William Makepeace Thackeray [ed.] — The Cornhill Magazine

London, Smith, Elder and Co. 1860-1861. Leather. A uniformly bound set comprising the first four volumes of The Cornhill Magazine, edited by William Makepeace Thackeray. This set comprises the first four volumes of The Cornhill Magazine, spanning from January 1860-December 1861. Uniformly bound in half calf, with marbled boards. Volumes 3 and 4 are incorrectly numbered to the spines (Volume 3 is numbered as Volume 4 and vice versa). Founded in 1859 by George Murray Smith, The Cornhill Magazine offered articles on diverse subjects as well as serialisations of new novels, with Thackeray employed as its editor in hopes of gaining similar readership of that of Charles Dicken's similar magazine, All the Year Round. The magazine gained a reputation for rather safe, inoffensive content in the late Victorian era, and stories were often illustrated by pre-eminent artists of the time, including George du Maurier, Edwin Landseer and Frederic Leighton.Early contributors to the magazine include Anthony Trollope ('Framley Parsonage found in Vol. 1), Elizabeth Gaskell, John Ruskin ('Unto This Last found in Vol. 2), George Eliot and Wilkie Collins. Volume 1 is illustrated with twelve plates, a folding map and numerous vignettes; Volume 2 is illustrated with twelve plates and numerous vignettes; Volume 3 is illustrated with twelve plates and numerous vignettes; and Volume 4 is illustrated with twelve plates (six of which are folding) and numerous vignettes. Collated, complete. Uniformly bound in half calf, with marbled boards. Volumes 3 and 4 are incorrectly numbered to the spines. Externally, front board to Vol 1 is detached but present. With rubbing to the extremities, particularly to the spines. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright and clean, with the occasional spots or handling marks. Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Good .