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This listing is for a lot of three original Southern newspaper directories published between 1969 and 1972, all of which came directly from my grandfather's briefcase. He worked for Goss, the newspaper printing press manufacturer, out of its Atlanta office, and he spent his career selling newspaper equipment to papers all over the Southeast until he passed away in 1972. Directories like these were working tools of his trade, telling him who ran each paper, where it was located, and how large its operation was. They have been kept together in the family ever since, and they offer a genuine snapshot of the Southern newspaper industry at the turn of the 1970s.
The first piece is The Alabama Publisher from the Alabama Press Association, circa 1969. It is still in its original brown protective mailing cover, which reads "This is a protective, throw away cover for mailing purposes only," and the cover bears a handwritten notation reading "Alabama Press Assoc. 205 752-4710" along with a handwritten number. Inside is a complete list of the Alabama Press Association's past presidents from 1871 through 1967-68, beginning with S. J. Saffold of the Selma Daily Times, Chairman of the First Press Convention, and ending with Porter Harvey of the Guntersville Advertiser-Gleam. Each president is listed alongside his hometown newspaper, including the Montgomery Advertiser, Birmingham News, Anniston Star, Tuscaloosa News, Selma Times, Gadsden Times, Mobile Press-Register, Shades Valley Sun, Dothan Eagle, and many others. The issue also contains the full Alabama Press Association Code of Ethics, covering news and editorial content, advertising, circulation, and advertising rates.
The second piece is the 1970 Florida Newspaper Rate Book and Directory, published as The Florida Press, Volume Thirteen, Number One, January 1970, by the Florida Press Association, which was founded in 1879. The cover carries a received stamp dated "JAN 19 1970," and the contents include listings and advertising rate information for Florida newspapers of the era.
The third piece is the 1972 newspaper directory with a bold orange cover featuring a newspaper-collage date design. It is from the final year of my grandfather's life and career, which makes it a fitting close to this small collection.
All three are original period publications, not reproductions. They show age-appropriate wear consistent with more than fifty years of storage, including [edge wear / small tears / creases / toning]. [Note any writing, stains, or missing pages.] The pages are [intact and readable]. Please review all photos carefully, as they are considered part of the description.
This lot would be a wonderful addition for anyone interested in journalism and printing history, Goss press and newspaper equipment, genealogy research, Alabama and Florida local history, or Southern media history.
