#macalesterarchives

[macalesterarchives]

some great theater posters from our archives. #heymac #theaterposters #macalesterarchives

[uwmspeccoll]

This One’s For You~

. . . . @macalesterarchives!!!

@macalesterarchives is the Tumblr blog of the Macalester College Archives and Special Collections in St. Paul, Minnesota, and their nickname is The Scots. So, what better post for our dear friends at @macalesterarchives than one about the very first issue of The Scots Magazine, perhaps the oldest magazine in the world still in publication. We hold a continuous run from 1739 to 1825. The preface to this bound set explains the necessity for a magazine just for Scots: by the time news from the London magazines hit Scotland, it’s already old news. 

So, every issue of The Scots Magazine offers Scottish, British, and international news, correspondence, essays, poetry, regional announcements, and a listing of new book titles. In this premier issue of January 1739 we learn that Emperor Charles VI has banned “balls, masquerades, Etc., and other publick diversions” as a waste of public resources; that negotiations are ongoing concerning the recent seizure of land by Spain in the American colony of Georgia; and that, apparently, “nothing remarkable has happened in Portugal.” In local news we get the monthly statistics for unnatural deaths in Scotland: “Drowned, 4. Killed by fall, 1. Smother’d, 10.”

We so appreciate @macalesterarchives enthusiastic support, and in turn we love following their blog. Max also has a soft spot in his heart for Macalester College as his youngest son, Jonas, graduated from Macalester in 2014 with a degree in music. As Jonas pursues a music career in the Twin Cities, he also continues to work for Macalester’s Bon Appetit catering services and is a manager for the College’s internationally-acclaimed African Music Ensemble. Go Scots!!

Sae, fur a' ye dae, @macalesterarchives, this post's fur ye!