William Goddard, Printer and Founder of the American Post Office

of paper is the following which appeared in the Maryland Journal on
June 6, 1780.

"Account and Pocket Books, Writing, Wrapping, and Bonnet Paper, Lampblack, Wafers, Seal-
ing-Wax, and a Variety of Books and Stationery too tedious to enumerate, or Cash, may be had of
the Printer hereof, in exchange for clean Linen and Cotton Rags, course or fine, old Sail-Cloth, and
Junk.—A large quantity of those Articles are now much wanted, at the Paper-Mill near Elk-Ridge
Landing, where, as well as the Printing-Office in Baltimore, the highest Prices will be given. If the
Mill above mentioned is supplied with such Rags, as have usually been thrown away, the Printer
engages, that they shall be immediately converted into good Paper, and offered for Sale at the
Printing-Office in Baltimore, at a much cheaper Rate than any imported Paper can possibly be sold."

The advertisement of their partnership in the Maryland Journal on
June 8, 1779, intimates that William Goddard and Eleazer Oswald were
to take over the paper mill which Mary Katherine Goddard had been
fostering until that time. It is probable that the control of the mill
remained in Goddard's hands until he left Baltimore in 1792, for
throughout the newspaper and in the yearly almanacs appear requests
for old linen rags.

Another adjunct of the early American printing office was a book-
binding establishment. One of the first records of bookbinding in Balti-
more was an announcement in the columns of the Maryland Journal
on October 13, 1778.

"The Printer of this Paper, with a View of serving the Public, and benefiting herself, hath just
annexed to her Printing-Office, a complete and elegant Bookbinding Room, where, as she has en-
gaged an excellent Workman, she dare promise that Books of All Sorts and Sizes will be bound in
the best and neatest Manner. This Institution, having been attended with considerable Expence,
she hopes will meet with the Patronage of the Public."

The combination of paper making and bookbinding made it possible
for the printer to add blank books, ledgers and journals to his wares.
A typical example of the advertisements found in the Maryland Journal,
appeared on May 18, 1779.

"The Printer of this Paper carries on the Bookbinding and Stationary Businesses, in various
Branches, and will furnish, on the shortest Notice, Blank Ledgers and Journals, elegantly ruled and
covered with Leather or Velum. Alphabets of any Size, Pocket, Receipt and Quire Books, EC. EC.
and will thankfully receive Orders from Town or Country."

Our gratitude goes out to the obscure bookbinder who gathered the
numbers of contemporary newspapers in annual volumes and offered
them for sale to citizens in the same binding in which they have been
preserved until today.15 The bookbinders, like the paper makers, adver-
tised for the raw materials from which they made their finished product.

15 In the Maryland Journal, May 30, 1780, may be found an advertisement offering bound volumes of newspapers
for sale.

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