US Declaration Of Independence: US DeclarationofIndependence

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Welcome to USDeclarationOfIndependence.com, the first fifty years. Collecting early works reprinting the Declaration is fun, challenging, and potentially rewarding — works reprinting the Declaration command increasingly higher prices. Over 100,000 books, pamphlets, and periodicals were published from 1776–1825. Yet, a mere 358 reprint the text of the Declaration. Two-thirds of these works do not mention the Declaration in their titles. Understandably, locating or accessing these works has been difficult...until now!

Just PublishedA Checklist of Books, Pamphlets, and Periodicals, Printing the Declaration of Independence, 1776–1825.

With an appendix checklist of American newspapers printing the Declaration of Independence.

Learn more about the Checklist 

Purchase a hardbound copy of the Checklist

Download a free PDF copy of the checklist. The checklist is a self-published book. A limited number of hardbound copies have been printed for those who prefer the look and feel of an actual book; a PDF soft copy of the Checklist is provided to the public for free. The soft copy can be downloaded, copied, printed, and displayed on multiple personal computers. There are a few restrictions on the use of the PDF soft copy (see Terms of Use). A copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0, or better, is recommended to read the PDF file. A free copy of the Reader can also be downloaded. 

Download a free PDF copy of the Checklist

The author has also prepared a Short Title Checklist (104 pages), which is an abbreviated version of the Checklist (744 pages), which many people may find more convenient to search for works printing the Declaration. A free copy of the Short Title Checklist can be downloaded in PDF format (see Terms of Use).

Download a free PDF copy of the Short Title Checklist

Reserved: This space will be used to report the discovery of works reprinting the Declaration not cited in the Checklist or in the Additions and corrections to the checklist.

                                                                                                                                                                                                      
On July 4th, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. That night Philadelphia printer, John Dunlap, printed an estimated 200 copies of the Declaration in the form of a broadside. 26 copies of The Dunlap broadside are known to have survived. (The 26th copy was discovered in October 2008 by rare book dealer Joseph Felcone of Princeton, NJ, while at the National Archives of the UK, in London, working on a descriptive bibliography of 18th-century New Jersey printing.) On July 19th, 1776, Congress ordered the Declaration engrossed (hand-inscribed) on parchment by Timothy Matlack, and to be officially titled The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America. On August 2nd, 1776, The unanimous Declaration was signed by most of the delegates. Others signed later.

Title page from Checklist
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Title Page from Checklist
                                                                            Win a Free Hardbound Book. The author solicites, from the public, titles of works printing the full text of the Declaration, in English, which are not in the Checklist. The author can be contacted via email by clicking on Contact MeThe author will add new checklist entries and make corrections to the Checklist in an evolving document called Additions and Corrections to the Checklist, which can also be downloaded from this website in PDF format at no cost.

For those who locate a book, pamphlet, or periodical, printing the full text of the Declaration of Independence, in English, not already cited in the Checklist or the Additions and corrections to the checklist, the author will award (while quantities last) a hardbound copy of the Checklist.

Download a free PDF copy of Additions and Corrections to the Checklist - Last Updated 08/09/2009