The Leisure Hour For 1853
Published by The Leisure Hour: London 1853
In Original Leather & Marbled Bindings - Several Articles On Australia Current For 1853
"Published in London in 1853, this bound annual of The Leisure Hour brings together illustrated weekly issues of the Victorian "Family Journal of Instruction and Recreation." The volume retains its original half-leather binding with marbled boards, gilt decoration and a red spine label. An ornate engraved title page depicts a family gathered around a reader, a fitting introduction to a journal intended for the household.
Of particular interest are several articles on Australia published during the early gold rush years. The four-part Life in Australia opens with "Look Out for Squalls," which addresses working men preparing for the long sea voyage. A later instalment captures the hopes and anxieties of a family waiting for news of a young man who has sailed for Australia, wondering whether he has arrived safely and made his fortune.
The Australian material also includes Incidents of Australian Travel, Zoological Curiosities of Australia, Marvels of Australian Vegetation and an article on the Australian mails. Together these pieces offer a contemporary British view of the colonies, from the practicalities of travel and communication to the fascination with Australian animals, plants and the prospect of gold.
The rest of the volume ranges from the illustrated serial The Refugees of the Black Forest and a lively London street scene in The Poor Man's Saturday Night to articles on the Thames, the application of machinery to the arts and the house of Audubon. The detailed index makes the Australian articles easy to locate and gives readers a way into the wide range of subjects that filled a year of Victorian family reading."
Light wear and fading to covers and spine as shown. Binding is decent with secure covers and no loose pages. Some light foxing present. Pages otherwise clean and well presented. A nice copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
