The Gem. A Literary Annual

1830

Special Collections AY 13 G3 V.2 1830

London: W. Marshall

Annuals first appeared in the 1820s, and they brought together poetry, prose, and art in handsome editions. With titles like Forget Me Not and Friendship’s Offering, they were published in November, just in time for Christmas. The poet and humourist Thomas Hood edited the 1830 Gem. Its frontispiece (inspired by one of the stories included) and title page suggest the ornate style typical of these publications. By the early 1860s, the proliferation of other journals and gift books brought the era of the annual to a close.