Looking to buy SF Examiner for November 8th, 1915

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Hello & sorry to bother you. I know this is a long shot, but I need to try anyway. I have been going crazy for the last few weeks trying to track down an original newspaper: The San Francisco Examiner November 7 & 8, 1915. I have tried all type of collectors, but no one has them. I went as far as to call the SF Examiner directly, but archive dept told me they only had them on Micro Film. I am looking to actually buy the papers. I live in Los Angeles, so I don't have access to a SF phonebook, but I am in the middle of trying to obtain one to see if there are any rare book dealers that may be able to help me. The reason for my search:

I have a letter from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (on their letter Head)Dated November 5, 1915 where Harry Houdini wrote:

For myself & my estate, I hereby assume all risk of personal injury however caused during my preparation for the "Hand-cuffing " show, consisting of allowing myself to be imprisoned in a iron box, handcuffed, box to be thrown from the barge into the San Francisco Bay, I to free myself & escape from box while under water, I waive all claims against the Panama-Pacific International Exposition for damages for personal injury................While participating in said show, on Saturday afternoon, November 6th, 1915. Signed, Harry Houdini.

It's a collectors piece I have waited my whole life to obtain. Then I started to research & found out that it happened during the world fair & for a fact was photographed & written up in the San Francisco Examiner November 7 & 8, 1915. Possibly 5th & 6th also, but I am after the 7 & 8th for sure because I know for a fact it appeared those dates. I am looking for ANY type of help, possibley a lead to a newspaper collector or someone who may have it archived & would be willing to sell it. I almost found a photograph, but the elderly fellow who swears he has it (because he was there to witness it) couldn't find it.

If there is anything you may be able to help with, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Ernesto Melo

-- Ernesto Melo (melo@briggsandbaker.com), November 08, 2001

Answers

The “day you were born” newspaper sites may not go back that far (figuring the target audience is already dead), but one of them does go way back: http://www.futurememories.com/w304.html carries the San Francisco Call for 1903-1948 and San Francisco Chronicle for 1891- 1951. I didn’t see the Examiner.

Timothy Hughes Rare and Historical Newspapers: http://www.rarenewspapers.com/ The site says he hunts for them for you.

Keiguin and Mathews Collection of Rare and Historical Newspapers: No site yet. This is listed as being on “bluewater.com” which gives you a “not authorized to view” screen when you try to go there.

http://historynews.chadwyck.com/

"Houdini collectors" gets two pages of hits on google. It helps if you can read French.

New York State Newspaper Project: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/buysell.htm

Historical newspaper links for use in genealogy: http://www.cyndislist.com/newspapr.htm

A top level directory of collectors’ sites: http://collectors.org/doc/ClubAlpha-N.asp. Another one: http://www.eauctionexchange.com/collectors.htm

Newspaper Collectors Society of America announced it was starting a website, but you get an error screen going there. The address is (unsure how old this is): Newspaper Collectors Society of America (NCSA) PO Box 19134 Lansing, MI 48901, phone 517-887-1255

Don’t forget to search under “ephemera.” Among the long list of hits on google were http://www.tias.com/stores/dir/bycat/Paper_and_Ephemera/Newspapers.sht ml and The Ephemera Society of America at http://www.ephemerasociety.org/ex-newpapers.html

-- Rosa Debonneheure (rosadebon@yahoo.com), November 09, 2001.


Ernesto...hopefully, you have found it by now but, if not try EBAY you never know what will show up on there

-- mike dempsey (mikede1087@aol.com), May 13, 2002.

Here at the S.F. Library there are all the old local newspapers on microfilm. You can get the photo copy of any page that you want.. Either the library might do it or you can find someone to do it for you.. Carl

-- (carlandrewsajben@hotmail.com), July 08, 2003.

Ernesto: I don't have the "SF Examiner" edition that you are looking for. But I do have the final edition of the "Los Angeles Herald Examiner" Thursday, November 2, 1989 in excellent condition. If you are interested, get in contact with me.

Thomas Pinkerton

-- Thomas Pinkerton (nrnowlin@kendra.com), September 23, 2003.


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