Il Cartaginese Explained

Il Cartaginese was a newspaper published in the British protectorate of Malta between 1804 and 1805.^[1] At the time of its issue, it was the only periodical publication in Malta. Il Cartaginese was preceded by L'Argo (1804) and it was succeeded by the Giornale di Malta (1812–1813).

The newspaper was edited by Vittorio Barzoni and Gavino Bonavita, and it focused on foreign news. Its publication was controlled by the government, and it contained anti-French propaganda. The newspaper was usually eight pages long and it sometimes had a supplement. A total of 15 issues were made, each having a circulation of between 400 and 1000 copies.^[2] The newspaper was not successful, possibly due to poor literacy levels.^[3]

Copies of the publication are now preserved at the National Library of Malta.^[4]

Notes and References

1. News: Grima . Joseph F. . It happened this month: The publication of Malta's first newspaper . . 14 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200627211037/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/it-happened-this-month-the-publication-of-maltas-first-newspaper.721741 . 27 June 2020.
2. Book: Zammit . William . Schirò . Joseph . Sørensen . Sven . Xuereb . Paul . Liber amicorum: Essays on art, history, cartography, and bibliography in honour of Dr. Albert Ganado . 1994 . Malta University Library . . 89–98 . Printing in Malta during the British Protectorate . https://web.archive.org/web/20200628003448/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/24852/1/Liber%20Amicorum.pdf . 28 June 2020.
3. Book: Hough . Barry . Davis . Howard . Davis . Lydia . Coleridge's Laws: A Study of Coleridge in Malta . 2010 . Open Book Publishers . 9781906924126 . 155 .
4. Web site: Collections. Malta Libraries. Ministry for Education. https://web.archive.org/web/20150310152011/http://education.gov.mt/en/education/malta-libraries/Pages/National%20Library/Collections.aspx. 10 March 2015.