Pre-Confederation History

The Royal Standard v. 1, no. 1-56; Nov. 9, 1836-Feb. 8, 1837// Toronto, daily. Upper Canada's first daily newspaper.
MICROFILM	1 reel	$145.00

Cobourg Star v. 24-27; Jan. 2, 1856-Dec. 28, 1859. Cobourg, Ont., weekly. Prepared from original issues in the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. The four volumes on microfilm fill gap in otherwise complete run filmed by the Archives of Ontario.
MICROFILM	2 reels	$325.00

Mirror Sept. 30, 1837-Dec. 8, 1865. Toronto, weekly. The first Catholic paper published in Toronto and, significantly, the only Reform paper to survive the Rebellion of 1837. The Mirror addressed itself to a constituency of the Irish working class and was consistently radical, anti-Tory, and anti-Family Compact. It saw itself as the political successor to W.L. Mackenzie's Colonial advocate (see its Sept. 30, 1837 editorial), displaying the motto "Devoted to the attainment of an independent local government." In some ways the Mirror can be considered the first "ethnic" paper published in Toronto, documenting the struggles of an Irish Catholic population trying to survive in the face of militant Protestantism. The cholera outbreaks during the Famine migration, the poverty and discrimination endured by Toronto's Irish Catholics, the St. Patrick's Day riots of 1858--all are vividly portrayed. The Mirror was opposed to Bishop Macdonell and his Tory supporters. Its editorials have a reformist point of view when dealing with the broad issues of the period: reciprocity, annexation (the Mirror was the organ of the Toronto Annexation Society), legal reform (it vigorously supported the abolition of capital punishment), secularization of clergy reserves and, of course, the separate schools question. These outspoken editorials--read outside Toronto by Irish Catholics in Kingston, Hamilton and other communities in Canada West--make the Mirror required reading for a full understanding of the period. In addition to the Toronto Star and Transcript (see below), the Mirror was an important historical source for Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. (Excerpts from both papers are incorporated into the structure of the novel.) The microfilm edition was prepared from issues in the Metropolitan Toronto Library, the Archives of Ontario, the University of Toronto Library (Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library), the National Library of Canada, and the Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
MICROFILM	14 reels	$2,030.00

The Artisan v. 1, no. 4, Oct. 12, 1848; v. 1, no. 9-13, Nov. 16-Dec. 14, 1848. Toronto, weekly. "The cheapest newspaper in North America. . .the main design of it is to induce the elevation of the Mechanical and other working classes."
MICROFILM	1 reel	$145.00

Board of Arts and Manufactures of Upper Canada Journal. v. 1-8; Jan. 1861-Feb. 1868// Toronto. The wide range of subjects includes manufacturing (e.g. the Enniskillen oil fields), trades, agriculture, patents, meetings of the Mechanics' Institutes and notices of the Provincial Exhibition. "It will be a valuable medium through which patentees, engineers, machinists, and manufacturers generally, may introduce themselves"--Prospectus.
MICROFILM	3 reels	$435.00

Morning Star and Toronto transcript v. 2, no. 27-v. 4, no. 96; Jan. 2, 1841-Dec. 29, 1842// Toronto, three a week. Continued by Toronto Star, Transcript, and General Advertiser.
MICROFILM	2 reels	$290.00

Toronto Star, Transcript, and General Advertiser v. 5, no. 17-v. 8, no. 57; Mar. 1, 1843-July 29, 1846// Toronto, three a week. "We shine alike for all." This paper, with its account of the Grace Marks murder trial, was a principal historical source for Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace (Toronto, 1996). Continues Morning star and Toronto transcript.
MICROFILM	4 reels	$540.00

The Elora Backwoodsman v. 1-7, no. 11; Apr. 3, 1852-July 28, 1858// Elora, C.W., weekly. Eighty issues on film.
MICROFILM	1 reel	$145.00

Oxford Star and Woodstock Advertiser v. 1, no. 2-52; Feb. 4, 1848-Jan. 19, 1849// Woodstock, C.W., A. Hay and J. Egan. Weekly.
MICROFILM	1 reel	$145.00

The Liberal Christian v. 1-2; Jan. 1854-Dec. 1855. Montreal, H. and G.M. Rose. Monthly. ". . .designed to illustrate the spirit of liberal Christianity and to promote the practical religious life." Ceased in 1858, cf. Beaulieu, Journeaux du Québec.
MICROFILM	1 reel	$145.00

Canadian Illustrated News Nov. 8, 1862-Feb. 13, 1864// Hamilton, C.W. "Indians, Indian life, and Indian villages shall find a place in our pages. Of a class now disappearing from amongst us--the hardy pioneers--we propose to furnish a series of portraits, accompanied by accounts of their lives and struggles."--Prospectus. An outstanding source of illustrations for the period.
MICROFILM	2 reels	$290.00