How an issue is built
Masthead, imprint, pages, columns and sections. We explain how editors laid out material on the page and why you read an old newspaper in a different order than you might expect.
Articles
Articles
This page gathers the main threads that run through the magazine, along with a catalog of standalone articles. You can look at an old issue in several ways: as a machine built from columns and sections, as a sample of type and print graphics, as a record of everyday life preserved in its ads, and as a fragile object that needs careful handling. Pick the topic that suits you best and follow the links on the cards.
A bound volume is like a town's diary: each issue records a single day, and together they show the years.
How we choose topics: the magazine covers whatever helps readers make sense of an old issue on their own, meaning the clues, techniques and habits of careful reading. We don't retell the contents of specific publications, compare them with each other or advise on what to buy.
Magazine topics
Six themes that our articles are built around.
Spelling and type
Letters that have fallen out of use, the hard sign at the end of words, unusual letterforms and abbreviations. We help you read old type comfortably, without a dictionary at your elbow.
Illustrations and printing
Wood engraving, lithography, photoengraving and halftone: how to tell from the print itself how a picture was made, and what that means for dating the issue.
Ads as a window on everyday life
Private ads for rooms to rent, tradesmen's services, and lost and found items often tell you more about daily life than many articles. Learn to read them as a source without mistaking them for the editors' voice.
Finding and citing
How to track down a missing issue by year and number, how to record the imprint and how to cite an old page so that your own readers can find it.
Old issues (in Russian)
Storage
Light, humidity, acidic paper, rusty staples and tape. Simple house rules that help a bound volume last for decades to come.
Catalog of English-language articles
This catalog will list standalone articles we write specifically for English-speaking readers. We pick subjects that matter to people exploring old American newspapers and magazines, from family scrapbooks to the back pages of a small-town weekly, and write each piece from scratch.
- Aion 2 arcana guide: Strategies, Limitations and FAQs
What Aion 2 players mean by Arcana, how to research it in-game, plan upgrades without wasting resources, and where community guides fall short.
- A practical guide to World of Warcraft gold trading and pricing: Player Experience
How gold moves through World of Warcraft: auction house pricing, the WoW Token, risks of third-party gold sales and realistic progression choices.
- GTA 6 Heists and Mission Planning: Practical Guide
GTA 6 heists explained through series history: how GTA V and GTA Online handled planning, what is still unconfirmed, and how to prepare for launch.
- Aion 2 Player Planning: Kinah, Server Choices and Early Progression
Four illustrative Aion 2 players show how kinah habits, server and faction choices and early pacing differ, plus a checklist for your first weeks.
- Elden Ring Nightreign: Relics — Beginner-Friendly Checklist
New to Elden Ring Nightreign? A plain checklist for understanding relics, reading in-game descriptions, planning expeditions and weighing your options.
What we're working on
- Old spellings and typefaces: getting comfortable with the look of older print
- Classified ads on the back page: what they reveal about everyday life
- A card for every issue: how to catalog a family collection of old papers
- Clippings and scrapbooks: caring for newspaper cuttings at home
Editorial rules
- Articles in this catalogue are written separately for each language version and are not translations.
- Some articles link to third-party websites, including gaming services; we do not control their content, prices or terms.
- We do not sell old publications and we do not publish advertising for publishers or shops, rankings, prices or reviews.
Related reading
- Collections
Three reading paths: for first-timers, for family historians and for keepers of a bound volume at home.
- History
The Russian spelling reform and how the look of the magazine page gradually changed.
- Analysis
What makes up an old newspaper page, and how to tell from the print itself how an illustration was made.
- People
Editor, proofreader, typesetter, makeup editor, illustrator and circulation department: who got an issue ready for print.
- Archive
The magazine's table of contents and what happened to this domain's old addresses.
Sources
- Reference materials on the Russian spelling reform
- Library guidelines on storing paper documents
- Retropressa editorial materials
Facts about the Russian spelling reform come from reference materials; everything else is described in general terms, without reference to specific publications. Check reading room, exhibition and lecture hours with the organizers.