Thomas, Isaiah

Thomas, Isaiah, 1749–1831, American patriot and printer, from Worcester, Mass. Thomas printed outspoken Whig editorials in the Massachusetts Spy, a newspaper that he helped to found. He fought at the battles of Lexington and Concord and after the Revolution settled in Worcester as a printer. He published in 1783 A Specimen of Isaiah Thomas's Printing Types, valued as evidence of the printing equipment of a leading American printer of the time. His other ventures included the Massachusetts Magazine (1789–95) and a folio Bible (1791). In 1810 he published the History of Printing in America, compiling during his research one of the most important collections of early American newspapers and pamphlets. He also founded and endowed the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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