directory of the Newspapers of Great Britain, but with two important differences. Mitchell’s was sold for an English shilling, while ours was priced at five dollars. Mitchell’s did not attempt to give any information about the circulation of the papers described, while with ours the rating of circulation was a feature considered of prime importance. It was a new thing, however. It had never been attempted before. I was often told that it would not be allowed in England, and it is a fact that it has not yet been attempted in any country but America; and an effort made in London, about two years ago to bring out a directory on the plan so long in use by us was promptly squelched by the Courts.
