I just discovered this advertisement in the January 1893 issue of The Cosmopolitan, and since an entry of mine from last week caused Patrick Nielsen Hayden to comment on the difference between mimeography and spirit duplication, I thought I’d share it here.

If Wikipedia can be trusted, “Edison did not coin the word ‘mimeograph,’ which was first used by Albert Blake Dick when he licensed Edison’s patents in 1887.” And according to Wired, “The A.B. Dick Co. released the Model 0 Flatbed Duplicator in 1887. It sold for $12 ($270 in today’s money).”

Which means that this ad was published fairly close to the dawn of the technology, only six years after that license was first obtained and the mimeograph was offered commercially to the public.

I can’t tell if the product pictured is the Model 0 Flatbed Duplicator, but regardless of whether it’s the original or a later model, it still led to the launch of science-fiction fandom.

Let a thousand fanzines bloom!