144
NOTES AND QUERIES.
m s. n. AC,;. 19,
-to its large circulation there is no difficulty
in procuring it. This is the familiar
" Town and Country Magazine ; or Universal Repository of Knowledge and Entertainment. Printed for A. Hamilton, Junior, near St. John's Gate,"
from January, 1769, till November, 1780, when it was printed for the same proprietor " opposite St. Dunstan's Church, Fleet St." Archibald Hamilton continued to conduct the magazine until the end of 1790; and afterwards, under W. Bradford, it ran for some years longer. Its interest, however, ceases with the twenty-second volume.
The " prodigious sale "of The Town and Country Magazine in its early days naturally brought forth a plentiful crop of similar productions. In November, 1772, appeared
" The Macaroni and Theatrical Magazine, or Monthly Register of the Fashions and Diversions of the Times. Printed for J. Williams at No. 39, next the Mitre Tavern, Fleet Street,"
followed in December of the same year by
" The Westminster Magazine, or the Pantheon of Taste. Printed for W. Goldsmith at No. 24 Paternoster Bow."
These three periodicals, however, were far surpassed in indecorousness by a succession of magazines, which continued to nourish for a great number of years, and which I propose to describe in detail. The following is a list of them :
1. " The Co vent Garden Magazine ; or Amorous Repository : Calculated solely for the Entertain- ment of the Polite World. Printed for G. Allen, No. 59 in Paternoster Row."*
The first number appeared in July, 1772, and it ran until December, 1774, making three volumes in all. The title-page of the third volume bears the additional de- scription : " Calculated solely for the Enter- tainment of the Polite World and the Finishing of a Young Gentleman's Educa- tion."
2. " The Rambler's Magazine ; or The Annals of Gallantry, Glee, Pleasure, and. the Bon Ton ; Calculated for the Entertainment of the Polite World ; and to furnish the Man of Pleasure with a most delicious banquet of Amorous, Bac- chanalian, Whimsical, Humorous, Theatrical and Polite Entertainment. Vol. I. For the year 1783. London. Printed for the Author and sold by G. Lister, No. 46 Old Bailey : Mr. Jackson, at Oxford ; Mr. Hodson, at Cambridge ; Mr. Frobisher, at York ; Mr. Slack, at Newcastle ; Messrs. Pearson & Rawlinson, at Birmingham ; Mr. Cutwell, at Bath ; and all the other Booksellers
'in Great Britain and Ireland."
It first appeared in January, 1783, and there are three volumes, for the years 1783,
- The title-page of my copy of the first volume
is torn out, and so I am compelled to copy from an advertisement in a contemporary newspaper.
1784, and 1785 respectively, with the above
title-page. In the next year there was an
alteration. For the year 1786, and also for
the year 1787, the magazine was " Printed
for the Authors by R. Randall, No. 4 Shoe
Lane, Fleet Street"; for the year 1788,
and for the year 1789 until the December
number, by R. Randall at " Xo. 1 " Shoe
Lane, Fleet Street. From December, 1789,
until its close in June, 1790. it was printed
by J. Bird, first at No. 11 Poppin's Court,
Fleet Street, and afterwards at Fetter Lane,
Fleet Street. Altogether it ran into eight
volumes.
In the year following the decease of The Rambler's Magazine another publication of the same species had made its appearance :
3. " The Bon Ton Magazine ; or Microscope of Fashion and Folly. (For the year 1791.) Vol. I. London. Printed by W. Locke, No. 12 Red Lion Street, Holborn."
The first number is dated March, 1791, and it ran to March, 1796, making five volumes in all. The fourth and fifth volumes (for 1794 and 1795-6) were printed by D. Brewman, No. 18 New Street, Shoe Lane, who strangely enough is given by Pisanus Fraxi es the printer of the first number (' Catena Librorum Tacendorum,' p. 322).
Another periodical of a similar kind, but much more decorous, was published about the same time. This was :
4. " The Carlton House Magazine ; or, Annals of Taste, Fashion, and Politeness .... London. Printed for W. & J. Stratford, No. 112 Holborn Hill."
It ran from January, 1792, until February, 1798, being printed all the time by the same firm at the same address.
Twenty years later a New Bon Ton Magazine appeared, a rather more respect- able publication than the first. This was :
5. " The New Bon Ton Magazine, or Telescope of the Times. Vol. I. From May to October, 1818. .. .London. Printed for J. Johnston, Cheapside, and sold by all Booksell- < -. "'
This periodical ran from May 1. 1818, until April 2, 1821, six volumes in all. It is far less rare than the original Bon Ton Magazine.
An attempt to revive The Rambler's Maga- zine is described by Pisanus Fraxi in ' Catena Librorum Tacendorum ' as follows :
" The Rambler's Magazine ; or Fashionable Emporium of Polite Literature, The Fine Aits Politics Theatrical Excellencies Wit Humour Genius Taste Gallantry and all the Gay Variety of Supreme Bon Ton .... Vol. 1. London. Benbow, Printer, Byron's Head, Castle Street, 1822."
Pisanus Fraxi describes only this one volume ; " after which," he adds, " I believe,
