The Strand Magazine by George Newnes - 1891

39 - London - George Newnes, 1891 Book. Good. Hardcover. First edition.. Ahandsome collection ofthe famous victorian periodical, The Strand Magazine. Containing Vol I Jan to June, II July to Dec, III Jan to June, two copies of IV July to Dec, V Jan to June, VI July to Dec, two copies of VII Jan to June, VIII July to Dec, IX Jan to June, X July to Dec, XI Jan to June, XII July to Dec, XIII Jan to June, XIV July to Dec, two copies of XV Jan to June one of which is bound in calf, July to Dec XVI, XVII missing, XVIII July to Dec, XIX Jan to June, XX July to Dec, then XXVII Jan to June and XXVIII July to Dec, XXX July to Dec and vol XCVI November to April. Profusely illustrated throughout. Volumes one to six contain the first editionserialised publication of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, with illustrations by Sidney Pagent. Also features Illustrated Interviews, Stories from a Diary of a Doctor, and Signatures of Charles Dickens. The Strand Magazine was a monthly magazine composed of fictional stories and factual articles founded by George Newnes. It was first published from January 1891 to March 1950 running to 711 issues,though the first issue was on sale well before Christmas 1890. Its immediate popularity is evidenced by an initial sale of nearly 300,000. Sales increased in the early months, before settling down to a circulation of almost 500,000 copies a month which lasted well into the 1930s. Sherlock Holmes, who first appeared in publication in 1887, was featured in four novels and 56 short stories. The character grew tremendously in popularity with the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine, beginning with A Scandal in Bohemia in 1891; further series of short stories and two novels published in serial form appeared between then and 1927. The stories cover a period from around 1880 up to 1914. The Sherlock Holmes short stories featured in these volumes are: To volume III (1892): The Adventure of the Blue Cabuncle, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb, The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor; The Adventure of the Coronet and The Adventure of the Copper Beeches illustrations by Sidney Paget. Tovolume V (1893): The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, The Adventure of the Yellow Face, The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk, The Adventure of the Gloria Scott, The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, The Adventure of the Reigate Squire illustrations by Sidney Paget. To Volume VI (1893): The Adventure of the Crooked Man, The Adventure of the Resident Patient, The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter, The Adventure of the Naval Treaty, The Adventure of the Final Problem illustrations by Sidney Paget. Other contributors to the magazine have included P. G. Wodehouse, Margery Allingham,Agatha Christie, E. Nesbit,Rudyard Kipling, Dorothy L. Sayers, H. G. Wells,Edgar Wallace,Dornford Yates and even Winston Churchill. The magazine's iconic cover, an illustration looking eastwards down London's Strand towards St Mary-le-Strand, with the title suspended on telegraph wires, was the work of Victorian artist and designer George Charles Hait. Condition: Twenty of the volumes are bound in their original cloth binding, three are rebound in cloth and two are in a half calf binding. Externally, generally sound with only some light rubbing to extremities and fading to several of the spines. Volume eighteenhas slight loss to the spine, with volume sixteen's backstrip slightly lifting. Volumes one toeight and volume ten'shinges are strained. Volume eleven's front hinge has failed. Internally, generally firmly bound although the binding is slightly strained in places. All are bright and intermittently clean with some instances of light foxing to the first and last pages. Ink inscriptions to the front pastedown ofthe first twovolumes, as well asa binders ink stamp to the front pastedown ofthe rebound volumes and a binders label to the rear pastedown of the other. Prize bookplate to the front free endpaper of volume one. Overall: GOOD..