The Handwritten Newspapers Project

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Updated 23 December 2021

WWII POW Camp Newspaper: Pow Wow (1944-1945)

According to the website, http://www.merkki.com/powwow.htm, Pow Wow (along with its satire cousin, Bow Wow, shown here) was the largest circulating daily underground newspaper in Germany during World War II.  Its headquarters were at Stalag Luft I. It grew from a small penciled newssheet read by hundreds into a neatly printed 2,000 word daily, eagerly perused by thousands. At its most successful period, it boasted editions in three languages and a circulation that reached seven prison camps.  Pow Wow stood for Prisoners Of War – Waiting On Winning and it claimed to be the only truthful newspaper in Germany.

September 23, 2016

Extracts from The Young Idea (Shipboard Paper, on board H.M.S. Chesapeake, 1857-59)

Extracts from “The Young Idea” (edited on board H.M.S. Chesapeake, 1857, 1858, & 1859), taken from Mary Isbell, “Extracts from ‘The Young Idea,'” Scholarly Editing, 2016, Vol. 37

Scholar Mary Isbell (University of New Haven) recently published a new analysis of a mid-19th century shipboard newspaper titled, The Young Idea, in the online journal, Scholarly Editing (2016, Vol. 37). The Young Idea had not been previously included in this bibliography, so we’re excited to share her article and to let more people know about this shipboard paper. In her helpful introduction, she writes,

“‘Newspapers are not generally regarded on board men-of-war with a friendly eye.’ So explains A. D. McArthur in his preface to the 1867 lithograph edition of The Young Idea: A Naval Journal edited on board H.M.S. Chesapeake in 1857, 1858, & 1859. McArthur edited The Young Idea, an illustrated weekly paper, while serving as a clerk aboard the Chesapeake (flagship of the East Indies and China Station); his preface goes on to explain that officers viewed shipboard periodicals as vehicles of insubordination. Along with the insight it provides into contributors’ impressions of the foreign ports they visit (including Calcutta, Trincomalee, Aden, and Singapore), The Young Idea offers a detailed account of day-to-day life aboard a British warship. It includes, for example, an editorial remembrance of a sailor killed by a falling piece of rigging and a “letter to the editor” complaining that five gentlemen awakened the inhabitants of “forecastle street” by singing “Annie Laurie” at the top of their lungs. It is tempting, when reading these articles, letters, and riddles, to imagine that we’re joining these sailors aboard a warship in the service of the British Empire. This insight into daily life aboard a naval vessel was very likely one of McArthur’s goals in presenting a formerly private newspaper to the public, but it is important to note that he has curated the particular slice of life that he wants to make public. This digital edition is designed to reveal the complexity of The Young Idea. It will surely prove useful to scholars interested in nineteenth-century naval history, literature, and culture, but it should first be understood as an artifact in its own right.”

November 27, 2015

Cuban Boat Crisis Papers (1994-1995)

An editor of a Cuban refugee crisis newspaper, El Balseros, recently notified HNP (see comments at the bottom of this page) of the existence of these handwritten papers produced in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba between 1994 and 1995. They included Exodo (The Exodus), El Bravo (The Brave), and El Balsero (The Rafter). The University of Miami has posted images of these papers (a selection shown below) on its website (http://balseros.miami.edu/) recounting the history of the Cuban refugee-boat crisis. These papers are listed under the “Communication” section of that site. Thanks to the El Balseros editor for the heads up.

Note: These papers have not yet been cataloged or added to Pending page.

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