[Periodical, abortive; John Clare] The English Journal: A Miscellany of Literature, Science, and the Fine Arts

Title, ii [Index], 412pp., cr. 8vo, hf-cf, sp. gt, marbled boads, raised bands, leather scuffed, top of spine damaged, hinge strain inside front cover, contents good. Bookplate of John Ribton Garstin (see note below). This short-lived periodical is notable for its distinguished contributors (Miss Mitford, Horace Smith, Douglas Jerrold, George Hogarth, Mrs S.C. Hall Redding himself "Etc. Etc". Redding himself made what seem so tbe be the major contribution in his two substantail articles describing a visit to John Clare in the Asylum, from which he came away with manuscript poems, some published here for the first time. This is one of the "Original Articles" in the works. the anonymous ones of which include "Advertising or the Benefit of Penny Postage" and "Literary Societies". There are also "Personal Notices" (articles on famous people inc. Astley Cooper and John Bunyan), and "MIscellaneous" (inc. "Burns' Early Days", "Cannibalism in New Zealand", "Chusan", a review of Borrow's "Zincali", and reviews of other works, "Half an Hour in Ireland" and other Irish subjects, "Othello in America", W.B.S. Taylor, "Origin, Progress and Present Condition of the Fine Arts in England", "Private and Public Economy of the Chinese", "Six Months with the Chinese Expedition", etc. And "Original Poetry" and "Selected [Poems]". Three copies only listed on COPAC/WorldCat (Oxford, Manchester, and BL). Notes: a. (DNB) "In 1841 [Cyrus Redding] started in succession two abortive ventures, the English Journal and the London Journal". No apparent reference in Redding's autobiography; b. "He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) [...] was invested as a Fellow, Society of Antiquaries (F.S.A.) [...] lived at Braganstown, County Louth, Ireland [...] graduated with a Master of Arts (M.A.)[...] held the office of Justice of the Peace (J.P.)." No apparent reference in Redding's autobiography.