It seems that the nature of a pamphlet depends on three conditions: firstly
its application to the large public and not to the learned men, secondly its small
size, thirdly its aggressive contents, its aim being the struggle against old opi-
nions, propagation of new ideas, therefore it is attack, or defence or reciprocal
attack. It is very characteristic that the pamphlet was for the first time in vogue
at the period of the war between the old and new faith. Luther and his adherents
organised it and made it an excellent weapon. Soon afterwards the pamphlet
was accompanied by a picture to strengthen the effect of the attack, to render
it more popular and impressive.
This catalogue also contains some items which should be rather added to
the small booklets than to the pamphlets; this does not result from any negligence
but has other motives. — Important political events brought the pamphlet into the
political sphere, especially the Thirty Years’ War which mixed religious with po-
litical principles, when German neighbouring states were engaged in war and no
state was allowed to undertake anything without being attacked and thus being
compelled to defend itself by means of another pamphlet.
The expression “Newspaper” is met for the first time in 1508(?) in the
title of “Copia der newen zeytung aus Presilg landt. Augsburg, Erhart oglin’’,
which Weller dates 1505, but which is now believed to be a few years earlier.
(No, 3 of this catalogue quotes a facsimile-print of this first newspaper.) The
Newspaper in its original sense is a flying-leaf, a single report, giving notice of
historical or natural events, and its purpose was on the whole to inform the
large public about interesting facts in general.
The Newspaper belongs principally to the 16th century, at the beginning
of which it was first used and it was continued until the 17th and 18th century
where it is always of the greatest importance, especially on certain occasions
e. g. the second siege of Vienna, 1683. it is not continued regularly, but only
occasionally when the post or the courier had brought some news from abroad,
in the 17th century the expression „Newspaper” gets rare, it is called „Relation,
Wahrer Bericht, kurzgefaflte Erzahlung” and brings under these titles short news
of various new occurrences in foreign countries.
A further important step in the development from the flying-leaf to the
newspaper of our days, are the so-called “Mess-Relationen” which appeared re-
gularly every half year from one bookfair to the other. They gave short reports
of all events of greater importance in the whole known world. Already in 1585
there was published at Cologne the “Tagebeschreybung alleriey gedenckwierdigen
handel von Michael Eytzinger” that was continued under the title: „Historicae
Relationes”. These publications were much in vogue at that time which is proved
by the keen competition of Jacobus Francus (pseud, for Konrad Memmius)
at Francfort o. M., since 1591, of Theodor Meurer a. o. In order to attract
the reader’s attention they comprised battle-scenes, views of towns, descriptions
of executions a. s. o. and being mostly contemporary reports of eye-witnesses
they are an excellent source for historical research.
The further improvement from the half-yearly newspaper to the weekly
paper after 1600 and then to the daily paper of our days as well as the progress
of the printing technic from handprinting to stereotype printing, and from the
manual press to the complicated rotary press characterises the last phases in
the development of the Newspaper up to its present achievement.

H. BOHATTA.