1871 RESCUE COPY of The Young Englishwoman - Includes Very Early Serialisation of Little Women

Here is a RESCUE COPY of Beeton's The Young Englishwoman. Being a serialisation of the magazine with copies between May and December of 1871. These include hand-coloured fashion plates, needlecraft patterns and most significantly with these issues an incredibly early serialisation of Little Women (more details below). In need of rescue and a loving new home. The front board is almost entirely detached and the first few pages are loose. Otherwise pages and plates are clean and tightly bound.

Features stories, gardening advice, lots of fashion with multiple black and white illustrations e.g. parasols collars etc., and six and-coloured fashion plates (one of which is a fold-out). There are craft patterns for lace, beadwork and more. 

The May issue opens with the first chapter of Little Women, which is then serialised through the issues, finishing with the end of Chapter 15 in the December issue. 1871 was incredibly early in the book's publication history. It was first published in the US between 1868 and 1869, then in the UK in late 1869. This 1871 serialisation would have captured the text whilst it was still young, fresh and an ongoing phenomenon. It was part of a key moment when magazines such as these were moving young women readers away from moralistic stories towards character-driven fiction.

SOLD WITH ALL FAULTS

H 25.5 cm x W 20 cm, 1.1 kg.