See our other auctions this week for more important Gentleman's Magazines including 2 volume sets, probably the world's greatest magazine.  History as it happened, written by people who were there.  Read about some of the most important events in world history as though they happened yesterday, many illustrated with maps, plans and plates.  We start our auctions every Thursday evening, it's always worth a look and never boring.

This volume general condition, bound from the parts by a London Reference Library probably in the 1930's, complete with the monthly title pages.  When bound all the plates were re-laid (some out of position), some trimmed and many laid to linen, the monthly issues text pages vary from yellow to white, a few title pages dusted, few small library stamps to preface, library plates to endpapers, small stamps to reverse of plates.  In each volume we have counted all the plates and listed all the maps, early volumes bound as 2 years and after 1783 all bound as 12 monthly issues, any specific defects are listed at the bottom of the copy. 

Among its early contributors was Samuel Johnson who wrote parliamentary reports under the title "Debates of the Senate of Magna Lilliputia" during times when parliamentary reporting was banned.

Each month every conceivable subject was covered with regular features; parliamentary reports, foreign and domestic news, monthly historical chronicle (a monthly diary of current events), obituaries, marriages, appointments, bills of mortality (all excellent references for the genealogist with many names), reports and reviews of law cases, executions, new publications.  Of particular interest was the monthly section titled London Gazette which was important extracts from the official government newspaper often consisting of military and naval dispatches from commanders in the field.  Early copies were bound as 12 months, later as the magazine grew in size they were bound as 6 monthly sections.  Most months had a variety of engraved plates bound in. 

Continously published over 176 years, the first and most successful magazine ever.  Read as far as the English language extended, it became so popular that by 1741 the publisher could state "That it was being printed at various presses in England, Ireland and the Plantations" (America), history as it happened, month by month, written by people who were there.  The only real way to travel back in time.

A note reference plates, the binders instructions often differ from the monthly title page plate list, so on each volume we count all the plates, plans and maps and list all the maps in the copy.  If you have a query on a particular plate, plan or map please email us and we will confirm if it is in the volume on sale.

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