A History of the News of the World

news of the world original newspaper archive

Run under world-renowned media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, The News of the World was part of the News Corporation group. Running a weekly circulation of 2,987,730 copies on average, the paper was once the highest selling Sunday newspaper in the UK. Generally the paper was considered to have a centre-right political stand, but it supported the Labour Party during Tony Blair’s three General Election wins (1997, 2001, 2005). The newspaper was printed from 1843 to 2011, after which it ceased publication. Our News of the World archive contains original copies of the newspaper that make fascinating keepsake gifts.


History of the News of the World

Founded by John Browne Bell, the first edition of the News of The World was published on October 1st 1843. This paper had an opening editorial which described the motivation behind the introduction of the publication as being made to suit all classes. In line with this, the newspaper was sold at a low and affordable price of three pence, aiming to secure circulation within the poor and rich. The first edition also went on to declare that it will ‘seek the patronage of no party’ and that it will support the prosperity of all classes. When the newspaper first began publishing, it was the cheapest newspaper available and targeted the newly literate working class. In particular, it established itself as the newspaper reporting on titillation, shock and criminal events.

Having a long standing association with the News of the World, the Carr family were part of a syndicate that acquired the publication in 1891. Sir Emsley Carr was appointed editor in 1891 and held this position for over 50 years until 1941 when he passed away. Under the Carr ownership, the News of the World became one of the biggest selling English-language publications in the world by 1950. Gaining further popularity on the 23rd October 1960, it merged with The Empire News – a Sunday newspaper for the British Empire. News of the World also had printing locations abroad, including Cyprus and Florida, USA.

news of the world original newspaper archive

In 1969 the News of the World was bought by Murdoch after he gained support from the Carr family. On the 15th November 1969, Murdoch acquired The Sun which was bought to become the daily sister paper to the News of the World. Up until present day these two publications have remained sister papers and are both still owned by the News Corporation Group. A magazine accompanied the paper from 1981 onwards and it changed its format in 1984 from broadsheet to tabloid. The magazine contained real-life stories and celebrity interviews, along with other topics such as body and soul, fashion, beauty and lifestyle.


Closure

The newspaper concentrated heavily on celebrities’ private lives and various scandals and was part of numerous controversies throughout its existence. In 2006 the paper’s royal editor, Clive Goodman and private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire were accused of accessing the private voicemail of royal aides after stories regarding Prince William were published. The accusation led to a police investigation and the two were jailed as a result. The News of the World editor at the time, Andy Coulson, resigned.

Allegations of phone hacking re-emerged in 2009 when reports of the newspaper settling claims from three victims out of court. The Metropolitan Police opened investigations in 2011 to fully review the cases raised in 2006 as more victims had stepped forward. The major turning point in the case was the revelation that murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s voicemail had been targeted, a scandal the newspaper could not recover from as advertisers boycotted the publication.

After the paper was disgraced by the infamous ‘phone hacking scandal’ of 2011, it ceased operations on July 11th that same year and 200 people lost their jobs. The final edition featured the headline “Thank you and Goodbye” and the newspaper sold 3.8 million copies, which is roughly a million more than usual sales. The paper announced that the majority of the profits from the final edition would go to good causes, along with its advertising space. After the closure of News of the World, Murdoch was responsible for launching The Sun on Sunday, where some of the News of the World journalists became employed. Historic Newspapers house back issues of the News of the World up until this day and these are now truly considered ‘collectibles.’

Back to the top ↑

Share Tweet Pin it
Back to blog

frequently asked questions

Newspaper Books

What are newspaper books?

Each of our Newspaper Books are created with copies of authentic newspapers from specific dates or categories. Each book allows you to choose from various cover colours and designs, and to make it truly special by personalising it with a name and dedication, printed right in the book.

With Newspaper Date books you choose a specific date, for example a birthdate, and we'll create a book containing the front page for the specified date for every subsequent year since. For example, a date of July 13th, 1978, would contain the front page for July 13th for each year forward.

Our History books offer a glimpse into the past, bringing together headlines and articles relating to some of history's most fascinating or iconic events. Choose from Military History, British Royal History, and World Events; each book revisits key events, all through the eyes of the reporters who were there.

If Sports History is more your interest, you can revisit key matches, events, tournaments and races from decades past. Select your favourite team from Football, Hockey, Rugby, and more, and relive every glorious moment through the magic of print.

And, Pop Culture fans won't be left out - get an all access pass and revisit events in Music, Film, & TV. Relive the history of Classic Rock, Star Wars, Taylor Swift, and more, all through newspaper headlines.

Note that each of our Newspaper Books contain true copies of real newspaper content. We don't edit, change, or censor what was originally included in each paper. This means that each book will reflect the true history as it was printed, good or bad.

Personalising Newspaper Books
How does personalisation work?

As you create your Newspaper book, you'll be prompted to personalise it in a few different ways.

First, you'll be able to choose from a selection of cover colours, as well as a cover design. Simply click the options available, and you'll see the image update to match your selection, helping you to choose your favourite.

In addition to the look of your cover, you're also able to add the recipient's name, which will be printed right on the front cover. You can see how this looks in the example images on our website, it appears right next to the words "Presented To"

And finally, a special dedication is printed right inside the book. You can opt to use or add to our pre-written sentiment, or write your very own from scratch.



Does it have to be personalised?

At this time, there isn't any way to create one of our newspaper books without a First Name. It's a request we've shared with our product team, but at the moment don't know when this option might be available.

Please note that anything that is entered into the recipient's name box will print exactly as it's entered. This means that writing 'no personalisation' for example, will result in your book printing with that showing on the cover.

If you prefer not to use a first name, we suggest using a phrase related to your chosen book. For example for writing "A big fan", or using nickname or relationship, such as "My Partner", or simply "You" or "Me"

Original Newspapers
What are Original Newspapers?

Our Original Newspapers are just that - authentic, original papers that were once hot off the press and sold at actual newsstands in the UK and US. Each paper is stored in our archive of over 3 million newspapers, dating back to the early 1900's and featuring 100s of editions.


What can I expect with my paper?

When you purchase one of our original newspapers, our team of archivists will carefully review your paper page by page. Being careful to examine and press each paper flat, they'll also repair any flaws and reinforce the paper as necessary with a special archival repair tape. This work ensures the paper you receive will be strong enough to enjoy for years to come.

Note that as these are real newspapers and not replicas, you'll be holding a piece of treasured history in your hands, one that others may have enjoyed throughout the decades before you. While our team takes care to ensure that each paper is suitable for gifting, due to the nature of newspapers and time itself, there may be minor flaws or imperfections, or signs of age.


I can't find what I'm looking for, do you have more in stock?

To see what options are available, visit our Original Newspapers Page and enter in your desired date. Upon clicking 'search' you'll see any editions available to order, clicking 'select' will allow you to view the price for the paper you've selected, as well as various gift box options available. Newspapers are priced based on age, rarity, and special historic events, and can vary between editions.

Please note that every newspaper within our archive is catalogued and listed. If no results appear or the edition you were hoping to see is not listed, and the date you've entered is more than 2 weeks ago, we unfortunately do not have any items in stock, and are not likely to receive more at a future time.

Gifting
Can I send a gift directly to the recipient

Yes indeed! Both our Newspaper Books and Our Original Newspapers make incredible gifts for the special people in your life.

While placing your order you'll have the option to add a special gift box, which your item will be carefully placed inside prior to packaging and shipping.


For our Newspaper Books, you can also include a special dedication which will be printed directly in the book you've created - free of charge.


During checkout, you'll be able to enter in the recipient's shipping address, separately from your billing one. And, we never include any pricing or invoices within the parcels themselves, so the recipient won't see those details at all.


Note that at this time we're unable to include any gift notes or separate gift messages within the orders.

Placing an Order

Add content here...What happens when I place an order?

Once your order has been placed, the details are immediately sent to our workshops for processing.

If you've ordered an Original Newspaper, our team of Archivists in our warehouse located in Western Scotland will carefully pick, examine, prepare, and package your order.


If you've ordered a Newspaper Book, details for your customised book will be sent directly to our Printhouse located in the United Kingdom, where an automated printing process will print, trim, bind, and cure you book before it is carefully packaging it for shipping.

Note that as our orders are processed very soon after they're received, we are not able to make any changes or amendments, or cancel any orders.

Returns, Cancellation, and Edit Policies

Due to the automated nature of our order processing, we're unable to make changes or amendments to an order once it's been completed, nor are we able to cancel orders once after they've been placed.

For information about our Returns Policy, please visit this link >> HERE