Abstract
This study outlines the first mention of Bahá’u’lláh in popular media in the West in 1871. Using digital newspaper archives, it traces how letters by Georg David Hardegg and Dr. Thomas Chaplin introduced Bahá’u’lláh’s name, under various transliterations, to readers across Europe, North America, and the Pacific. Chaplin’s letter in The Times proved especially influential, being reprinted in more than forty newspapers as well as several religious journals and encyclopaedias. Where available, information about the editors who were responsible for these publications is shared. These findings show the extent to which an unintended international network helped spread Bahá’u’lláh’s name during His lifetime.
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