The Sunday at Home. A Family Magazine for Sabbath Reading

1874

A.H. Reed Collection, Heritage Collection, Dunedin Public Library

London: Religious Tract Society

Like its counterpart the Leisure Hour, Sunday at Home was published by the Religious Tract Society. Both publications are notable for their wood engravings, and they were designed for family consumption, with the aim of countering the effects of ‘pernicious’ reading. However, Sunday at Home included serialized novels, signalling a departure from the tract-based education for which the RTS was known. The journal’s featured stories showcase the reward of virtue, and they are characterized by their strong Christian message, rather than their literary qualities. Nevertheless, in its annual report for 1879, looking back on twenty-five years of publication, the RTS claimed that between them Sunday at Home and The Leisure Hour ‘have together addressed not far short of a million readers monthly’.