{"product_id":"the-comic-almanack","title":"The Comic Almanack","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Comic Almanack: An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Second Series 1844–1853, William Makepeace Thackeray, Albert Smith, Gilbert A. Beckett, and The Brothers Mayhew — N\/A\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Chatto and Windus, c. 1874\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. 428.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Fair. The original publisher's green cloth binding exhibits significant wear, most notably with splitting and fraying along the entire length of the front joint and partial cracking to the rear joint. The spine is heavily sunned, resulting in a distinct darkening of the cloth, with prominent rubbing, chipping, and cloth loss at both the head and tail. The gilt tooling and lettering on the front board remain relatively bright, though the board edges and corners show characteristic bumping and abrasion. Internally, the heavy text block is securely attached but slightly shaken, and the preliminary pages, including the title page and frontispiece, display moderate to heavy scattered foxing and age-toning, which continues intermittently throughout the margins of the text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is a later 19th-century combined edition of the Second Series of \u003ci\u003eThe Comic Almanack\u003c\/i\u003e, originally issued in nineteen separate annual parts between 1835 and 1853. Published by Chatto and Windus shortly after they acquired the rights to the series from John Camden Hotten in the early 1870s, this volume collects the almanacks spanning from 1844 to 1853.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work is profusely illustrated with \"many hundred\" quintessential engravings and cuts by the celebrated caricaturist George Cruikshank and other artists, capturing the vibrant and satirical essence of Victorian society. This edition retains the publisher's blind-stamped green cloth binding with Cruikshank's signature reproduced in gilt on the front board. Copies of this Chatto and Windus reprint appear with relative frequency on the open market, though they are frequently found with significant structural wear to the original cloth due to the unwieldy, thick text block.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA delightful encapsulation of Victorian wit and whimsy, \u003ci\u003eThe Comic Almanack\u003c\/i\u003e parodies the traditional, serious educational almanacs of the era. Featuring humorous poetry, merry tales, and societal satire from literary heavyweights such as William Makepeace Thackeray and the Brothers Mayhew, the text is brought to life by the masterful, eccentric illustrations of George Cruikshank. It remains a fascinating and highly entertaining window into 19th-century British humour and daily life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54629573198163,"sku":"5198","price":32.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260816_193938.jpg?v=1787133092","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-comic-almanack","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}