The Leisure Hour 1852 - No's. 1-52. January 1, 1852 - December 23, 1852
A Family Journal Of Instruction and Recreation
Published by The Leisure Hour: London 1852
Includes Multiple Articles Relating To Australia Including Goldfields, Emigration, The Voyage etc
"The Leisure Hour for 1852 is a substantial early annual of this influential Victorian family periodical, blending moral instruction, popular science, travel writing, natural history, biography, and serialized tales. Published at a time of enormous global curiosity and rapid imperial expansion, it presents a vivid, accessible panorama of mid-19th-century knowledge and recreation. The volume is richly illustrated throughout and includes some of the earliest popular descriptions of distant countries and cultures—particularly those newly in public focus due to migration and gold discoveries.
A major highlight of this 1852 annual is its extensive coverage of Australia, reflecting the unprecedented surge of British interest following the discovery of the Victorian goldfields and the massive emigration wave of the early 1850s.
Articles include: Its General Features and Resources; Its Gold-fields; Its Agricultural and Pastoral Life; Emigrants and Emigration; New South Wales and Victoria; The Voyage; Important Notice to Emigrants; and Stray Notes on the Diggings.
Presented in serialised form, these pieces offered contemporary families practical guidance on colonial opportunities, vivid accounts of shipboard life, and balanced commentary on the social upheaval caused by sudden wealth and mass movement. For many readers, this was the most accessible and reliable popular account of Australia available at the time.
In the wider context of The Leisure Hour, these Australian articles were significant because they helped shape British perceptions of the colonies during a critical moment in Australia's formation. They informed potential emigrants, reassured concerned relatives at home, and presented the gold rush as both a moral challenge and a national opportunity. Today, they serve as valuable primary sources for understanding public attitudes toward emigration, the early development of New South Wales and Victoria, and the lived experiences of ordinary families on the voyage to the "Great South Land." This volume appeals strongly to collectors of emigration history, Australian colonial studies, Victorian periodicals, and goldfields-era material."
General wear and fading to covers and spine as shown. Binding is excellent with secure covers and no loose pages. Some light foxing present. A nice copy of the 1852 edition containing multiple Australian articles in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
